A Serious Warning About Searching For Rental Properties Online!

When a Realtor lists a property on the MLS it automatically syndicates to many websites across the web, including Realtor.com, the companies main site and a few others. There are many companies that will grab a Realtors listing from the MLS, and advertise it for the sole purpose of grabbing "buyer/tenant leads." Personally, I'm not offended by this because it's more exposure for my seller.

Where it gets slippery is when another broker lists a property isn't his and he's calling himself "The Listing Broker."

What's even worse is when a company lists homes for rent that aren't even listed for rent, but JUST for sale. Today a lady called my office inquiring about a property that another agent has listed in our office. She seemed concerned as she thought "REALRENTALS.com was a scam."

Real Rentals DOT COM is listing properties for lease that are not for lease. They are also listing properties on their site and calling themselves the "listing broker."

Take a look below:

Just below the lady is a "featured property" that rotates every time you visit the site or click refresh. And this is how the lady that called our office found the listing.

I found the property and clicked on it.. this is what shows next:

Notice at the bottom of this listing it reads.. LISTED BY: BARBARA A GILBERT. To be clear, Barbara A Gilbert is not the listing agent for this property. PLUS, this property is NOT on the market for lease on the MLS. Look at the outrageous terms, conditions and even the price. "Cats, Small Dogs, Large Dogs!" This is total and 100% untrue. I spoke to the REAL listing agent here in Houston and she is, as you imagine, very upset. Her sellers aren't interested in leasing either.

So where did Barbara A Gilbert get this information and just who is she? The website realrentals.com has no contact phone number. When you click on "contact us" a window pops up for the consumer to enter their email along with a small message.

On the bottom of the contact page it states that RealRentals.com is a member of The National Association of Residential Property Managers.

NARPM® National
638 Independence Parkway, Suite 100
Chesapeake, VA 23320

Phone: 800-782-3452
Fax: 866-466-2776

As you would suspect, I called the number above and was able to conduct a  live interview with a company representative. The person I spoke to declined to have her name mentioned here, but she did allow me to paraphrase our conversation PER NARPM:

We are only affiliated with realrentals.com and we certainly do not approve of this type of practice. All we can do is "drop them as a member" and ask them to immediately cease listing properties that aren't in fact listed on the MLS. "We suggest an owner/Realtor call their local police department for more information."

She also stated that I wasn't the only one calling to complain.

If you're interested in leasing a home.. make sure are dealing with either the real owner or the real listing representative/Broker

If my listings end up on this site I will certainly be calling the police.. Just letting you know Barbara Gilbert. I don't want my listings deceiving consumers. Don't do it!