Over the years that you own rental properties in Miami Florida or the surrounding area, you may encounter one or more tenants who include fake landlord references on their application.

Fake landlord references are getting harder to spot in today’s world because it’s easy for some people to use technology like VOIP phone numbers to help them create a landlord reference that doesn’t exist.

If you think you may have dealt with fake landlord references in the past, this article will provide you with tips on how to successfully spot those fake references and avoid renting to the individual who has included them on their application.

Tip #1 – Think Like A Detective

The first thing you want to do when you encounter what looks like a fake landlord reference is to think like a detective and use the technology that you have available to verify if those references are legitimate or not.

How? You can use a reverse phone number lookup website to confirm if the phone number is legitimate.

You can also research property tax records to verify if the individual who has been listed as a landlord is indeed connected with the property or not.

Tip #2 – Call the References

After doing some online “sleuthing”, you should next call the landlord while pretending to be a renter because, if the reference is fake, they will have been “coached” by their friend or family member to talk with you about their rental references and will not be prepared to speak with someone who is interested in renting from them.

Tip #3 – Analyze Their Answers

Last of all, if tips #1 and #2 don’t work out for you, it’s best to always fall back on your knowledge as a landlord and analyze the answers that the potentially fake landlord reference has given you. If their answers are vague and don’t have details then it’s likely that they aren’t a real landlord and are a friend or family member of the person who is trying to rent from you.

Contact Miami Property Management

Are you trying to manage your Miami area rental properties yourself? At Miami Property Management we specialize in full-service property management and can offer you a suite of services including rent collection, maintenance, customer service, property marketing, tenant selection and more.

Learn more about our services by contacting us at (305) 428-3904 or click here to connect with us online.