How to rent an apartment: what you need to know. How to rent an apartment, so as not to be deceived? What you need to know to rent an apartment

The need to rent a house is associated with certain risks. Many prefer to find a good apartment and rent it on long term. How to do it right and not be deceived, we will tell in this article?

Useful tips to help you avoid getting scammed

To avoid becoming a victim of scammers, it is important to follow 4 simple rules:

1. If you are looking through agencies, then solve all the issues in the apartment you want to rent.
2. Make sure your relationship is documented. Never transfer money for rental housing without drawing up and signing an agreement.
3. Before the conclusion of the contract, do not transfer the pledge. All prepayments and advances must not be transferred to the tenant on an oral basis. Draw up an agreement, a deed of transfer, only then transfer the money and take the keys (check if they fit the lock).
4. Before signing a lease, check the documents for the apartment against the owner's passport.
5. Do not deal with dubious realtors. Often, fraudulent schemes are used by small offices, whose representatives look like good-natured simpletons.

What are the types of fraud?

In the field of real estate turnover, there are specific tricks, both on the part of realtors and the owners themselves. Among the most popular, we highlight the following:

Information Agency

They work according to a well-coordinated scheme, a group of people with excellent psychological skills.

1. Lure the tenant.

Fraudsters advertise at a very low price and ask the client to come to the office to conclude a contract. After that, they promise to provide either the owner's contacts or send SMS messages with options for apartments.

For example, in your city, renting a one-room apartment costs an average of 15,000 rubles a month, and they set it up for 9,000 rubles with a very good repair. Of course, such an ad attracts and you call the number. As a rule, a nice girl answers you and says that there really is such an apartment, everything is in order, come to the office.

Such companies, under any pretext, try to lure you into the office, saying come:

• the owner will be in the office, you will talk to him, if everything suits you, then go to the apartment and rent it;
• in the office we have concluded a contract with the owner, we represent his interests and provide the owner's contacts, etc.

Remember! Their main goal is to lure you to them., and then they will already offer, persuade, deceive on the spot so that you sign the contract and pay the money in advance, and then they will give you a phone number and go to the apartment.

2. Fraudulently forced to sign a contract and pay in advance.

Fraud option #1. You were persuaded to come to the office, after arrival they begin to show on their computer the apartments prepared for you to choose from. As a rule, all apartments are well renovated, with good furniture and appliances and at a very low price.

This, of course, pleases that there are so many options and there are plenty to choose from. On this basis, the client loses vigilance by signing the contract and paying for the services of the agency. This should not be done!

To dispel your doubts about the deception, they offer to call the owner's phone number. You call the specified number, but the person who answers you is an accomplice of scammers, he has been prepared in advance, he has the same apartment base. Thinking that this is the real owner, you ask, he answers you - What awaits in an apartment at a certain address, sign a contract and pay.

As soon as you pay and arrive at the apartment, call again, but in response to silence. Calling back to the agency, they will say that they do not know what happened, but they are ready to offer other options. Having thrown off a few more places, you think now everything will end, but sad news awaits you there - the apartment has already been rented out. And so it can be 2-3 times.

In general, the essence of the scheme is that the contract states that the agency provides information services and, according to the contract, there should be no more than 3 of them. If you did not have time to rent an apartment, then these are your problems. Service paid for and provided.

Fraud option #2. A new way of fraud when renting an apartment in 2019 is that the photos in the ad do not correspond to reality.

Attention is attracted by the price, you call on the ad, where they say that the apartment is there, everything matches the description and photo.

You agree on an inspection and after that, after 20-30 minutes, the agent calls you back. He says that it is inconvenient for the owner to show it, because often people agree and do not come at the appointed time. To avoid this, the owner offers to meet at the office of a real estate agency, bring all the documents, and then go to inspect the apartment.

Confidence that these are not scammers is given by the fact that the office will have an owner with documents for an apartment.Don't fall for this trick!

As a result, you arrive, there really is an owner with documents in the office, he talks about the apartment, asks where you work, what you do, clarifies your solvency, thereby pushing you to trust, shows what an excellent repair the apartment is. He can argue the low cost of rent by the fact that he is flying away for a long time and even show plane tickets, assuring that it is important for him to rent an apartment for a long time.

Then the agency employees say that they will represent the interests of the owner on exclusive terms. Therefore, we sign the contract now, and then we will go to the apartment and sign the act of acceptance and transfer already without the owner, we will also hand over the keys there. You, without reading, sign the contract, exchange phone numbers with the owner, pay him for a month of living and a security deposit, go to an apartment with a realtor. But the address indicated in the contract will not be the same interior that you saw in the photographs presented earlier.

The apartment may be uninhabitable. But you signed the contract and the one who shows you the apartment does not want to be responsible for the owner with whom you communicated at the agency.

You refuse to sign the act, but the contract states that if you do not accept the apartment under the transfer act, then the money you paid to the owner will not be returned. As a result, you will be deceived for two months of residence.

Important! Do not transfer funds towards the rent and commission for services until the actual receipt of the apartment under the acceptance certificate. It is an integral part of the lease agreement.

Proving fraud is extremely difficult. Since in fact in the office you will be presented with real photos of a bad apartment.

How to check if you are a scammer? When talking before the deal, you should say that you are ready to come to see the apartment, but not to the office, but immediately to rented housing. If you are dissuaded by any means, then in 99% of cases you are being deceived.

If you call the ad, and they say to come to an apartment where there will be an owner and a realtor, then this is more like the truth. But even here you should not relax, having arrived at the indicated address, be sure to check the documents with the owner:

• certificate of ownership of the apartment - issued until 2017;
• extract from the USRN;
• passport.

