Hi everyone,
I’m a newcomer to Montreal, so I’m not very familiar with the rental process here. Recently, I found an apartment I’m interested in (I’ve already visited it) and would like to rent it. However, when the broker mentioned that the first month’s rent should be paid to his agency instead of directly to the landlord, I became concerned that it might be a scam.
Because of this, I asked if he could provide documents proving that the landlord is the actual owner of the property and that the landlord has authorized his agency to manage the rental. He said that my request was insulting and that he had never been asked for such documents before. Still, he gave me an email address, which he claimed belongs to the property owner. I sent an email to that address but have not received a response yet.
That said, when I checked the “Consulter le rôle d’évaluation foncière” website, I saw that the property is owned by a corporation, and the name of the director matches the name the broker mentioned to me when he gave me the email address. In addition, I was also able to find the broker’s name on the OACIQ website, and the agency that he mentioned that I have to pay my first month's rent for matches with the information on the OACIQ website.
Based on this information, would it be safe to rent this apartment? My main concern is that I have not been able to contact the landlord directly. The broker said he would prepare the lease, but since I have not verified the landlord’s contact information, I have not shared my personal information yet. As a result, I have not seen the lease and cannot confirm whether it is legitimate.
Is there anything I can do to better ensure that this payment is safe?
Thank you very much for your help.