How to rent an apartment without being scammed by scammers? How to check an apartment before signing a contract? Global search VKontakte.

Nowadays there are many agencies offering to rent and rent housing. Intermediaries work with property owners, as well as those wishing to rent it. However, not everyone knows how to rent an apartment correctly. This is exactly what is discussed in the article.

Through an agency

When faced with obtaining real estate for rent for the first time, people usually turn to special companies. It is best to choose an organization based on the recommendation of family or friends. How to rent an apartment through an agency? Professionals must find suitable accommodation, so it is important to set out your requirements.

Then suitable options are selected and appointments are made to view the property. Agency specialists must accompany the client in these cases. And when drawing up an agreement, they conduct all the negotiations. Agency employees provide advice on issues of interest.

A specialist checks property documents. If everything is correct, then a lease agreement is concluded and a transfer and acceptance certificate is drawn up, which contains an inventory of the housing property. Specialist services usually cost 50-100% of the monthly housing price.

Types of fraud

How to rent an apartment correctly so that the transaction is completed according to the law? Here are some common scams to avoid:

1. Photos are not real. Particular attention should be paid to cases of discrepancies between the rental price of housing and its repair. If the pictures show luxury interiors, but the price is average or below market value, then these are probably scammers. They may say that this apartment is rented out and recommend another one. To check if photos are taken from other sites, matches can be determined using Google service Images. False advertisements are created to create a customer base.
2. The apartment is fictitious. Care must be taken when filling out contracts. It is important to check all information, even if the transaction is made with the help of a realtor. There are often cases when the addresses recorded in the contract do not exist, and people have to pay rent without housing. IN in this case there is the right to terminate the lease agreement unilaterally by sending a letter to the landlord. There are also cases where clients are provided with landlord numbers for a fee, but they do not negotiate or accompany them.
3. Paid inspection. No one can demand money for viewing a property. If this is offered by a realtor, then that is how he earns money, and he is not interested in transactions. Travelers from small towns and villages often fall for these tricks.
4. Secondary housing rental. Tenants may not move or temporarily occupy other persons, nor may they take a deposit, fee, or commission. How to rent an apartment from the owner? You need to check your housing rights documents.
5. Offer to purchase a customer base. Those wishing to rent a property are offered access to an online database of owners. A realtor can convince you that the database is updated every day, but after gaining access to it, it will be discovered that the information is out of date.

On one's own

How to rent an apartment without intermediaries? To do this, you need to look for advertisements from owners, and not from real estate companies. If you like the proposal, you need to make an appointment and inspect the property.

You can search for advertisements in newspapers and on the Internet. They are also posted at bus stops. Although in this case there are also many dangers, many people still do not want to contact realtors.

Pros and cons of hiring without intermediaries

Renting real estate without involving intermediaries has advantages and disadvantages. To determine how to proceed, you need to study all sides of the issue. Self-removal has the following advantages:

1. Savings due to the absence of additional costs for mediation.
2. Joint hiring with friends and splitting the amount of payment.
3. Bargaining with the owner and reducing payment.

All of the above points will help you save money on getting a rented apartment. a large sum. But the downside is the risk of fraud. Other disadvantages include:

1. Difficulty finding a suitable apartment.
2. Possibility of conflicts with the landlord.
3. Risk of eviction.
4. Lack of guarantees of rights.

Where to look?

How to rent an apartment correctly, choosing the most suitable one from a variety of options? There are several services that will make your search much easier:

1. Avito and Domofond. This is a rich real estate base different types and categories. To get acquainted with the proposed apartments, you need to select the “private” section of the advertisements. You can specify the number of rooms and the desired metro stations. You can set up alerts about new listings.
2. "Yandex.Real Estate". The service allows you to install maximum amount search conditions. There are few advertisements, but there are often interesting offers.
3. The Locals, “I’ll rent” and other communities on social networks. This is an excellent option for those who want to rent a room. Often such sites charge a fee for access to the database. You can search for advertisements in thematic interest groups.
4. CYANOGEN. This large housing database includes many apartment offers. Intermediaries do not charge a fee for this.