Be sure to check the details of the owner of the apartment with the submitted passport. Pay attention to what part of the apartment belongs to this person, her address. If everything fits, then the owner is acting legally. Only then can the contract be signed.

How to find out who owns the apartment and who is the owner? You can check by ordering an extract from the USRN.

The apartment is rented out not by the owner, but by another person

You find an ad on the site, the price of renting an apartment is underestimated from the average by 3-4 thousand rubles. Call the indicated phone number, where they will tell you everything in detail, ask who will live, i.e. will enter into trust. The questions will be aimed at convincing him that you have serious intentions to rent an apartment for a long time.

After inspecting the apartment, you are ready to sign the contract. Fraudsters can act according to one of the proposed options:

1. You will be offered not to sign the contract, arguing that, for example, he works in structures where it is impossible to make a profit. This option cannot be considered immediately.
2. They will tell you that this is a relative or friend of the owner, offer a photocopy of his passport, a copy of the certificate of ownership. They will offer to indicate the owner's data in the contract, put signatures and everything will be legal. Strictly refuse the deal!

Remember! The representative of the owner can rent an apartment only with a notarized power of attorney. In other cases, he does not have such a right.

If there is no power of attorney, then there is a high probability that you will be deceived when renting this apartment. By notarized power of attorney, the contract is drawn up for the person who is the legal representative of the owner.

What can happen? You rent an apartment, pay a month's rent and a security deposit. But the next day, the real owner appears and begins to find out on what basis you live in his apartment. He will present the originals of his documents and will have the right to put you out of the apartment. As a result, you are left without housing and the money that you paid.

Re-letting an apartment through a sublease

Similarly to the second option, when there is an apartment at a lower price, you call and clarify the details. You arrive at the apartment, everything matches the photo from the ad and you are ready to sign the contract. After that, the scammers say that the apartment is rented on the basis of a sublease agreement and, as a rule, they will show it.

It is not recommended to sign a sublease agreement, because you will not be able to check the title documents for the ownership of the apartment, no one will give their originals. Only photocopies will be provided, and it is very easy to fake them.

As a result, the landlord will appear and evict you.

A citizen who rents housing does not have the right, on his own behalf, to transfer an apartment to other persons for rent. Therefore, when making a deal, pay attention to the documents provided, which indicate the owner of the premises.

Dishonest landlord

A “tricky” agreement that allows the owner to simultaneously put the apartment up for sale and receive rental income.

In this case, I liked the apartment, everything was fine in it, the owner showed the title documents.

The owner of the apartment, knowing in advance that he was selling this apartment, removed the clause in the contract that he was not entitled to sell the apartment during the lease term. You sign a contract, rent an apartment, live there for a month, but then the owner announces that he is putting it up for sale. At the same time, he says that you can continue to live there, but it will be sold.

As a result, people will constantly walk and look at the apartment, and sometimes the owner will ask you to show it to potential buyers.

Important! You need to read the contract carefully before signing it. It should contain a clause that in case of violation of the term of the contract, the landlord is obliged to return the amount of the deposit and pay compensation equal to the security deposit. That is the full amount for rent + compensation in the same amount.

3 more tricks to lure money:

1. Information base of numbers. You should not agree to pay for the services of a housing selection agency that offers only an information base. The point is that they give the client the contact numbers of the landlords for a relatively small fee. Then you will have to act on your own: negotiate, inspect, draw up a contract. At the same time, there is no guarantee that these numbers will turn out to be real and the apartments have not been rented out.
2. Sale of access to the client base. A relatively new way to deceive customers. It consists in selling access to a supposedly constantly updated database of rental housing. In fact, it turns out to be a site that hosts old ads.
3. Prepaid for cell phone. The fraudster ingratiates himself by asking a lot of questions and at the end asks to transfer 1-2 thousand rubles to a cell phone as an advance.

How to find an apartment for rent without intermediaries from the owner

Many people prefer not to turn to the help of a realtor, but to find an apartment for rent on their own. The absence of an intermediary eliminates additional expenses, but it will require a little more time and effort.

You can easily find and rent an apartment from the owner yourself, because most of those offered by realtors are freely available on well-known resources.

Detailed instructions for finding an apartment from the owner, which are used by realtors themselves:

The concept of renting a dwelling. Housing rental is considered to be the case when one person is ready to live for a certain fee in the apartment of another person who is the full owner (Article 671 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation). The parties in this case are called:

• Landlord - the owner of the rented apartment (about who the landlord or landlord is, as well as his rights and obligations are described in).
• A tenant is a person who rents an apartment.

Renting an apartment by law must be registered with the tax service. According to Article 674 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, if it is concluded for a short period (less than one year), then its registration with the tax service is not needed (a short-term contract of employment is described in). But if the contract is long-term, then it must be submitted for registration within one month from the date of signing.

Article 674 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. Residential lease form

1. The tenancy agreement is concluded in writing.
2. Restriction (encumbrance) of the right of ownership to a dwelling, arising on the basis of a lease agreement for such a dwelling, concluded for a period of at least a year, is subject to state registration in the manner established by the law on registration of rights to real estate and transactions with it.

Is it worth filming?

Usually, housing is rented when there are hopeless situations.

1. Most often, such situations are those when there is no own housing or it is, but a person does not want to live with other people.
2. Or when a student moves to a foreign city, and there is no hostel there.
3. Or when the children grew up and decided to move out from their parents.

Renting an apartment is worth it if a person is aware that he will have to not only live in this place, but also pay for rent and, possibly, utilities.

You need to be prepared that in case of the slightest delay, you will be asked to leave immediately.

Which is better: renting a house or taking out a mortgage?

