Howard Gets The Rental Run-Around
Harlem Building Takes People's Money, But Doesn't Let Them Move In.
You remember the story of Jannelle? She had put down a $ 5,500 deposit for an apartment up in Harlem. She says she met several times with "Sonia", the woman representing the apartment and everything seemed ok. A move-in date of September 15th was agreed upon.
Problem was that when it came time for Janelle to move in, that's when the delays began.
At first Sonia said the apartment was still being painted, so the move-in date was moved to October 1st. But when that date arrived, there was suddenly a sprinkler leak and the date was moved to the middle of the month. That's when Sonia told Janelle she had no idea when the apartment would be ready, so she agreed to return Janelle's money.
Well, Janelle is still waiting for her money.
When her story aired in November, Howard heard from David and his story was very similar to Janelle's.
He had seen the report on TV and called Howard. He too had rented an apartment at the same address from a woman named "Sonia".
After giving her three thousand dollars, Sonia told David she was still waiting for the previous tenant to move out before he could move in in August.
But when August came along, David couldn't reach Sonia. So he headed uptown and found her. Sonia said she had had a death in the family and there was a leak in the apartment's roof.
That's when she offered to return his money, but it would take 10 days.
10 days later no check and David is still waiting for his money.
When Howard confronted "Sonia" , she told him to talk to her lawyer, but when Howard called her lawyer, he said he didn't represent Sonia. So who's telling the truth in this rental run-around?
There are a lot of apartment scams out there to watch out for.
A very popular scam on Craig's List is where someone advertises an apartment, shows it to a prospective tenant, collects their deposit, then disappears. Don't let it happen to you! If you are looking for an apartment, make sure that you are dealing with a reputable broker or the owner of the building, the landlord. Do not trust people who claim to "have access to the apartment and can show it to you." You have no idea who they are and whether they have legal access to show apartments. And don't pay any money until you have a signed lease in your hand plus a receipt!
Make sure a real estate agent is a licensed broker. Their office should have their license prominently displayed or you can get their license number by checking with New York State's Department of State.
If the ad says "For Rent By Owner", make sure you're dealing with the building's real owner and not a scammer. You can confirm the name of a city buildings's owner by going to the city's online city register
If an apartment is advertised as "No Fee", find out exactly what that means. Ask the broker how they are getting paid, sometimes an owner or landlord pays the broker a set fee off the top of the rent, that has been inflated just for that purpose.
Be suspicious if a broker doesn't show you the apartment that you called about. If the one you want is already gone and they're showing you one just like it, be careful. Also don't give in to pushy brokers who pressure you. If you don't feel comfortable about an apartment, walk away. Quality brokers should not be pressuring you into something you don't want or can't afford.
Finally, be VERY careful about what you find on Craig's List
And NEVER send money via moneygram or mail, without first having seen the apartment in person and getting a signed lease in your hand. And even that is questionable. If you have to send money long distance to a landlord somewhere else, imagine what type of problems you will have getting anything repaired if the landlord is that far away. IT"S NOT WORTH IT.
Produced By Monique Singhroy