Owner verification

How to rent an apartment yourself and for the first time? To do this, you need to check the legal purity of the property. The owner should request the following documentation:

1. Certificate of ownership.
2. Property rights agreement.
3. Passport.
4. Notarized power of attorney if the transaction is carried out through the owner’s representative.

It is important to check that there are no debts on utility bills. Checking payment receipts and electricity and water meters is carried out before concluding a contract.

Owner's permission

If the property has several owners, then the consent of all is required (upon reaching 14 years of age). The rental agreement must contain the signatures of the owners or the signature of an authorized person who has a special power of attorney.

When renting a room in a communal apartment, you need permission from your neighbors. This is the landlord's concern. He must provide a document confirming the right to use this apartment. This will eliminate potential conflicts.

Agreement

How to rent an apartment without getting scammed? You must check the documentation carefully. The lease agreement must include the following information:

1. Full name and passport details of the owner, tenant.
2. Rent payment.
3. Conditions for changing fees.
4. Number of visits to the owner for inspection.
5. Persons who may live with the tenant.
6. Deadline.
7. Conditions for termination of the contract.
8. Description of housing: address, area, number of rooms.

In each case, the contract is individual; there is no standard form. It is important that it contains the rights and obligations of the parties.

Inventory of property

It indicates the property transferred to the tenant for temporary use. The inventory is an appendix to the contract. It should include furniture, appliances, linen, kitchen utensils, dishes, carpets, etc. If items are lost or damaged that are not listed in the inventory, the owner will not be able to return them.

Meeting your neighbors

How to rent an apartment correctly so that no unforeseen situations arise in the future? You should get to know your neighbors. This way it will be possible to establish whether the housing actually belongs to a specific person. Neighbors can tell you who lived before and how often residents change. If the house is new, you can visit the local housing office and find out the name of the owner, as well as other information of interest.

Rights and obligations of the parties

By Russian laws, continuous repairs of the premises, for example, leaking taps, peeling wallpaper or cracked plumbing, are repaired at the landlord’s expense. Therefore, it must be indicated that the elimination of defects in the premises should be carried out at the expense of the owner of the property, for example, through a monthly payment.

If this is not fixed in the contract, then the employer will have to eliminate the shortcomings on his own. The owner can check the condition of the house, but this does not mean that he can come at any time - you need to agree when and how contact will take place.

Rental rules

How to rent an apartment if several suitable options are found? It is important to check the documents and the availability of contact information. The apartment must have an Internet connection: you should find out the rules for paying for this service.

During the inspection of the premises, you need to check the condition of the plumbing and electrical wiring. The main thing is that the plugs are not knocked out with the connection of a minimum set of devices. There should be no cockroaches, bedbugs or other insects in the room.

How to rent an apartment on long term? When planning a long stay, you need to clarify all the details. There's no need to rush. If any deficiencies have been identified, you should find out at whose expense the repairs and elimination will be carried out. It is important to write down emergency numbers for various problems. The furniture issue needs to be resolved. Since rental prices on the market are unstable, it is not advisable to sign contracts for long period for a fixed price.

When signing the document, the owner of the premises hands over a set of keys that need to be checked. Typically the contract period is 1 year minus 1 day. This is a short-term rental and reduces the likelihood of co-tenants moving in. To renew the contract, you must sign the agreement one month before the expiration date.

Many tenants think that searching for housing on their own is preferable to using intermediaries who need to pay a percentage of the transaction. In fact, it is possible to find a living space yourself, but this requires caution and attentiveness. In this article, we will tell you in detail about methods of searching for rental housing, ways to reduce the risk of meeting an unscrupulous counterparty, and the specifics of the procedure.

○ Advantages and disadvantages of renting an apartment without intermediaries.

Renting a home without involving intermediaries has both pros and cons. To make a final decision, you need to study all aspects of the issue in detail and weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of this method.