What is more profitable to rent an apartment or take a mortgage?:

• On the one hand, it is better to take a mortgage loan and if you pay money, and not small ones, then at least for housing, the full owner of which you will later become! The mortgage amount will not be small, but in the end you will be left with an apartment.
• On the other hand, taking a mortgage loan automatically obliges you to be more attentive and accurate in relation to your work, and in the event of any unforeseen situations related to the apartment, you will have to deal with this as the owner.

Therefore, many want to avoid a heavy burden of responsibility, both moral and financial, by choosing to rent an apartment for many years. But in this case, it is worth remembering that you are paying a stranger, and after all you will be left with nothing.

How old do you have to be to be a tenant?

How old do you have to be to rent an apartment? The tenant has the right to conclude contracts strictly from the age of eighteen. Of course, there are cases when officially a citizen takes full legal capacity before the age of majority.

Usually the exception is the conclusion of a marriage union before the age of eighteen years. In this case, the teenager can be fully capable and enter into any contracts (Article 21 of the Civil Code).

Article 21 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. Legal capacity of a citizen

1. The ability of a citizen by his actions to acquire and exercise civil rights, create for himself civil duties and fulfill them (civil capacity) arises in full with the onset of adulthood, that is, upon reaching the age of eighteen.
2. In the case when the law allows marriage before the age of eighteen, a citizen who has not reached the age of eighteen acquires legal capacity in full from the time of marriage.

   Legal capacity acquired as a result of marriage shall be retained in full even in the event of dissolution of marriage before the age of eighteen.

   When declaring a marriage invalid, the court may decide on the loss of full legal capacity by the minor spouse from the moment determined by the court.

detailed instructions

How to find your corner that is right for you?

What to pay attention to?

What you need to know when renting an apartment and what to look for:

• Pay attention to why past tenants moved out of the apartment. Maybe they just found a better option or bought their own apartment, but it can happen that the landlord is a terrible brawler!
• Status of utility bills. A large debt can threaten a power outage.
• On the condition of electrical appliances and household appliances, if available in the apartment. You need to check with the owner. Since landlords often like to blame minor repairs on tenants.
• Home area and view from the window. If a bright nightclub sign is lit in front of the window or a lantern is shining, most likely you will feel a little uncomfortable living in the spotlights.

You can fix the problem with blackout curtains, but it is unlikely that you will be able to sleep with an open window near a nightclub.

The procedure for mandatory verification when renting housing

What should be checked when renting an apartment? Be sure to check at the accommodation:

1. The presence of traces of crayon on the floor, baseboards, behind pipes may indicate living creatures like cockroaches, ants, wood lice, bedbugs and others.
2. If there is an automatic air freshener at the entrance to the apartment, you should turn it off and listen to the smells of the apartment. It happens that the owners try to mask the smell of dampness or sewage.
3. The presence of gaps in the frames and doors if ordinary wooden windows or poorly installed double-glazed windows are installed. In winter, all the heat will go into these cracks, the apartment will see through.
4. In the event that the apartment is corner, check the joints between the walls, they must be dry. Otherwise, the heat will also blow out, and in winter this corner will also get wet, because it does not dry out.
5. Water pressure. It happens that in the houses of an old building, the upper floors do not have enough good pressure.

How to control the owner?

How to check the owner of the apartment? In order to establish whether this citizen is really the full owner of the apartment you are going to rent, you need to ask him to provide the relevant documents. What to do with these papers:

1. These papers must indicate on the basis of what the person became the owner of the apartment (the right establishing documents are a contract of sale, a donation contract, a court decision, a will, and so on).
2. Check the passport and compare the data in the document of ownership. All information from the number and series of the passport to registration must be identical.
3. Ask for the right of ownership of the property or an extract from the USRR.

Important! Everything needs to be checked more carefully when you are looking for an apartment on your own, as there are many scammers.

It is much safer to contact a trusted real estate agency, where lawyers will check the authenticity and correctness of documents.

What are the essential questions to ask?

What questions to ask when renting an apartment:

• the value of the rent;
• in what terms it is carried out;
• conditions of the apartment (if talking on the phone);
• neighbors surrounding the apartment;
• repair status;
• present furniture and household appliances;
• delivery date of the apartment.

All other questions are asked when viewing the apartment, for example, because of what the former tenants moved out.

And ask how many owners the apartment has. If the owner is not one, but there are several of them, then ask if other owners are ready to rent an apartment. Ask questions about how much notice you have to give your landlord about your decision to move out.

Will he visit the apartment every month and inspect it, is it possible to delay payment for several days due to some circumstances, and is the landlord ready to make some concessions on payment (for example, to agree under certain life circumstances on deferred payment).

Important! If the landlord speaks unflatteringly about former tenants and behaves rudely, arrogantly at every question, then such a person may subsequently slander you (even if all the requirements for maintaining and paying for the apartment have been met) when you move out of his apartment!

Legal regulation of renting residential premises between individuals

The rental of an apartment must be in writing only.. This will guarantee that the landlord will not hand it over to you and other third parties along the way.

And also to ensure serious intentions on the part of the tenant about the intention to rent this living space. When renting an apartment, a written contract is drawn up, it contains provisions on how to behave in certain situations, for example, if there is a flood or fire or other circumstances.

If the agreement between the parties takes place orally, it is possible that there will be a misunderstanding or that someone simply forgot about something else.

Is it possible to do without a contract?

It is possible to rent an apartment without a contract, but it is not desirable, since each party will not know their rights and obligations, for example, if the contract contains a clause stating that the owner of the apartment has the right to inspect the apartment no more than once a month, then it will be so.

And with a verbal agreement, one thing can be said, but in reality it will turn out that he will disturb the employer with his presence on a weekly basis.

Features of housing with and without renovation

So, apartments for rent without repair are usually in new buildings where there is only a rough finish. When inspecting such real estate, you should feel free to ask for a discount for living conditions if the amount is the same as for apartments rented out with repairs.

