THE LATEST LANDLORD SCAM

Paying Rent Via the Internet

When it comes to paying rent, most landlords will only accept checks and/or money orders from tenants.  But as internet technology continues to grow, there are more and more landlords setting up websites where tenants can pay their rent directly through their websites.  With the ability to do so, tenants find this fast and very convenient, but it can also be like “Russian Roulette.”

The Internet Method

When submitting a typical payment online, like most online bill paying methods, you first select the amount you want to pay.  A box pops up asking you if you want to submit this payment and you click on “yes.”  That’s it!  You’ve paid your bill until next month.  Or did you?

A reliable internet business will give you a confirmation number and also send you a confirmation email stating that you actually did pay your bill, but this is not always true with landlords.

A Tenant’s Dilemma

Unfortunately, landlords are not always as trustworthy as other businesses since this is a fairly new method in paying rent online.  In most cases, a tenant doesn’t get a confirmation number nor does a tenant get a confirmation email.  On the other hand, a tenant may get a confirmation email but not always and not in a timely manner.  This makes this payment method very unreliable. 

A reader of Legal4younow recently found herself in a dilemma.  She discovered that her landlord’s online paying system isn’t as reliable as she thought.  Nor is it as reliable as they tell their tenants.    

In her case, there isn’t a box asking you if you want to pay a certain amount, but rather a box stating you are paying a specific amount; the amount that the landlord asked for. 

She stated that when the box popped up she clicked on “yes” and as far as she knew, her rent had been paid in full and it had been paid early.  Her landlord doesn’t always send a confirmation email in a timely manner, especially if the rent had been paid early.  However,  the landlord’s “system” told her that her rent had been paid. 

The Scam

Eight days later, she received a call from her landlord telling her that she didn’t pay her rent on time and that she will now have to pay $85.00 in late fees. 

Although she disputed this with the landlord in writing (and I suggest you always put it in writing), the landlord refused to believe it was their system error and told her to pay up or else.  This is what we call an internet “scam.” 

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for this disabled senior who is struggling already trying to live off of her social security.  It’s pretty obvious that if she’s always paid her rent by this method and never had a problem in the past, she wouldn’t think there would be a problem now.  Especially since the landlord’s “system” said her rent had been paid. 

Landlord’s Refusal to take Responsibility for a System Error

After some investigating, we found out that she wasn’t the only tenant this happened to and despite her disputed letter to the landlord; the landlord continually refuses to take responsibility for their system error.  However they were more than willing to take her late fees and she had no choice but to pay up or be evicted.  Wasn’t it nice of them to steal her Christmas money?!

Fight Back

What would you do if something like this happened to you?  There are several things you can do.  If you have the money (which most seniors don’t), you can hire an attorney to fight this battle for you. 

But if you don’t have the money to hire an attorney, you can contact Legal Aid in your city or state.  You can also contact the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org/)  Be as clear and precise as you can when completing the BBB complaint form.  They will contact the corporate office for you and do an investigation at no cost to you.

You can also contact the Tenant’s Association in your area and file a complaint with them.  Here’s a good site to start with:  http://tenantslegalcenter.com/html/national_and_global.html   You can search for help by state.

If you are considering hiring an attorney, there are several attorneys who will give the first consultation for free.  Start with this site:  http://www.legalhelpnow.org/tenantlandlord.htm.  This is a site that will find an attorney for you, depending on your particular case. 

Tenants Beware

Once something like this happens to a tenant, it sends up all kinds of red flags for future online rental payments.  As for the woman who contacted me, she has done all of the above and told me she will never pay her rent online again.  To be frank…I don’t blame her. 

So heed this warning tenants and beware of landlord scams like this one.  Always pay your rent by check or money order and be sure to get a receipt.