Rental scams rampant in Toronto's tight market
Prospective renters with their sights set on living in Toronto might want to meet the landlord or view the unit before paying any rent, as two people are speaking out about how they were scammed out of a place to live.
It took Jenna Mercer, of Georgetown, Ont., more than a year to find an apartment that seemed perfect for her and her cats.
"I wanted it so bad, and I was telling my parents we have to trust it," said Jenna Mercer of Georgetown.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Mercer found the basement apartment listing on Rentals.ca, a website connecting landlords with prospective tenants looking for a place to rent.
According to Mercer, the man who placed the ad said he had to leave Canada to attend a Christian missionary in the U.S. and was in search of someone who could take care of his home while he was away.
"He was telling me he was sending his house keys through the mail and that's a big thing to do so I trusted him," said Mercer.
Even though Mercer prepaid $780, the keys never arrived.
"I was just so excited to move out, and I guess I was just too trusting," said Mercer.
Dawid Grad just moved from Ireland to Toronto and thought he had secured an apartment to rent, which he found on Rentals.ca. But, when he showed up at the address, someone else was living there, and he was scammed out of $3,600.
"It's really annoying because I have to look for something else. I thought I had something, but I didn't," said Grad. "I 100 per cent knew it was a scam when I went there and found out it was a fake ad."
Both ads were placed on Rentals.ca, but the company says it's doing what it can to limit fraud.
"If you do contact a landlord and they request that you send money right away, that's a red flag. You want to at least meet the landlord or tour the property," Rentals.ca spokesperson Giacomo Ladas told CTV News Toronto.
The rental platform now uses a verification program for landlords. When a landlord agrees to be pre-screened to ensure their legitimacy, they will have a verified blue checkmark next to their listing.
"We want to make sure that the verified program is not just something landlords are using but renters as well," said Ladas.
A recent Rentals.ca report found that the average price of a one-bedroom apartment in Toronto is now roughly $2,500 per month.
Geordie Dent, executive director of the Federation of Metro Tenants Association, urges renters to beware of fraud no matter what website they use to find a place to live.
"When you have a tight rental market, people are going to be desperate, and when they are desperate, they are going to be prone to scams," said Dent.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.