Usually, the owners who want to cash in on nothing at first do not agree, but after the delivery of the apartment is delayed for months, they willingly make concessions.

When when the apartment needs repair, you can agree to rent it on account of the repair. At the same time, discuss what kind of repair is required from him and when it will be completed, and the rent will resume as usual.

Provided that during the repair work, the tenant will also pay for all utilities. Most often, landlords go for such transactions, since they independently make repairs in an apartment where the owner himself does not live expensively and for a long time, but here there is a free labor force that pays for utilities and makes repairs.

All these aspects should also be written in the contract from the beginning of the repair work to their completion and the approximate amount spent with the sales receipts attached subsequently.

With kids

When renting an apartment with small children, it is worth writing in the contract clauses on whether the tenant will compensate for damage to the wallpaper or floor (for example, if the children painted or stuck plasticine, after which grease stains remained after removal).

In any case, the landlord must take into account that when renting an apartment to a family with children, repairs in the apartment can be ruined. Will he be condescending when this factor is discovered or will he ask to compensate for the damage caused.

As for adult children, as a rule, little attention is paid to this, since they can give an account of their actions.

Agency choice

When choosing the agency itself, you need to pay attention to both the seriousness of the company and the housing it offers. How to choose agents:

1. Usually, in order to rent an apartment through an agency, you must first draw up an agreement on the provision of services for the selection of real estate with a realtor, indicate in it the preferences and wishes of the tenant, as well as the amount and term of selection.
2. After that, the agent selects suitable apartments for you and after you agree to rent this or that living space, payment for the services of the agency is given.
3. The next step is to sign a rental agreement. If the company that selects housing is official, then there will be no difficulties.

As a rule, serious firms are engaged not only in the selection of housing for rent, but also in the sale, as well as other services related to real estate.

Key points

The main key points when renting an apartment:

• The amount of the rent, who pays utilities, the payment term (read about the procedure for paying for an apartment under a lease agreement, and how to document rent issues and draw up a payment schedule is described).
• Drafting a tenancy agreement.
• Availability and condition of household appliances and furniture.
• The general condition of the apartment and the house as a whole.
• Neighborhood environment.
• The remoteness of the area from the metro and / or city center.
• The presence or absence of developed infrastructure (shops, hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and so on).
• The presence of connected utilities (autonomous heating or central, hot, cold water, sanitation, internet, television, home telephone).
• Is it possible to rent an apartment with animals / children.

Related videos

You can also see how to rent an apartment in this video:

Conclusion

Subject to essential conditions, you can rent a home with comfort for yourself and the owners of the apartment, be calm for your future well-being and not be afraid to come to a house where things are put out on the street.

What do you need to know in order to avoid unpleasant situations, quickly find affordable and at the same time decent housing, and rent it correctly for a long time?

What is more important, to analyze the information and ask the right questions? Or the ability to avoid pitfalls? This will be discussed in detail below.

Dear readers! Our articles talk about typical ways to resolve legal issues, but each case is unique.

If you want to know how to solve exactly your problem - contact the online consultant form on the right or call the numbers below. It's fast and free!

Search through real estate agencies

People who are faced with the need to rent an apartment for the first time usually turn to an agency. It is advisable to find a trusted organization, ideally - on the recommendation of friends. The duties of a real estate agent are as follows:

• Find an apartment according to the client's requirements;
• Designate a viewing time with the landlord;
• Accompany you on viewings of selected apartments;
• When drawing up a contract of employment, conduct all negotiations;
• Advise the client on contract issues;
• Carry out verification of the owner's documents on the ownership of housing;
• Directly, as well as draw up an act of acceptance and transfer, which will contain an inventory of the property of the apartment.

The cost of specialist services is 50-100% of the cost of renting housing per month.

Demand creates supply, and these offers are not always fair. We invite you to watch a video about new methods of fraud when renting an apartment.

How to rent an apartment on your own?

With an independent search, you will need to find an ad from the owner, and not a real estate company, set the time yourself and go around the apartments you like. Of course, in such a situation there are pitfalls, but many people prefer.

What do you need to consider when doing your own research?

Verification of the landlord

In order to make sure that the property is legally clean, ask its owner to provide you with the following documents:

• Evidence of ownership of it;
• An agreement confirming the ownership of the apartment (for example, a contract of sale);
• Passport.
• In the event that the landlord is the representative of the owner, he must provide a notarized power of attorney confirming the right to manage.

Make sure there are no utility bills. It is necessary to check payment receipts and meters for electricity and water before you conclude a contract.

Consent of all owners

If the apartment has several owners, that is, it belongs to them in shares, then consent is required from all of them (upon reaching the age of 14). The lease agreement must contain the signatures of all owners or the signature of an authorized person who has a power of attorney from them.

If you want to rent a room in a communal apartment, then you will need the consent of the neighbors. The landlord must take care of this. He is also obliged to provide a document that spells out the procedure for using this apartment - that is, which room is assigned to one or another owner, which will save you from possible conflicts.

Correct lease agreement

A competently and legally correct drafted contract contains:

• Full name and passport details of the owner of the property and the tenant;
• Monthly rent amount;,
• Conditions for reviewing housing fees;
• The largest number of visits by the owner of the apartment to check it, as well as the conditions of checks;
• Persons who are entitled to cohabitation with the tenant;
• The term for renting out the apartment;
• Conditions under which the contract will be terminated.
• The contract must contain detailed description housing: address of the apartment, area and number of rooms, number of storeys of the house.

Moreover, each contract is individual - there is no standard form.

We invite you to download the apartment rental agreement form: Download.

Inventory of property

The inventory of property is an annex to the main lease agreement. The inventory indicates the property that is transferred to the tenant for temporary use.

