Potential Scam On Current Tenants

Today a tenant stopped by to pay the rent in person.  He told me that someone was there yesterday taking outside photos of the property.  That person informed our tenant that the property was in foreclosure with a sale date in January.  I know the owner and know that the property is nearly paid for.  So, it's not likely it's in foreclosure.  I called the owner, who promptly faxed me his mortgage payment as proof that the loan was current.

What's the scam?  Perhaps this alleged "new owner" was grooming the tenant to pay him rent and bypassing our company.  This is an interesting, and alarming, new twist to the rental scams that are out there.  If you rent from us, verify with us if anyone claims to be the new owner of the property.  We'll gladly contact the country Public Trustee to verify ownership of the property.

There is a new law passed this year that gives tenants rights during and after the foreclosure process.  So, even if the property is foreclosed, don't panic, you have certain rights related to your tenancy.  But, most importantly, do not pay rent to any stranger, with or without proof.  It's easy to doctor a fake deed or bill or sale.  Instead, ask us, your property manager, to verify ownership for you.