How would you respond?

Question

Have a vacancy at my sfh and posted it on Craig's list. 18 minutes later I get this:

Hi there , was wandering if the apt is still available,and move in ready very interested , would like to make and appt to see it ASAP. Please contact me at your earliest convenience. Looking for a place to move ASAP.

And thats with a phone number 18 hours away...  This rental is a sfh, he says apt.  Just posted ad, he asks if still available.  He mentions asap more than once which I've seen people on her say is a red flag.... My gut is calling this bull.

Your thoughts?  How do you respond?

Stephanie Dupuis · Answer

The "very interested, call asap" are red flags to me - mostly because...and this may sound childish...but, you're a tenant requesting me to call you ASAP? If you're "really interested", why don't you pick up the phone and get ahold of me. Sounds like you need the unit, not me. These contacts are either scams or less than desirable future tenants.

The other thing, my other thoughts with the "asap" inquiries is that these applicants tend to be less than stellar. It's mid-month, and why do they need a place "asap"? Did they get booted out? etc. I'm suspicious. At the end of the month, though, I chalk it up to the usual procrastination of renters waiting until the last minute (which baffles me, but...whatever).

Michaela G. · Answer

I think they're trying to collect email addresses, that are being sold to spammers. I used to respond to those and suddenly my spam would increase.

These days I give my ph# and that I won't respond to email

Rob K. · Answer

Is your phone number in the ad? If so, they would call you if very interested.

Account Closed · Answer

What exactly would they get out of it if you do call them? They aren't asking you for money, so what is their angle?

Jon Klaus · Answer

Likely a scam. If there is nothing in the response the shows that they know anything about the property/neighborhood, it's likely a bot or scam. I ignore these.

Aly W. · Answer

I have a unit for rent now and just last night got a call from someone who was very interested. Sounded fine on the phone, but I've since gotten 3 texts saying they're *very* interested and want to see the unit ASAP before anyone else does. Unit has been on craigslist for 3 weeks. My contractor will show it today but is aware of the tenant's interest.

Could be a perfect tenant, but we're now cautious. And this tenant did tell me, as others have after they called, that they never read the whole ad. They see the photos and call, then start asking questions.

Andrea M. · Answer

I am so convinced a lot of people don't read the entire ad. I have had some similar responses, and questions that I have clearly answered in my ad.

Rather than responding, I would call the number and speak with them to get a better feel based on the conversation. Spammers/Scammers are always lurking on Craigslist, so I usually put my phone number with the times to call in the ad (9am-7pm).

I have noticed that when people relocate to a new state they generally keep their phone number from their home state.

Cuong Le · Answer

Don't respond to these because there are scammers out there that will use this and pose as landlord. I did this once and then was fortunate to get a phone call from a potential tenant that says the "landlord" is acting suspicious. We looked up the craigslist ad and it has the same pictures but different contact and the rent was really cheap. Ignore it. If you have a phone number, they will call you about it.

Johnson Ejalu · Answer

Looks like scam/spam to me... you should maybe try filtering your craigslist leads through a form using mailchimp, constant contact....etc. This allows you to pre-qualify your leads, avoid bogus responses and store your leads.

Pete T. · Answer

@michelle L i dont see anything wrong w/ calling them, but i would be cautious.  What I believe @Ed Wood is refering to is the red flags (want to move in so, overly interested, signs of a copy and paste msg).  You do not want to be the next landlord dealing w/ a professional deadbeat, so make sure you screen well and pay attention to every detail when dealing w/ this person.

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