So, positive sides Self-rented housing is an opportunity to:

• Savings due to the absence of additional costs for intermediary services.
• Joint hiring with friends and splitting the amount of payment.
• Bargaining with the owner and reducing payment.

All of the above points allow you to save a significant amount on rented housing.

However, the main disadvantage of this type of hiring is the risk of becoming a victim of fraud. Other cons:

• Difficulty finding suitable housing.
• The possibility of conflicts with the landlord regarding things provided for temporary use.
• Risk of sudden eviction.
• Lack of guarantee of respect for the rights of the tenant.

○ How to find an apartment that is rented without intermediaries.

You can find an apartment yourself through:

• Acquaintances.
• Internet, the most popular sites to search in in this direction www.avito.ru, www.irr.ru, as well as various social networks.
• Newspapers and magazines, in special sections.

You can also independently post rental advertisements within the area of ​​interest and wait for a call from landlords. In this case, it is advisable to place advertisements on the walls of houses or special stands.

○ How to check the apartment and the owner.

Before concluding a transaction, it is important to conduct a thorough inspection of the apartment technical condition. Special attention You need to pay attention to the condition of the pipes and wiring.

You also need to check whether the landlord has the rights to conclude the transaction:

• Is he the owner (providing a certificate of title, extracts from Rosreestr).
• If not, does he have title documents: primary lease agreement, purchase and sale agreement, certificate of inheritance.

In addition, you need to check the following documents:

• Passport (if the renter is an individual).
• Constituent documents (if the housing is rented out by a legal entity).

Also, regardless of the status of the landlord, you need to check the apartment for the presence of debts to pay for utilities (extract from Rosreestr or the management company).

○ Fraud with apartments.

Renting a home is one of the most popular areas of work for scammers. Therefore, when embarking on an independent search, you should minimize the risk of meeting them.

The most common fraud schemes:

1. Re-letting of rented housing. The fraudster rents an apartment, then rents it out, posing as the owner using forged title documents. When renting out, they take a deposit for a few months and disappear.
2. The same type of fraud can be carried out by the owner of the apartment. Upon agreement, he shows a copy of the certificate of title, citing the fact that the original is in some authority. Here he also requires a deposit, after receiving which he disappears.
3. A real estate agency can also commit fraud. For example, you may be offered to buy a database with phone numbers of potential tenants, specifying that they will not charge you a percentage for the transaction. As a result, the list turns out to be invalid, and the payment for it is quite high.

To protect yourself from such cases, you should choose housing as carefully as possible, observing the following rules:

• Do not trust options with too attractive prices.
• Check the authenticity of the documents provided (for this you can ask for an extract from Rosreestr).
• Pay money for the arena only on receipt.
• Draw up a lease agreement with an attached acceptance certificate for the premises and an inventory of the property.

○ How to draw up an agreement?

An agreement concluded in accordance with all the rules guarantees the observance of the rights of each participant in the transaction. Therefore, it is worth compiling it even if the property is rented without the involvement of a realtor.

Despite the fact that the legislation does not provide for an established template for such an agreement, the agreement must indicate:

• Personal data of the parties to the transaction.
• Subject of the agreement (features of real estate that make it possible to determine that it is being rented out).
• Rent amount.
• Rights and obligations of the parties to the agreement.
• Responsibility of the parties.
• Duration of the agreement (if this clause is not specified, a maximum five-year validity period will be assigned, in accordance with Article 683 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation).
• Details of the parties to the transaction, their signatures and the date of conclusion of the agreement.

It is also necessary to draw up the following annexes to the agreement:

• An act of acceptance and transfer of property that records the technical condition of the property at the time of conclusion of the agreement.
• An inventory of property, which indicates things transferred for temporary use, indicating their exact quantity.

