Does this sublet sound like a scam?

June 29, 2007 10:42 AM

Does this sound like a scam? I want to sublet for 1 month while I am travelling overseas. I answered an ad and got an odd message. It sounds like the person needs to extend his lease in order to sublet. He wants 1/2 month up front.

The room is what I'm told is a great price in London - 650 pounds for a double room in Camden. The room is only for the month of august, and the ad is 2 weeks old. Nothing in the ad is suspicious, but this response doesn't make sense to me.

The person wrote, "if you want to rent my room you have to hurry because I have to tell my landlord to extend my contract and give this room to you one month because I will go back to my country one month."

I haven't heard of any kind of rooming scams, but I am suspicious. Might this be a scam with the 1/2 month's rent up front?

posted by cotterpin to work & money (12 comments total)

Yes, this sounds dodgy. Let me understand, he is trying to sublet a room on a lease that is expiring AND he is leaving for his home country. At it's most innocent this indicates poor organization and forethought and at the worst you maybe paying for a non-existent apartment/room.

Where are the other flatmates in this equation? Too many questions. Find something else.
posted by jadepearl at 11:04 AM on June 29, 2007

If he needs to extend his contract to offer a sublet, then he shouldn't have advertised a sublet. That makes no sense. I'd be wary.
posted by grouse at 11:04 AM on June 29, 2007

It does sound sketchy: the large sum up front, the pressure to make a quick decision, the odd reasoning (if his lease was up at the end of July, why not just turn your contact details over to his landlord and butt out of the process entirely) but more importantly, how would you confirm details without the assistance of the person who wrote you the email? You could ask for the contact information of the landlord but if the writer is a scammer, he'll just supply you with an impersonator (or impersonate the landlord himself).

Tax rolls showing the name of the property owner's name and contact information are public information in the U.S. but I'm not aware of a similar transparency in the U.K.

If it were my money and vacation on the line, I'd keep looking.
posted by jamaro at 11:06 AM on June 29, 2007

BTW, I have a friend in the area who can see the place, so presumably there has to be an actual apartment. I won't send the money up front from overseas.
posted by cotterpin at 11:20 AM on June 29, 2007

By "see the place" do you mean they can actually speak to the guy and get inside? Otherwise I'd say it's more than likely a scam
posted by stefanie at 11:34 AM on June 29, 2007

Since you mentioned not having heard of rooming scams, here's a few flavors. Note that in some of the above examples, seeing the property is minimal protection.

For something of this nature, you'd be best off going through a reputable rental agency, one which will vet the legitimacy of the rental deal as well as provide a fallback if something does go wrong.
posted by jamaro at 11:40 AM on June 29, 2007

Yes, my friend in London would be able to meet the person and view the apartment. The person seems very pushy to have me view the apartment as soon as possible.
posted by cotterpin at 11:41 AM on June 29, 2007

I'd keep looking. I'd imagine there are plenty of sublets available.. why take one that is already off-putting?
posted by modernnomad at 12:18 PM on June 29, 2007

Subletting is almost always a little dodgy. The guy sounds like he doesn't even know if he has the place. Keep your wits about you. Have a list of things to ask. I'm moving into a sublet for July & August, this weekend, and it was a gigantic pain, because the sublessor had never done anything like it before, and I definitely would be more rigorous about it in the future.

If your friend can take a look and you trust them to give you a yes/no as to the guy's potential scamming-you-ness, then maybe it'll be okay, but be wary.
posted by blacklite at 12:23 PM on June 29, 2007

So, I am the friend in August. It is not that easy to sublet a place in London for a month. Cotterpin is coming to visit, and it would be nice to find a place to stay near where we are. This place is, and it's cheap. If I go and meet the potential subletter, how can I make sure that this is legit?
Ask to meet the landlord?
posted by yoz420 at 12:36 PM on June 29, 2007

No. I am the friend all year round. I meant to say I was the friend in London.

Getting dyslexic in my advanced years.
posted by yoz420 at 12:36 PM on June 29, 2007

Depending on the type of tenancy he has (obtaining a copy of the tenancy agreement and taking it to Shelter/Citizens Advice might be helpful), the current tenant may need the owner's permission in order to sublet. I would want to get confirmation direct from the landlord that subletting is allowable. If there is any doubt about who really owns the property, you can query the Land Registry for a small fee:
http://www.landreg.gov.uk/assets/library/documents/for313.pdf

Camden council's housing department may possibly be able to offer some advice, especially if they have a Tenancy Relations or Landlord Liaison officer.
posted by wilko at 1:03 PM on June 29, 2007