The homeowner can include in the inventory: furniture, household appliances, linen, kitchen utensils and utensils, carpets, etc. If the tenant loses or damages items that are not included in the inventory, then the owner will not be able to return them.

Rules for renting an apartment

Check with the owner of the apartment his right to rent out the premises, examine the documents for the apartment.

Find out where it can be found, and check the contact details (phone, address).

Check the conditions for connecting to the Internet or, if it is already held, find out the payment procedure.

When inspecting the apartment check the condition of plumbing, electrical wiring. It is important that the plugs are not knocked out when connecting a minimum number of appliances (electric kettle, computer, washing machine). Also make sure that there are no ants, cockroaches, bedbugs and other insects.

If during the inspection there were any problems, check with the owner of the property, at whose expense the repair and elimination will be carried out.

If you rent a room that is not locked with a key, or a bed, then you do not need to pay a deposit.

The windows of the apartment must be in good condition, otherwise in the cold months you will be blown through, and in the warm months the air conditioner will be difficult.

Write down emergency numbers for emergency services.

On the copy of the agreement, note the monthly rent payment and ask for the owner's signature.

Decide on the furniture, whether you will use the owner's furniture or bring your own.

Since prices in the rental market are unstable, it is not recommended to draw up a contract for a long-term rental of housing for a fixed price. If prices drop, you can choose a cheaper rental option or ask the landlord for a discount.

When signing the contract, the owner of the apartment must give you a set of keys. Check them out. Remember that it is illegal to charge for keys.

Usually the term of the contract is a year without one day. This is in the interests of the apartment owner, since such contracts are called short-term and reduce the tenant's ability to illegally share co-tenants. If you wish to renew the contract, sign the relevant agreement one month before the expiration date.

Try to find a common language with the landlord and neighbors, maintain good relations with them.

Fresh renovation, cleanliness, a smiling and friendly owner and, most importantly, a very attractive price - all this is by no means a reason for a tenant looking for housing to immediately move into an apartment, let alone pay a deposit three months in advance. The RIA Real Estate website has collected five expert tips that will allow you to learn about the intricacies of renting and not be left with a nose, and besides, on the street.

Check the documents for the apartment

There are several types of fraudulent activities on the part of landlords that all those who are looking for rental housing should be aware of.

For example, Maria Baskova, head of the rental department at Azbuka Zhilya, says that in rental relations there is such a thing as sublease of housing - when the tenant re-rents the apartment to third parties, of course, without informing the owner. According to the interlocutor of the agency, in this case, the scammer rents an apartment by the day, say, for seven days. During this time, he manages to retake it to several employers at a price much lower than the market price, but, having received an advance payment for several months, he hides. Failed tenants of the apartment are left without money and without housing.

Means of "self-defense" in this case are quite banal and simple. In order not to fall for the bait of a scammer, before paying money, make sure that the apartment belongs to the owner, Vadim Cherdantsev, senior lawyer of the Land. Real Estate. Construction practice, insists. "Such information can be obtained on the basis of an extract from the Unified State Register of Rights to Real Estate. To obtain it, you need to submit a corresponding request to the territorial division of the Office of the Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography or (Rosreestr), pay 200 rubles of state duty and wait only 5 days. In Moscow, you can also contact the multifunctional center, they are available in every district. An extract can be requested by any citizen, "explains the lawyer.

When renting an apartment, the tenant also has the right to demand a passport from the owner, and, after checking the documents for the apartment, conclude a rental agreement with the owner of the apartment, which should spell out the main wishes, requirements and obligations of the parties, Baskova adds. And, of course, you need to give money only against receipt, she emphasizes.

How to draw up a rental agreement. Council >>>

Specify the lease term in the contract

"In the spring-summer period, with the advent of seasonal apartments on the rental market, there are owners who give out the rent of their seasonal apartment for an apartment that is rented for a long time. As a result, the tenant is forced to look for housing again and move in a few months," - leads Baskova is another example of tenant deception.

In order to avoid such an unpleasant situation, you must immediately insist on concluding a contract in writing, indicating the terms of employment.

By the way, notes Cherdantsev, if the term is not reflected in the contract of employment, it is considered concluded for five years. After the conclusion of the contract, the owner will no longer be able to simply expel the tenant and terminate the contract. In case of any disagreement between the parties, the contract is terminated only in court, the lawyer clarifies.

Do not go to the apartment inspection alone

Be friendly but keep your distance from the host

As for the behavior of the tenant, according to Baskova, there is no need to invent anything or specially adapt to the landlord, the main thing is to be calm and friendly. "Never react violently to possible changes in the price or terms of the lease, if you build a conversation correctly and calmly, then the result will usually be in your favor," Baskova is convinced.

Gutu advises the tenant to treat the rented apartment as if it were his own, not to be afraid to nail a shelf or call a plumber once again. But what exactly is not needed, in her opinion, is excessive attention, tea parties and gifts to the landlord. As in any business, in a rental relationship it is important to show yourself responsible, diligent, with a good memory, but at the same time "keep your distance," the realtor notes.

06.02.19 58 135 28

And do not give money to scammers

For three years I helped people rent apartments and now I know several thousand rental stories.

Maria Yakovleva

protect people from scammers

It so happened that my clients found an apartment, agreed to move, but instead they lost money and were left homeless. I will tell you about the six most common schemes for deceiving employers and explain what documents to check and what to look for.

Fraud option

Fake apartments from news agencies

In the real estate market, there are agencies that sell only information, so they are called information agencies. They provide false information about the apartments, take a commission from the client and do not guarantee the settlement.

Ads from such agencies often come across people who have just arrived in a foreign city and want to quickly rent an apartment. I noticed that even the offices of such agencies are often located near train stations and popular hostels.

