best way to pay deposit to a private landlord

vbarbour

Hi There,

I hope some one can help me and put my mind to rest, I am looking to rent a flat privately in London and am very wary about handing over a months rent and a months deposit in cash to a new landlord incase they run off with my money.

I have heard of a few scams surrounding money transfer sites and this has made me quite wary,

what is the best way to ensure that the money I am handing over is safe and that they cannot run off with it?

Vix

creditboy

Ask for a reciept?

Jowo_2

The money transfer scams relating to accommodation tend to be perpetuated by scammers who pretend to be landlords, come up with an excuse why they can't show the property in person and persuade the victim to use a service like Western Union after sending through a few photos of the property by email!. Generally, these scammers will reside overseas and prefer to be wired the money through a money payment service like Western Union because its untraceable - they've usually never met the tenant.

Face to face scamming by bogus landlords (criminals pretending to be the property owner) are much less common but do happen.

If you've any doubts about the legitimacy of your landlord and ownership of the property, then download the records from the land registry site and ask the landlord for photo ID and proof of ownership of the property.

Otherwise deposits and first month rent can be paid by cash, cheque or BACs transfer, the last two leave a record from your account to theirs, and the landlord should provide a receipt at the time of handover.

In England/Wales, all new ASTs require for tenants require to be protected in a tenancy deposit scheme and proof given to the tenant where it is lodged fairly quickly (within 14 days I think). Ask your landlord which scheme they will use and ensure you get written confirmation that its been protected.