Photo: still from the movie “Divorce, American Style”

Database

Many future tenants believe that it is safer to rent housing in agencies. They say that in case of deception there is someone to complain to. But this is not always true. It also happens. You find information in a newspaper about a real estate company that, for a small fee, provides a database of apartments offered for rent. You go to the agency, deposit money and receive the coveted list. After that, you start calling the numbers listed in it. It turns out that the database is out of date. Then you return to the company to make a claim and get your money back. The company allows you to re-read the contract you signed, and it says that the agency provides information Services, the client pays money for them. According to such a document, it is impossible to make a claim against the company. After all, the information has been received, but it is not the realtors’ fault that the apartments have been rented out.

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How to protect yourself?

Contact trusted agencies.

Do not pay commissions until a lease agreement has been signed with the landlord.

Rent for a nominal fee

The Internet is full of advertisements offering to stay in an apartment for a minimal amount. Posing as agents, scammers promise to give the address of the apartment after the client pays money for services (for example, transfers it to the account mobile phone). When asked why decent housing in the city center is rented out for free (you just have to pay money for public utilities), they answer that the owners of the apartment are moving abroad or to another city and want someone to look after the property. Sometimes the apartment comes with a cat that needs to be fed, or a dog that needs to be walked with. Of course, once you receive the coveted address of the property, you find out that no one is renting it out.

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How to protect yourself?

Do not believe advertisements with implausibly attractive prices.

I don’t feel sorry for your own

It happens that the price indicated in the ad is not a cause for concern, and the realtor does not ask for a commission in advance. But even in this case there can be a catch. For example, after viewing a property, you sign a lease agreement. You give money immediately for the first and last months accommodation and commissions (usually equal to one month's rent). You say goodbye to the apartment owner and agent and go pack your things. Returning to his new house, you see strangers. They may also have a lease agreement. You call the police. The arriving employees find out that the real owner of the apartment actually rents it out, but on a daily basis. And the housing was rented by scammers, it was with them that you communicated, mistaking them for a real estate agent and the owner of the apartment. They concluded a false agreement within 24 hours not only with you. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find and punish deceivers in such cases. How to get your money back. Fraudsters usually arrange short-term rentals using someone else’s documents or without them at all.

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How to protect yourself?

When you arrive to view an apartment, be sure to ask the owner for documents confirming that he is the owner of the square meters. This must be evidence of ownership, and the original. If you are told that the documents are being re-registered, refuse the deal, even if it seems successful to you.

In order not to rent an apartment without amenities, it makes sense to ask to see housing and communal services receipts. Many homeowners rent out their homes but don't pay utilities. As a result, electricity or water can be turned off in the apartment at any time.

A hard lot

And it happens like this. You rent an apartment, pay money, check documents and move into the apartment. When looking at the certificate of ownership, you don’t pay attention to the fact that the person with whom you are entering into an agreement only owns a share of the apartment. Therefore, he does not have the right to move in tenants on his own, without obtaining the consent of other owners. As a result, conflict begins. The owner of the other share calls the police and evicts the tenant. The contract is declared invalid. Of course, it can be challenged in court, but rarely does anyone want to waste time and spend money on a lawyer to get their rent back. By the way, sometimes co-owners of an apartment enter into an agreement. They stage a situation in which one owner agrees to rent out the property, and the other is categorically against it.

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How to protect yourself?

If there are several owners of the apartment, then each of them must present their certificate of ownership and sign a lease agreement.

In many districts of Moscow, local police officers began visiting apartments, finding out who lived in them and on what grounds. According to official data alone, more than 100 thousand tenants in Moscow did not formalize the transaction according to the law.

Moscow authorities have announced another hunt for unscrupulous landlords last summer. First the head of the department economic policy and development of Moscow Maxim Reshetnikov said that the city loses 5 billion rubles a year from gray housing rentals. Afterwards, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin added that illegal migrants live in apartments rented in a gray manner, store stolen goods, set up brothels and prepare crimes.

The owner has two ways to pay taxes on a rented apartment: register as an individual entrepreneur (IP) and pay a 6% tax. This is due to certain design difficulties legal entity and tax reports. The second way is to indicate income from the rented apartment in your tax return. Then you will have to pay income tax of 13%.