For this, a potential employer is invited to a decent office, most often in the city center. Managers are well trained and give the impression of professionals. The future employer is provided with licenses and documents, they show many fake awards, diplomas and certificates.

After meeting, they offer to sign a contract and pay a commission. Under this agreement, the agency provides the addresses of the apartments to be rented and the phone numbers of their owners. The manager shows photos of enticing options - luxury apartments at a reduced price.

Then the manager gives out information, offers to call the front owner and go to see the apartment without an agent. There are several options for the development of events. The owner says that the apartment has been rented out, or does not pick up the phone, the phone number turns out to be inactive, or it turns out that the apartment at this address is not rented or does not exist.

If you return to the agency, the manager will present an information contract. It does not contain a clause that the information must be up-to-date, and the agency undertakes to find an apartment. The client was provided with information - the agency is not responsible for its quality. It may happen that the office will no longer exist, because news agencies in most cases are one-day firms.

How to protect yourself. If you understand that the ad on the site was placed by an information agency, do not call there, but complain to the support service. Specialists of large sites know how to recognize news agencies. They will additionally check the user and all his ads and block if they find violations.

If you call and understand that you are dealing with an agency, do not come to the office. Waste your time and don't rent an apartment. If you only recognized the news agency on the spot, run away from there. And don't forget the basic rules:

1. Read the contract carefully and do not pay money at the office. In good agencies, you will first be shown an apartment, offered to check the documents, sign a contract of employment, an act of acceptance and transfer, and only then will they ask you to make an advance payment.
2. Expensive apartments and quality services cannot be cheap. News agencies lure people precisely with the cheapness of services: they set prices 2-3 times lower than honest agents.

For example, in St. Petersburg, the most popular type of apartments is odnushki with average quality repairs near the metro for about 20 thousand rubles. If you find an agent with a 50% commission, pay 10 thousand rubles for the search. Information agencies charge less for their services - usually 10-20% of the monthly rent, that is, 2-4 thousand rubles.

Fraud option

Black realtors and other people's apartments

A person has the right to rent out only his apartment and confirms this with a certificate of registration of the right or an extract from the Unified State Register of Real Estate (EGRN) and a document of title, such as a sales contract. To rent someone else's apartment, even a close relative, you need a notarized power of attorney.

Fraudsters play on people's trust. They rent an apartment, forge documents and rent it out to several people. This scheme was widespread in the 90s due to black realtors, but is now less common.

Scheme of deception. First, the scammer rents an apartment and prepares for a future deception. He chooses owners who rarely appear in the apartment: they work hard, travel or live abroad. Then the "landlord" forges all the documents that the tenants check - a passport, a certificate of registration of the right to an apartment and a document of title - and puts up an apartment at a reduced price. So there are more chances to quickly find those who want to.

The scammer receives calls and schedules viewings at different times so that employers do not intersect with each other. He shows fake documents to everyone, talks about the advantages of the apartment and behaves like a real, conscientious owner. Finally, he signs several leases, collects rent from each tenant, and disappears.

The tenant comes to "his" apartment and sees a crowd of other people. Everyone has a fake lease agreement, and everyone is sure that it was he who rented the apartment. After disputes and clarifications, everyone understands that they ran into a scammer. Perhaps all the tenants will meet at the door, because the scammer will have time to change the locks so that no one gets into the apartment. In any case, they have no rights to the apartment, since the lease agreement was concluded with a person who does not own the apartment.

How to protect yourself. Review documents slowly and thoughtfully. If the landlord hurries you, do not give in: ask questions, read the contract of employment. The fraudster is in a stressful situation, so he will rush. It is important for him that the potential employer does not notice the fakes and quickly gives the money: he has several more of the same victims in line.

From the documents, check the certificate of registration of the right, if the apartment was purchased before July 15, 2016, or an extract from the USRN, if after this date. You should also look at the title documents - more often it is a sale and purchase agreement or an equity participation agreement in construction for new buildings - and the passports of all owners.

How to distinguish a sublease from a scam

Subletting is a normal, legal practice in the real estate world. The tenant rents an apartment from the landlord with the right to sublease. Then he rents it to other people and concludes agreements with them. This scheme is more common in the daily rental market, less - in the long-term.

You can distinguish sublease from fraud by checking documents. Look at the passport, title documents and a certificate of registration or an extract from the USRN. So you will understand who the owner of the apartment.

If this is a sublease, the contract will definitely contain a clause stating that the owner is not against subletting his apartment. It may look like this: “The landlord does not object to the tenant subletting the residential premises at the address: Moscow, st. Obraztsova, d. 8a, apt. 80, in the period from January 01, 2019 to January 08, 2019".

The consent of the owner is also issued in the form of an application, agreement, letter or any other written document and supplements the contract.

Fraud option

Renting without the consent of the owner of the apartment

If the apartment is owned by several owners, each of them must give their consent to renting the apartment. Their passport details and consent are indicated in the contract of employment.

One owner cannot decide for the rest and rent out the entire apartment. It's against the law. Therefore, if this happened, then this is either inattention or a pre-conceived fraudulent scheme.

Scheme of deception. The apartment belongs, for example, to two owners in equal shares. The contract is concluded by one of them - he enters his passport data and signs. That is, the tenant receives his consent to rent an apartment. Since there are two owners, according to the law, both must give consent, even if one of them decided to hand over only his share.

When the second owner finds out that the apartment was rented out without his consent, he can go to the police and the court and challenge the transaction. The lease agreement is invalidated, and the tenant will have to look for another apartment.

How to protect yourself. Check title documents: a certificate of registration of rights or an extract from the USRN. If you see several owners in the certificate or extract, enter all of them in the contract of employment. Each of the owners must be present at the signing of the contract. Check the passport for everyone, enter the data in the contract and be sure to make sure that everyone signs the contract.

