February 7th, 2013

Tenants Need to Be on Alert After Thief Acts As the Rental Property Building Manager in Order to Enter the Unit

It’s not only B.C. landlords who have to be cautious about their rental properties.

The RCMP are warning tenants after yet another scam involving a rental property.

A woman residing in a rental apartment complex in Langley was approached by a man claiming to be the building manager last Saturday.

He said his name was Grey. The so-called ‘building manager’ told the tenant he needed her to give him access to her rental apartment so he could look into and repair a water leak.

Water leaks are serious business so the tenant was of course concerned about this and allowed him to enter.

After he left her apartment she noticed her purse wasn’t where she left it.

She was approached by the ‘building manager’ who said he needed access to her unit because there was a water leak.

She allowed the man access and when he eventually left, she noticed her purse was missing.

Her purse was eventually spotted in the stairwell area.  Except one thing was missing – her cash!

The imposter was described by witness as being Caucasian, in his late 40s, and around six feet tall with a slim physique. He was also describes as having a very strangely coloured ‘red face’ which could have been due to severe acne.

This shows that scammers target tenants like they target landlords.

The RCMP encourages tenants living in rental property apartment complexes to take the time to get to know who the building manager and other property staff are. This way tenants can make sure they are only allowing real staff into their homes.

It’s also a good idea to call the property management company if you are unsure someone is who they say they are.

To discuss this and other BC landlord and tenant issues, go to the #1 landlord forum in British Columbia and network with thousands of other landlords across Canada.