When you're searching for a rental, we understand that you're looking for the best bang for your buck. One that fits within your move-in timeline, one that has everything you need in a living environment, and so much more. That's a lot to juggle!

It also doesn't help that with every rental search you make you'll come across a few that aren't even real (they're a scam!). With scams becoming more popular today than ever online, it's important to make sure you're keeping yourself safe while trying to find the rental of your dreams.

At HignellRentals.com we try to do everything that we can to make sure you are equipped with the knowledge and know-how on having the best rental search experience possible. This includes making sure that you are taking the right steps to avoid scams. Here's an article that we found that gives great tips on how to avoid the oh-so-popular rental scam.

How to Spot a Rental Scam

Posted by Avail.co 
Written by Kasia Manolas

How Can You Tell If a Rental Property Listing Is a Scam?

These are seven rental scam warning signs every renter should look out for:

1. They Don’t Want to Meet You in Person

It’s never a good sign if the person who posted a rental listing says that they are not able to or don’t want to meet you in person. Even if you’re not able to meet in person, you can always request a real-time video walkthrough of the rental so you know that the property exists.

A good landlord will make sure that they can meet you either digitally or in person so that they can feel comfortable with trusting you as a renter. Plus, a landlord should want to meet you in person to make sure you’re legitimate as well. On the flip side, scammers typically don’t want to meet you, since they don’t want you to be able to report them.

2. They Want You to Move in Immediately, Without Ever Seeing the Property

Even if you meet someone in person who claims to be the landlord, you should absolutely see the property before signing a lease or sending any money to them. It’s easy for someone to say they have a property and fake an online listing, so you need to see the property in person and make sure the place is available.

In most rental scams, the individual advertising the property doesn’t actually have any way to access the inside of the property. If a landlord instructs you to inspect the property by walking around the outside at your convenience, this is almost certainly a scam.

[Continue Reading Original Article for all 7 Tips & How to Avoid Them!]

How to Avoid Scams

The best ways to avoid scams all together is to:

• Double Check the grammar of the listing!
• Skip to the next listing if the photos are missing!
• Always meet the property manager in person!
• Schedule a walk through of your apartment or rental!
• If they ask for a cash deposit only, move onto the next listing!

Don’t let the potential of scams let the fun of searching through rentals in Chico disappear. We have great rentals throughout town that have wonderful amenities at various price points. What you don’t have to worry about while using HignellRentals.com are scams. We created this search website to ensure that we have complete control over what you see.

Start searching today, because you never know, you might just find an rental that you will fall in love with!