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A rent sign is displayed outside an apartment in Mount Prospect in this 2020 file photo. 

A rent sign is displayed outside an apartment in Mount Prospect in this 2020 file photo. 

If you’ve been hunting for an apartment or house for rent here locally, you know the availability is scarce and the rents high.

The volatility of the market also makes the industry an easy target for scams. It’s definitely an alarm for buyer beware, especially online.

“Two of our listings have appeared as a rental, and they’re actually for sale,” said Tina Franklin, executive officer of the Kankakee-Iroquois-Ford Association of Realtors.

Franklin said in the past month those houses that were for sale were listed as rental properties on Craigslist. The listings weren’t posted by the homes’ owners. One was a three-bedroom house for rent.

“When the rent sounds too good to be true, you might want to check it out first,” she said.

Franklin advises to never send money by Venmo or Zelle for a rental before physically looking at the property first.

“Make sure it’s a legitimate person,” she said. “Make sure the property is for rent and not for sale.”

Scammers are taking advantage of the scarcity of rentals and the high fees.

“Especially, scams pop up when there is limited property available, and the rents are going higher,” she said. “If the rent sounds too good to be true, it is.”

Prospective renters also can check out rental companies online through the Better Business Bureau (bbb.org) to make sure the companies are legitimate and see if anyone has filed a complaint.

Chris Breach is the Associate Editor of The Daily Journal and the editor of the business section. A graduate of Indiana University, Breach has more than 25 years experience in newspapers. He can be reached at cbreach@daily-journal.com.

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