Beware of Holiday Rental Scams and Fake Listings

This holiday season, the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) wants to make sure District residents and visitors are aware of the schemes and scams that can put a damper on your holidays and put you at financial risk.

When you're on the hunt for a lease or a short-term vacation rental, scammers and bad actors can steal your money, or even worse, your personal financial information.

There are two common rental scams to watch out for:

• Hijacked Listings: A hijacked listing copies legitimate listings and posts it on another website with different contact information. While these listings can seem real because they mimic a real property, the person you are communicating with is a scammer, and not the actual owner of the property you're viewing.

• Phantom Rentals: Phantom rentals use listings with photos of a random property that is not the one located at the advertised address. You could be asked to pay up front or provide a deposit, costing you money or disclosing your personal information before you find out the property does not exist, or is completely different from the one that was advertised.

DLCP suggests taking the following steps to avoid being the victim of a scam:

For ALL Rentals, do your research:

• Be skeptical of listings and rentals that seem too good to be true.
• Verify that the address of the listing actually exists.
• Never send money to view a property and always confirm if the listing belongs to an actual property owner or manager.
• Never send money or respond to requests for immediate electronic transfer of money without a lease or official agreement.
• Check the rental contract or platform rules to understand under what circumstances you can cancel and get a refund.

For Short-term Vacation Rentals:

• Check the DLCP database SCOUT here to verify the property owner has an active Short-Term Rental License.
• Look for red flags on the listing, be wary of listings with very few reviews, typos, and significant price differences compared to other lists of a similar kind.
• Do not respond to requests to send payments or communicate outside of the platform listing the short-term vacation rental.
• Never provide personal or sensitive information to an unknown person via email or respond to pressure to rent the property.
• Check the reviews of the short-term vacation rental and search the hosts online and via Social Media sites to ensure they are real individuals.

For Leases and Long-term Rentals:

• Check the DLCP database SCOUT here to verify if your potential landlord has the proper Basic Business License and has passed the required inspection by the DC Department of Buildings.
• Try to avoid renting a property sight unseen (use Google Maps, visit in-person, or send a trusted friend or family member whenever possible).
• Never pay for more than one month's rent as a deposit, as a landlord cannot legally require a deposit that exceeds one month's rent.
• And always remember: if the listing price and amenities seem too good to be true, they most likely are.

DLCP works in concert with several sister agencies to help protect your rights. Fines for failure to have the appropriate license, operating outside of D.C. regulations, and/or misleading potential tenants can start at $1,000.

If you've been the victim of unfair or deceptive rental practices or are unsure of the license status of a potential unit, please submit a complaint hereand the Consumer Protection Unit will reach out to you to help you with your concern.

To learn more about the Consumer Protection Unit, visit us at https://dlcp.dc.gov/service/consumer-protection-assistance. If you have a question, you can contact us at [email protected], or 202-671-4500.