{"id":34423,"date":"2018-01-08T16:44:31","date_gmt":"2018-01-08T16:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/01\/08\/why-short-term-military-renters-are-scam-targets-and-how-to-avoid-trouble\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:01:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:01:38","slug":"why-short-term-military-renters-are-scam-targets-and-how-to-avoid-trouble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/home-hq\/2018\/01\/08\/why-short-term-military-renters-are-scam-targets-and-how-to-avoid-trouble\/","title":{"rendered":"Why short-term military renters are scam targets, and how to avoid trouble"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When the permanent change-of-station window begins to close, many military families adjust their housing goals: Instead of a home to buy for the duration, they may be after a short-term rental fix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe the move is designed to keep their options open, giving them longer to look at the local housing market. Maybe it\u2019s simply convenience. Maybe it\u2019s financial necessity. Regardless of why a military family may want short-term rental housing in a far-off location, the fact that they\u2019re on the market (and have a hard deadline) makes them targets for unsavory renters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Diego-based Realtor Lauren Taylor<\/a>, whose husband served in the Navy, says some military movers will make \u201cstress-based exceptions\u201d to their normal vetting process. This could let some red flags slip past as the search becomes more pressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re on the long-distance rental market, here are a half-dozen tips from real-estate experts and other sources that could keep your short-term solution from becoming a long-term financial horror story:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Old rules, new research. <\/b>Everyone\u2019s familiar with what happens when something seems too good to be true. But thanks to Zillow and similar rental-search platforms, renters can check their rates against the regional average. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s significantly less than what they\u2019re quoting there, then that should be a red flag,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Know your source. <\/b>Craigslist rentals might promise great deals, but those promises aren\u2019t backed by much. Listings from Homes.mil<\/a> or the Automated Housing Referral Network<\/a> may prove more reliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Cash on hand. <\/b>Beware most any deal that requires cash payments or wire transfers, both easy ways to make the transaction tougher to trace. Don\u2019t pay anything before you\u2019ve confirmed the terms of the deal; scammers may ask for a security deposit or other good-faith payment, then vanish. If you\u2019ve got concerns, escrow services are available that will keep payments out of the landlord\u2019s hands until the rental period kicks in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Listing tricks. <\/b>Tech-savvy scammers may pirate real listings to create fake ones, stealing photos and even borrowing a real address on the market to make their ad look legit. All they have to do is change the contact information and upload the ad to a different real-estate site. Keep your anti-phishing guard up; avoid suspicious email addresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Where\u2019s that landlord?<\/b> If the owner refuses to meet the renter in person, Taylor said, there\u2019s likely something up. Sometimes they will claim to be out of the country and offer to get you a key via an intermediary and without you seeing the property: It\u2019s a common-enough scam to land on a Federal Trade Commission warning list<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\t