So far, all the efforts of the Moscow authorities are limited to visiting local police officers and creating a database of rented apartments and their owners, but in the future the fight against gray rent may become more serious. The Village correspondent Olesya Shmagun tried to legally rent an apartment in Moscow.

The essence of the experiment

Contact a real estate agency and directly to the owners with a proposal to make rental relations transparent to the tax service. Find out who will agree to rent an apartment under such conditions and how much the price will change.

Large real estate office

The only thing I can tell you is that this will not affect the quality of your life in any way, especially since you are from Moscow. If we stipulate in principle that the owner must pay taxes, the owner will be perplexed by this, he will be afraid, we do not need this at all.

What will I show the district police officer if he comes?

Say that you are a friend or distant relative. Who cares? He still won't prove anything.

I want everything to be white.

Olesya, very few of us pay taxes now. If a private person rents out an apartment to a private person, then I think there is no point in paying taxes. In general, maybe the owner pays - this should not concern you.

So it will be difficult to find such an apartment?

I can’t even ask the owner such questions, you know? I’ll ask: “Do you officially pay taxes?” He will answer me: “It’s none of your business.” No, well, a person must, of course, pay taxes, but, as a rule, now no one pays anyway.

I’m ready to pay a little more for my apartment, but so that everything is fair.

This shouldn't concern you at all.

Apartment owners

I've never done this, but probably yes. Is there a monthly contract? I haven't started studying this issue at all. Do you know what the tax will be on me?

If there is an individual entrepreneur - 6%.

Oh, I wouldn’t like to register an individual entrepreneur. I already have one LLC registered in my name. With our tax system, it would seem that it would be unprofitable to rent out an apartment. Although I am a supporter of everything white.

No problem, take the taxes on yourself and that’s it!

But the amount is already quite large.

- (silence)

And you can register as individual entrepreneur? So that I enter into an agreement with a legal entity.

This is not a problem, I have an IP.

What do you mean "in white"?

So that the contract is concluded in accordance with all the rules, so that I can show it to the district police officer.

We must sign the contract; we cannot resolve the registration issue.

I would like the owner to pay taxes on the rent.

I don’t understand, what exactly do you want? You will have an agreement in which all the details are spelled out. I don't understand your interest in paying taxes. It seems to me that paying taxes is a matter of who should pay taxes. It's the owner's business.

I would like the owner to pay taxes on my money, which I will pay him in the form of rent.

I cannot provide you with any guarantees that your conditions will be fulfilled.

We can do everything in white. Yes.

And the price will not rise because of this, I hope?

- (long pause) No.

Even before you begin the hassle of renting a room that suits your needs, you must realize that it will be a difficult task. First of all, you need to clearly understand that rooms of equal size are not at all equal in payment if one of them is located in the center of the capital, and the second one will take several hours to get to from the Kremlin.

But you shouldn’t despair, there are always chances, you need to not miss them.

When choosing a room to rent, you need to look for something specific

The room can be rented in three options. This could be a separate room in a communal apartment. You can live in a separate room, and your neighbors will be the owners of the apartment. You can find friends who will agree to rent an apartment with several rooms together with you.

What you should immediately pay attention to

A communal apartment is scary because of its tenants, they will be your neighbors, find out more about these people, and only then move in. In a communal apartment, life is built according to the rules of the hostel, so it is best to learn how to diplomatically overcome problems, without leading to a scandal over an open tap or smoking in the kitchen.

There is a concept of “dead communal apartment”, this is not uncommon. It is important that you are not later presented with a claim that it was you who “killed” her. You need to inspect everything, take photos of the “amenities”, kitchen, walls, balcony on your smartphone before starting your stay, then you won’t regret it.

The owner who rents out the room may also prove himself to be unsatisfactory. the best side- make inquiries from neighbors on the site. There are owners who strongly oppose guests, friends, animals, and increased consumption of water and electricity. The owners are against a lot of things, but nothing can be said - this is their apartment.

The best option is when several young people agree to pool their finances to rent a large apartment and each live in a separate room. In this case, cohabitation begins with the development of a kind of charter and living standards. This is a kind of communal apartment, in which neighbors can be pre-selected, and their composition can be approved only after that.

