What do you think it means with a tenant wants to know why he or she has not received keys to their rental? Each week veteran landlord and property manager Hank Rossi answers questions from other landlords and property managers around the country about their rentals.
Dear Landlord Hank,
I have sent a deposit to one of you landlords a week ago. I received a signed acceptance letter but they haven’t sent me my keys. The deposit has been confirmed. Please help.
Dear Prospective Tenant,
There is a lot of information needed so let me ask you some questions.
Did you actually meet someone, either the owner or manager of the property?
Did you see inside the property?
Do you have a phone number for owner or agent?
Have you tried to contact them?
Did you ever fill out a rental application and were you screened by landlord?
There are a lot of rental scams out there where people say they own a particular property and if you send a deposit in then they will forward the keys.
I would call, text, email and then go to this owner’s place of business to find out where the promised keys are.
Best of luck!
Also see Landlord Hank’s recent post:
Dear Landlord Hank: Do You Conduct Rental Inspections? How Often?
About the author Landlord Hank:
“I started in real estate as a child watching my father take care of our family rentals- maintenance, tenant relations, etc , in small town Ohio. As I grew, I was occasionally Dad’s assistant. In the mid-90s I decided to get into the rental business on my own, as a sideline. In 2001, I retired from my profession and only managed my own investments, for the next 10 years. Six years ago, my sister, working as a rental agent/property manager in Sarasota, Florida convinced me to try the Florida lifestyle. I gave it a try and never looked back. A few years ago we started our own real estate brokerage. We focus on property management and leasing. I continue to manage my real estate portfolio here in Florida and Atlanta. “ Visit Hank’s website here.