House to rent in Europe?
Hi,
I'm searching for a house to rent in Helsinki (I'll stay there from December)
I saw an ad in internet and contacted the person two days back. She lives in Londen and she is ready to rent the house to me. She asked me my full address in India, so that she can courier the house keys and the document to me. Also she asked me to pay the rent to her lawyer in Helsinki. She sent me some of the pictures of her house and it is beautiful and neat. I like the house.
But everything seems to be too fast.
Here(in India), I generally take atleast a week to confirm a house(for rent) . I used to chat with the house owner for sometime. If I feel comfortable with the house, house owner and the neighborhood, I'll rent the house.
Is this common in Europe? Trusting someone through the Internet?
I searched for a roommate, but I couldn't find any.
How you guys will rent a house? What are the thing we need to check before moving in to Helsinki or Europe?
10 Answers
Hmmm, that is weird, fins are very serious guys, I would be very surprised to see them ship you their keys by mail. hmmm
On the other hand:
Also she asked me to pay the rent to her lawyer in Helsinki.
Are you supposed to go there and then pay the rent or pay it beforehand?
Hi Vaanz
Don't go anywhere near this house.!!!
No Finn would ask you for money before you get to Finland.
This 99% a con - probably a foreigner in London with a friend in Finland witha bank account.
Regards Ian
PS Do we have any Finns on SD?
vuokrattavana = For Rent in Finnish - why would the sign be in English?
I would check out a few things:
Put her name into google and see if anything come up.
Check with the "Better Business Bureau" in Helsinki regarding the lawyer. (Get the phone number from the directory)
Using the internet, find people living near the same address and contact them for information regarding the house and previous renters. Preferably someone next door to the house. (one thing you can use to do this is the internet phone information service for the city in which the house is located)
I never thought that it is a scam.. :(
Thanks Bryn...
You are awesome!!!!!
I would have proceeded, if I didn't checked the links that you posted.
Thanks Bryn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the second mail. I replied that I need to see the house before moving in. And I didn't get any reply till now
I can see your willingness in this Apartment and i want you to know that i'm satisfied with your profile and also believe that you can take good care of the apartment. l would not like to experience what l experienced from my last tenant again that is why will hand over every thing to my lawyer.I will love it if you can hold the keys of the apartment till when you are ready to move in then i will be counting the month rent by then and none of my clothes are there.l have showed your application to my Lawyer and said he is satisfied with it.l want you to know that we can let you stay in my apartment till the period of time you wish to.Note that the apartment utilities is included in the rent, you can use them anytime but make sure proper care of my property is taken. My lawyer will be receiving the Month Rent and deposit.
.
You may go ahead and view the apartment from outside with the address i gave to you in the previous email and you have seen the pictures of the inside but you cant view the inside the apartment due to the security guiding the apartment, without the keys and the document you will not be allowed in by the security.
.
Accommodation Features
Interior Features, Washer And Dryer, Air Conditioning, Walk In Closets, Fireplace, Ceiling Fan, Vaulted Ceilings, Cable Available, Intrusion Alarm, Jetted Tub, Scenic View, Waterfront, Blinds, Attic, Heat, Kitchen Features, BreakfastNook, DishWasher, Disposal, Microwave, Pantry, Refrigerator, Stove, Rooms, Crawlspace, Den, Dining Room, Living Room, Exterior Features, Deck, Fence, Hot Tub, Porch, Storage, Dock with Boat Lift, 2 Covered Parking Spaces, Flooring, Carpet, Ceramic Tile, Hardwood
.
The apartment's keys/document will be delivered to you via UPS Delivery Service on next day delivery.Kindly get back to me with your home address for the shipping of the keys and the document of the apartment to your door steps.
Once again l'm giving you this apartment on trust and do not disappoint me because l do not want my apartment to be misused again,if you wish to move in with your own properties,we still have one extra room that is empty so you can easily put the stuffs you think is not needed in there. Here are the contents that will be delivered to you via UPS courier service.
1) Entrance and the rooms Keys
2)Paper/Permanent Flat form(Containing your reference details)
3)The Flat documented file.
4)Payment Receipts.
5)Full address and description of the Apartment
.
Thanks and let me know if you're ready to make the month rent with deposit payment in order for the shipment of the packages to be taken to your door step via UPS Delivery Service as soon as possible.
Regards.
This is the first mail I got. The ad was in Craiglist
Hi
Thanks for mailing me regarding my apartment , I am currently on job transfer to United Kingdom and I came down with my family... . I need a Clean and upright person that will be able to take good care of the apartment. The rent include all the utilities and well furnished .
Am working here with Vela VKE Civil Engineers Expertise in Construction Company United Kingdom,here is the location of our apartment ..Nylandsgatan 26, 00120 Helsinki, Finland
We don't know when we are going to return back from United Kingdom and from the look of things, me and husband has decided to stay in here for sometime and we are looking to rent our apartment our for long or short term lease.
............... APPLICATION FORM............
Your Full Name
Your Full Address & Phone Number
How old are you?
Are you married?
How many people will be living in the house?
Do you have a pet? pets are allowed
Occupation?
how long are you willing to stay
Nationality...
Date of move in and out...
Sex..................Male or Female.
Get back to me with your application form so that we can proceed.
Thanks
I went through the profile of around 100 users. None of them are from Finland..
I'd proceed with a bit of caution. I'm not from Europe, but scammers come from everywhere. Be careful and good luck house hunting.
I also live in London from five years, I don't think you have to trust so easily to your landlord's any single bit of information on its own – until or unless you have developed your own sense for just how reputable, or how authoritative, that particular person is.
Though moving to a new house can be very exciting, finding a good one to rent could be a daunting task. There are things you should consider before the big step, so here are our ten picks to make sure you’re prepared before you sign your name.
Focus your search according to your budget and though you may be forced to compromise when finding a bigger apartment in a better area, make sure it’s worth spending the extra money.
If you’re looking for a cheaper house to rent, you can take help of good real estate agent. I personally searched my own flat in London through one of well known agent such as Plaza Estates. You can check there services, I hope they will be able to sort out your problem as well.
Hi Vaanz,
I also live in London from five years, I don't think you have to trust so easily to your landlord's any single bit of information on its own – until or unless you have developed your own sense for just how reputable, or how authoritative, that particular person is.
Though moving to a new house can be very exciting, finding a good one to rent could be a daunting task. There are things you should consider before the big step, so here are our ten picks to make sure you’re prepared before you sign your name.
Focus your search according to your budget and though you may be forced to compromise when finding a bigger apartment in a better area, make sure it’s worth spending the extra money.
If you’re looking for a cheaper house to rent, you can take help of good real estate agent. I personally searched my own flat in London through one of well known agent such as Plaza Estates. You can check there services, I hope they will be able to sort out your problem as well.