Where can I find an apartment for rent?

The most the best option The search has long been recognized when you rent a room from your relatives, friends or work colleagues. First of all, you avoid paying commissions to the rental agency. An additional benefit will be that you will not be evicted due to late payment of rent, you can agree over a cup of tea or other drink.

Relatives, friends and colleagues did not help - place advertisements with relevant content on social networks, this will help to reach a significant circle of previously unfamiliar apartment owners. Those who will soon move out of their rented room will also respond. Apartment residents who are looking for neighbors to rent an apartment together will also call.

“Looking for a neighbor” is how potential neighbors are addressed, and such advertisements need to be considered urgently. After all, we will be talking specifically about renting a room, and there is a possibility that it is you who are not enough to completely fill the intended apartment.

Help from a special agency

Contacting a real estate agency is a very popular way to solve housing problem. It is important not to fall for scammers, which means you should choose an agency with an unblemished reputation. This is a reliable way to find the necessary living space.

In addition to agencies, brokers work with home owners; you can contact them if you have recommendations from friends and good acquaintances. The services of intermediaries must be paid, sometimes very generously.

The first payment includes, in addition to rent for a certain period (sometimes 6 months), commissions to the intermediary, and a deposit for keeping the living space in good condition.

Cost of monthly accommodation

How much you have to pay monthly depends on many factors. First of all, there is a direct dependence on distance. The further from the center, the cheaper the room. The area of ​​the room, the number of neighbors, distance from transport interchanges and other housing parameters matter a lot.

Speaking about specific prices, you need to indicate average cost average room: 12-25,000 rubles. In any case, you need to understand that a room in the center of Moscow cannot be cheap, and at a low price you can only rent a “killed” room or move in with problematic neighbors.

What to look for when choosing a room

You will have to live in a rented room, so it is better to refuse uncomfortable housing and look for another one. After all, the first impression is always the most correct.

Make your final decision only after meeting the owners and neighbors.
After meeting, be sure to check the technical condition of the plumbing, water supply, and heating. If the neighbors flooded the room, it will be immediately visible. Otherwise, there is a chance that you will be forced to pay for repairs.

The important part is document verification

You need to start the final conversation only after checking the documents, otherwise you risk paying someone who simply waters the flowers at the request of the owners.

You need to check: passport, certificate of ownership, title documents - purchase and sale agreement for a room, document on inheritance, gift.

Copies or documents on film may be counterfeit, please review the originals.
Check whether the passport of the person who identified himself as the owner is original; do not trust copies. If they say that they forgot the original, repeat the meeting.

Keep in mind that if there are several apartment owners, they must all agree to your residence, otherwise you can be evicted at the request of one of the apartment owners.

How do simpletons get deceived?

The simplest and effective way- trading in information about the base of available housing. For a small amount, scammers sell a database posted by other agencies in newspapers for free advertisements. It is impossible to reach the phone numbers from this database or the room has already been rented out. Contacting the police will not yield anything - the signed agreement states that money is charged for “information”, and not for a specific phone number or address of a free room.

Sometimes several people come to a meeting who want to rent a room; these are dummies pretending to be rush demand per room. They take an advance from the applicant to “hold” the room and disappear. Demand from the person “renting out his room”, first of all, documents with registration, documents on ownership.

If you believed the photocopies of title documents and paid money, then the “owners” will offer to move in in a couple of days until they remove their furniture and personal belongings. In the meantime, they themselves will disappear with the money. These scammers rent on short term(a day or two) apartment, get the keys from the owners, place an advertisement for renting a room. They make fake copies of title documents in advance and rent out a room, supposedly in their own apartment.

Fraudsters can sign an agreement, take an advance payment and begin to deliberately mock the tenant - change the lock, prohibit the use of household appliances, etc. If you move out, they will give you only part of the money, the advance will be taken away, this is stated in the contract. And other rules are not written down.

Read carefully everything you are going to sign!