Following on my last post about bewaring of rental scam. Yesterday, the Toronto Real Estate Board published a "member alert" on rental scams. 

"March 5, 2012 -- Please be advised of possible rental scams in the Toronto area.

Recent reports indicate that listing information for sale properties is being scraped from publically available listing websites and then it is being fraudulently re-posted on public classified websites such as Craigslist and Kijiji in the guise of rental property listings. The person(s) posting the rental advertisement will pose as the house owners when in fact they are not and then try to rent it to unsuspecting people. A recent example was reported where a million dollar house that was listed for sale was posted on Craigslist for rent at $1500/month."

How to Protect Yourself from a Rental Scam

About a week ago, the Toronto Police are alerting the public about a fraud investigation. 36 year-old Dale Delano Lyn faces four counts of fraud after he allegedly put rental ads on Kijiji and Craigslist. Police say potential renters viewed the units with the impression they were available, signed a lease and paid first and last month's rent. Investigators believe there may be other victims and want anyone who made contact with the accused to come forward.

The rental addresses include:
• 4968 Yonge Street, Apartment 1112
• 100 Harrison Garden Blvd , Apartment 212
• 215 Fort York Blvd, Apartment 1006
• 2121 Lakeshore Blvd W. Apartment 214
• 78 Lee Center Drive, Apartment 1703

As a Realtor, free online classified websites such as kijiji and craigslist are powerful in attracting potential tenants. There are lots of rental properties listed in these websites daily, other than the ones listed by realtors, how can you tell when a rental listing is authentic? Below are some great tips offered by the Vancouver police department, while these tips might be more applicable to rental apartments, some might also be applied to condos and houses.

Is the price too good to be true?

Check rental rates in the same area. Often fraudsters will try to entice their victims with low prices to elicit multiple victims.

Are they just communicating with you via email?

Fraudsters will not want to meet their victims in person to avoid being recognized and investigated by police.

Are they asking for cash only or a cash security deposit?

Cash is untraceable and can be used immediately.

Are they asking for money to be wired?

Once money is wired, it is extremely difficult to cancel the transaction. Also, money transfers are difficult to trace.

Do you live in the York Region? Are you aware that the regional municipality of York has a water-efficient humidifier rebate program? This is part of York Region’s ongoing “Water for Tomorrow” initiative that was launched in 1998. By replacing your current, inefficient humidifier with a new model approved by York Region, you can qualify for a rebate of either $30 or $70. What about toilets? The popular toiler rebate program will continue for York Region residents through 2011. Single family home owners in York Region purchasing a WaterSense® labelled water efficient toilet can receive a $75 rebate. Log on to www.waterfortomorrow.ca/en/athome/toiletrebates.asp to see a list of eligible toilets.

On top of offering rebate programs, do you know that “Water for tomorrow” also provide free garden consultation at your lawn? Their knowledgeable advisors will show you how to create a vibrant, water-efficient landscape with beautiful plants and flowers. They also offer solution or alternatives for problem areas and provide advice on how to create a healthy, thriving lawn. Their visits start in May, so book your FREE 45-minute consultation today! I am definitely booking mine!

Water for Tomorrow is committed to helping York Region residents and businesses save water by:

• Annually conducting 1000 free personalized lawn and garden visits to assess gardens and offer advice on creating a beautiful and water efficient lawn.
• Offering 14 free water efficient garden design seminars in the spring of each year.
• Providing useful information and tips on how to use less water in your home, without altering your lifestyle.
• Partnering with garden centres, community groups and schools to provide water efficient demonstration gardens.
• Initiating rebate incentives for water efficient fixtures for your home or business.
• Offering heavily-discounted rain barrels for sale each spring.
• Providing student education in the form of a Grade 7 curriculum for teachers and workbooks for students.
• Providing both business and industry with an opportunity for free water efficiency audits and financial incentives for switching to more water efficient practices.

Log on to www.waterfortomorrow.ca for details about everything the “Water for tomorrow” program has to offer!

Bye Bye Concrete blocks, Hello Creativity

When I was browsing the internet for information on new condo developments, I can’t help but was attracted by the creative architecture of some new high-rise condo buildings. The urban skyline of Toronto will never look the same again, thanks to the creative architect of these new condo buildings.

While we thought that these high-rise can only be found in downtown Toronto area, Mississauga should be proud to have the award-winning Absolute Tower at the Mississauga City Centre.  In fact, none of these unique architectures are found north of the GTA, so I guess we will need to stick with concrete/glass boxes for a little more time :P

P.S. Which one of the following do you like better? My favourite is still the Absolute Tower :)