Renters need Realtors, too!

Combine lots of empty foreclosures, lots of free online portals, and lots of people in need of rental housing, and you’ve got rich ground for con artists who fraudulently pose as real estate agents and property managers in order to ply their schemes on potential tenants.

But how do you know a real estate professional is who they say they are? Some scammers go to enormous lengths to assume the appearance an authentic real estate professional — from creating letterhead and websites to full-on identity theft — and uncovering these sophisticated criminals can require FBI-level detective skills.

However, there are a few ground-level steps you can take to validate the identity of someone who claims to be a real estate agent or a property manager.

In Florida, any individual who receives compensation to provide real estate services on behalf of another must be licensed. You can confirm that someone is a valid real estate licensee by going to the Florida Department of Business and Professional website at myfloridalicense.com then clicking on “Verify A License.”

“Don’t forget that a true real estate professional will be happy to provide their license information and additional identification, and that resistance to your request to do so is a red flag,” says Orlando Regional Realtor Association Chairman Steve Merchant, owner and broker of Global Realty International.

Renters in the Orlando area should also confirm whether a real estate licensee is a Realtor, which means the licensee is a member in good standing of the National Association of Realtors, Florida Realtors, and the Orlando Regional Realtor Association.

To confirm membership in the Orlando Regional Realtor Association, visit orlandorealtors.org and click on the words “Find a Realtor” located at the very top of the homepage. At the next screen, you can search by either the individual’s name or by their company’s name.

You can also search for a Realtor located outside of Orlando through the consumer websites of both the National Association of Realtors at realtor.com, and Florida Realtors at fl.living.net

Finally, many property managers voluntarily belong to either the National Association of Residential Property Managers or their local chapter of that association (in our area, it’s the Orlando/Central Florida chapter). Their websites (www.narpm.org and http://cflorida.narpm.org) also have “Find a Member” search functions.

What’s the best way to avoid falling prey to a rental scam? Employ the services of a licensed REALTOR or property manager to assist you in your search for a rental home.

Real estate licensees have more than knowledge of market-appropriate rates and contract-negotiation skills. They have the experience necessary to recognize and react to an illegitimate rental in order to prevent you from becoming yet another victim of rental scam.

– ORRA