House rental scam checklist

Fake house listings are the most common rental scam aimed at military families. The scammer copies photos from a real listing, posts it cheap, says they’re deployed or overseas, and asks for a deposit before you can see the home.

Red flags on a house listing

• The rent is far below other homes nearby.
• The owner is “deployed”, “overseas”, “on a mission” or “out of the country” and will mail the keys.
• They want a deposit, first month or an “application fee” by Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, wire, gift cards or crypto.
• They won’t do a live video walk-through or let a local friend or agent see it.
• The same photos show up on another listing with a different address, price or name. A reverse image search (Google Lens) finds these in seconds.
• There’s a “For Sale” sign in the yard, or the home is listed for sale elsewhere.
• They pressure you to decide today, or ask for your Social Security number before you’ve applied.

Checks that take five minutes

1. Look up the owner. Search the county assessor or tax records for the address. The owner name should match the landlord, or the landlord should be a licensed property manager who can show a management agreement.
2. Check the manager’s license. Property managers need a real estate license in most states. Search the state real estate commission’s license lookup for the company or agent.
3. See it live. In person, through your sponsor or a friend, or on a live video call where they unlock the door, open closets and step outside to show the street sign and house number.
4. Pay only after a signed lease, by a traceable method (check, card, or the manager’s payment portal), and get a receipt.
5. Ask the base housing office (HSO) to look at the lease. Most will, for free.

How Near Base Rentals handles houses

• A house shows a Verified badge only after we match the owner to the county record, or a property manager confirms an email on its own company website domain.
• Unverified houses show an Unverified label and no phone or email. You contact them through our message form.
• Listings priced far under the area, with copied photos or text, or that mention wiring money, gift cards, being deployed overseas or mailing keys are held for our review before anyone sees them.
• Every house has a “Report scam” button. Two reports hide it while we check.
• Renters never pay us anything.

If you think you’ve been scammed

• Report the listing here, then to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI at ic3.gov.
• Call your bank or card issuer right away. Zelle and wire payments are hard to recover, so speed matters.
• Talk to your installation legal assistance office. It’s free.

More: How to spot any rental scam · The military lease clause

General information, not legal advice.