If not all owners can be present at the signing of the contract, one of them - the one with whom you conclude the contract - must confirm in writing that the other owners are not against the transaction. This is done in the form of a clause in the contract or application.

Such consent does not provide complete security. There were cases when it turned out that the other owner was categorically against renting the apartment, and, despite the guarantees, the contract was declared invalid. Therefore, the best option is a lease agreement with all owners or a notarized power of attorney from absent owners for the right to sign the agreement.

Can I agree verbally if I rent an apartment with friends?

No, renting an apartment must be fixed in the contract. If you really rent an apartment and pay money for it, and not just stay for a while, sign the contract.

Relations between relatives can deteriorate, and without the protection of the contract, you risk being left without money and housing.

Fraud option

Change of locks by the owner

The tenant has rights to a rented apartment only when he, together with the landlord, has signed a lease agreement and an acceptance certificate. If they agreed in words and the owner promised to rent the apartment, and the tenant gave him money for this, the rights to the apartment still remain with the owner. He can do anything in it, for example, change the locks on the front door.

The scheme of deception with the replacement of locks is aimed mainly at gullible people who do not understand the importance of contracts, receipts and other papers. In the world of real estate, only written agreements work.

Scheme of deception. Most often, a rental agreement is not concluded: the landlord simply hands over the keys and takes either the entire monthly rent or a deposit. Doesn't give any receipts. Then he asks not to come to the apartment for a couple of days under the pretext that he needs to finish minor repairs or pick up things.

When the tenant arrives at the apartment, the key does not fit the lock. The owner needed these few days to replace the locks. The deceived tenant will not be able to somehow confirm the fact of agreements with the owner, because there is no contract of employment and a receipt for making a deposit.

How to protect yourself. Always conclude a contract of employment, draw up an act of acceptance and transfer and fix the transfer of money. If you make a deposit, ask the owner for a receipt, at least handwritten on a plain piece of paper.

But it would be better if you print the form in advance and fill it out with the owner.

When you transfer a deposit for an apartment to the owner, write it down in the appendix to the agreement on mutual settlements. If the owner comes to you every month for money, make a new entry in both copies of the contract. If you do not see the owner and transfer money to his card, keep receipts.

Fraud option

Shares of bounty

This scheme was invented for solvent people who count their money and want to save money. If the tenant agrees to rent an apartment at the stated price - or, conversely, does not agree - he is offered a discount, but asked to pay several months in advance.

Scheme of deception. Fraudsters put pressure on greed: they argue that the apartment will cost much less. For example, housing costs 25,000 rubles a month, but if you pay 120,000 rubles in advance for six months, it will come out at 20,000 rubles a month. This is a significant savings, which is why many employers agree. Perhaps this is an honest offer from the owner and there will be no deception. But it happens that the landlord kicks the tenant out of the apartment ahead of time or suddenly replaces the locks, and keeps the money for himself.

How to protect yourself. It is better to pay rent only one month in advance. The owner can kick out, change the locks or sell the apartment, and the tenant can change his mind and move to another place. In such cases, it will be difficult to withdraw money from the owner.

Fraud option

Prepayment Assignment

Prepayment in the real estate market is made as an advance, deposit or security deposit. But also prepayment is one of the most common fraud schemes. She is pulled out of the employers in various ways, and when they receive it, they stop communicating.

Differences between an advance, a deposit and a pledge

The deposit is the hardest type of insurance payments. If the tenant gave a deposit, and then changed his mind about signing the lease agreement, the deposit remains with the landlord. If the owner refused the transaction, he returns the deposit in double size.

A deposit, or security deposit, is the amount that the tenant transfers to the landlord in case of violations. If the tenant violated the contract or caused damage to the apartment, the security deposit goes towards repaying the damage.

An advance payment is a payment that will be counted towards subsequent payments for an apartment if everything goes according to plan. If something went wrong and the contract could not be signed, the landlord is obliged to return the advance.

Scheme of deception. The tenant calls on the announcement of the rental of the apartment. They tell him that the apartment is free, and come up with a reason why the advance payment needs to be transferred. The reasons may be different. The three most common are:

1. High demand. To prevent the apartment from being taken away, they are asked to send an advance payment to the card of the owner or realtor, and then come and conclude an agreement.
2. The owner has a long way to go. Therefore, the client is offered to confirm the intention to rent an apartment and transfer the prepayment to the card.
3. Mandatory prepayment before the conclusion of the contract. This is the condition of the owner, otherwise he will not rent the apartment. More often than not, they do not ask for the entire amount, but an advance payment, 2-5 thousand rubles.

How to protect yourself. Do not transfer prepayment. Pay money only after you look at the apartment and sign the rental agreement and the acceptance certificate. Remember that gorgeous photos of an apartment and a low price are not a gift of fate, but an occasion to check the apartment, the owner and the contract several times.

Hello from Peru

This is the original prepaid scam that started in the car market and is now found in the rental and residential real estate market.

In fact, the same beautiful apartment at a reduced price and the requirement for prepayment. You only communicate with the owner by mail, since he is in another country.

You get a message like this:

Good afternoon

I will explain the reason for my sale of the apartment at a reduced price.

I lived in Russia for a long time, but since my children live in Peru, I decided to move. I do business here, but I still have an apartment in Moscow and I want to rent it out.

To conclude an agreement, I must fly to Moscow. But I am ready to go only to a real client who is serious. Therefore, transfer to me a deposit of 10,000 rubles through the Money Gramm fast money transfer system or the Contact system to confirm your intentions.

