Is That “Landlord” Actually the Owner? Here’s How to Verify Before You Venmo
You found it! The perfect rental.
And you can’t believe your luck: It’s in the perfect area, so spacious, and the rent is a steal. Maybe $200 less than everything else you’ve seen in the neighborhood.
You message the landlord.
They’re “super eager to get you moved in ASAP!” They just need a deposit sent via CashApp or Venmo to hold the keys for you because they’re “out of town for work.”
Stop. 🛑
Before you send a single cent, you need to ask yourself one question: Does this person actually own the house?
It sounds like a crazy question, right? But in Metro Detroit (and honestly, everywhere else right now), rental scams are exploding.
We aren’t trying to scare you, but we’ve seen it happen. We recently wrote about how AI is making rental scams harder to spot, and we’ve warned tenants about falling victim to “squatter scams” where people break into empty homes and pretend to own them in order to illegally rent them out.
If you sign a lease with a fake landlord, you have zero legal right to live there. When the real owner shows up (or the police do), you will be evicted, and that deposit money?
Gone.
But never fear! We’ve been double-checking information like this for our property management clients for decades, and we’re going to tell you exactly how you can do the same thing to protect yourself as a tenant.
Here’s our step-by-step guide to verifying property ownership so you don’t get ripped off.
Step 1: Is it “Too Good To Be True”? 🤔
Scammers rely on your desperation. They know the market is tough, so they dangle a carrot: a beautiful house at below-market price.
If the rent is way lower than other houses on the street, that’s not a deal.
It’s a honey trap!
Do this:
- Copy and paste the listing photos into Google Images (Reverse Image Search).
- If you see the same photos listed on Zillow or Redfin for SALE, or listed for rent at a much higher price by a different company, you are dealing with a scammer.
This is the fastest, simplest way to see if the property is legit or not.
But it might not help you catch more scrupulous scammers. The next step will!
Step 2: Check Public Records (The “Magic” Step)
This one stops 99% of scams before they can get going.
Property ownership is public record. In the United States, you can find out who pays taxes on any piece of land.
If the person trying to rent to you says their name is “Bob Smith,” but the tax records say the owner is “Susan Miller,” you have a problem.
How to do it in Metro Detroit:
Most cities in our area use a system called BS&A Online, or they have their own GIS (Geographic Information System) maps.
- Go to the Source: Search Google for “[City Name] tax assessor search” or “[County Name] property search.”
- For many Michigan cities, you can use BS&A Online.
- For Wayne County specifically, you can try the Wayne County Treasurer’s website.
- For Oakland County, check the Property Gateway.
- Search the Address: Type in the rental address.
- Look for “Taxpayer” or “Owner”: The record will list who legally owns the building.
What if the owner is an LLC?
If the owner is listed as “Detroit Rentals 123 LLC,” you have one more step.
- Go to the Michigan LARA Corporation Search.
- Type in the LLC name.
- Look for the “Registered Agent.” If the person showing you the house matches the name on the LLC filing, you’re probably safe. If they don’t know who the registered agent is… run.
Now that you know the owner’s name, it’s time to verify the person you’re talking to is actually “Susan Miller.”
Step 3: Ask for ID (And Match It)
Legitimate landlords and property managers are professionals. We are used to showing ID.
If you are meeting a private landlord, ask to see their driver’s license before you sign anything.
- “Hey, just for my own safety since we met online, do you mind if I check your ID?”
If they get offended, get defensive, or refuse?
Major red flag. 🚩
Compare the name on their ID to the name you found in Step 2. If they don’t match, ask why.
- Acceptable Answer: “Oh, the house is in my mother’s name, here is a Power of Attorney document.” (Verify this document).
- Bad Answer: “Oh, the records just haven’t updated yet,” (Records take time, but be skeptical).
- Scam Answer: “Don’t worry about it, just send the cash.”
Step 4: Verify the Property Management Company
Often, scammers will pretend to work for a legit company like ours.
They might steal our logo, make a fake email address (like logicalpm-detroit@gmail.com instead of our real domain), and act like they represent us.
How to verify a Property Manager:
- Don’t call the number on the Craigslist ad. Go to the company’s official website (Google them directly).
- Call the office number listed on the official website.
- Ask the receptionist: “I’m speaking with a [Name of Person] about renting [Address]. Do they work for you, and is this property actually available?”
If the office says “We don’t know who that is,” you’ve just saved yourself a few thousand dollars!
Step 5: Never Pay “Site Unseen” via Wire Transfer
This is the biggest rule of all.
If a landlord asks you to wire money, send Bitcoin, or use a non-refundable cash app before you have seen the inside of the property and signed a lease, do not do it.
Legit companies usually have online portals or take certified funds (cashier’s checks) upon lease signing.
We generally verify property owners for our landlord clients, so we know exactly who owns the doors we manage. But a random guy on Facebook Marketplace demanding a $1,500 CashApp transfer to give you a code to a lockbox?
That’s a charitable donation to a scammer, not a deposit.
The Bottom Line
It is wild out there.
We know this seems like a lot of work. I mean, finding a rental is stressful enough without having to play detective on top of it! But a few minutes of research on a government website can save you from being scammed out of thousands.
If a landlord pressures you, rushes you, or tells you to skip these steps, walk away.
There will always be another apartment. There won’t be another refund of your stolen deposit.
Want to skip the detective work?
Check out our Available Rentals. Every single home listed on our site is verified, managed by professionals, and 100% scam-free.
(We’ve checked the deeds, so you don’t have to!) 😉