Send me a receipt for payment, but close the control number. Without it, I will not be able to receive the transfer, you can check this with the bank. So you will be sure of my honesty and tell the number only after the conclusion of the contract.

I do not intend to change the terms of renting my apartment and its price. Because of these conditions, I rent an apartment at a low price. If you don't agree, don't waste my time.

Fraudsters can be from any country, but more often from Cameroon and Peru, so the message will be misspelled and a little sloppy.

The bank will confirm that it is impossible to receive money without a control number. Then you will go, for example, to Western Union and send the transfer. Take a photo of the receipt, close the code and send it to the scammer.

He will accuse you that the receipt is drawn in a graphical editor, and will throw off a link to a fake website of the money transfer system. There you need to enter all the data about the transfer, including the control number. A final window will appear, the screenshot of which the scammer will require. After that, he will receive the money and stop communicating.

Do not respond to such a message, but rather take a screenshot and send it to the support service of the site where you found the ad.

What documents to check before renting

It is necessary to check three documents: a passport, a certificate of registration of rights and / or an extract from the USRN and a document of title - most often a contract of sale.

Passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. You need to verify the identity of the landlords. To do this, check your passports. A military ID, driver's license and foreign passport do not need to be checked, because their data is not in other documents.

Passport data must be exactly the same as in all other documents. That is, the full name, series, number and all other data must exactly match. This will confirm that the documents are the same person as in the passport and in front of you. Passport verification is the first and most important step.

Before renting an apartment, check if the seller has a real passport. Here's what I recommend to pay attention to:

1. No fixes, stickers, crooked fonts.
2. There are all watermarks and prints, fonts, as in your passport.
3. The series of the passport matches the place of issue. The first two digits of the series are the area code. For example, if the passport was issued in St. Petersburg, the first two digits are 40, if in Moscow - 45. If the series starts with 40, and the passport was issued in Lipetsk, this is a fake. A list with city codes can be found on the Your Passport website.
4. The condition of the passport corresponds to the date of issue. If the passport is new in appearance, but received three years ago, this should alert.

Also check if the name and surname of the owner has changed. If yes, ask the seller for a certificate from the registry office on the conclusion or dissolution of a marriage or a change of name.

Title documents show who and on what basis owns the apartment or part of it and who can rent it.

The type of title document depends on how the apartment ended up with the owner. If privatized, the title document will be the contract for the transfer of ownership of the apartment. If he bought - a contract of sale, and if he inherited - a certificate of the right to inheritance by law or by will.

If the apartment is in a new building, the title document may be a contract of equity participation in construction. Together with him, it is necessary to check the act of acceptance and transfer of the apartment, if the house has already been commissioned.

Certificate of state registration of ownership confirms the ownership of the apartment or part of it. There will be no evidence in two cases:

1. If the owner registered the ownership of the apartment from 1991 to 1996. In this case, it is necessary to check whether the title document, for example, the contract of sale, has a mark on the state registration of the right.
2. If the ownership is registered after July 15, 2016. From that date, the registration certificates of the right were canceled and replaced with an extract from the USRN.

To check the certificate of ownership, check the supporting documents that are indicated on it with real documents. Type, number and series must match. Also check the address, floor and area of ​​the apartment.

Replaces the certificate of registration of ownership. It is needed to confirm the ownership and the list of title documents, as well as to check the presence of other owners. Check the data from the extract - address, supporting documents - with title documents. Everything must match.

What else to pay attention to

Owner behavior. If he is in a hurry, nervous, threatens to rent the apartment to others, if you don’t make a decision right now, beware. Evaluate his adequacy visually: look at him first of all as a person. You see him every month, resolve issues, perhaps ask for help, so rent an apartment from a person who is at least not disgusting to you.

Apartment rental price. There are no perfect options at a low price. A renovated and furnished apartment five minutes from the metro cannot cost a penny. There is always a reason for such a price, and perhaps it is a scam.

Documentation. Forgery of documents is an expensive procedure. Therefore, scammers often use an economical option: they forge documents themselves or lie about why they are not there. Do not rent an apartment until you see the original documents.

How much money to pay

Rental amount pay only for one month. If the owner offers to pay immediately for six months in advance, refuse.

Pledge- this is the amount that reassures the owner in case of damage to his property. For example, if the tenant breaks the window and decides to move out, the owner will take some of the money from the deposit, fix the window, and return the rest. A full refund of the deposit can be demanded from the owner only if the tenant returned the apartment in the same condition as rented.

The amount of the deposit is determined by the owner. There are three most common bail schemes:

1. a deposit equal to 100% of the rental value of the apartment per month, in one payment;
2. a deposit equal to 100% of the rental value of the apartment per month, in two installments, that is, divided into two months;
3. a double deposit, equal to 200% of the rental value of the apartment per month, in one payment - mainly for business and elite class objects.

That is, at the conclusion of the contract, you pay either the entire amount of the deposit, or part of it, as agreed with the owner.

Remember if you are going to rent a house

1. If you are asked to come to the office and sign an agreement before showing the apartment, do not agree.
2. Check the documents before signing the contract. Look at the passports of the owners, a certificate of registration of the right or an extract from the USRN and a document of title, such as a contract of sale.
3. Always conclude a rental agreement and sign the act of acceptance and transfer of the apartment.
4. Pay only one month's rent in advance.
5. Pay money only when you see the apartment and the owner in person, check the documents, sign the lease agreement and the acceptance certificate. And do not forget to indicate monthly payments in the settlement form.

Worked on the material

Author - Maria Yakovleva, editor - Elena Evstratova, production editor - Marina Safonova, photo editor - Maxim Koposov, information designer - Zhenya Sofronov, illustrator - Anton Kalashnikov, editor - Anna Lesnykh, proofreader - Alexander Salita, layout designer - Evgenia Izotova