How to Spot a Rental Scam in Houston: A Broker's 4-Step Check

Someone on TikTok Was Renting Out My Listing for $650. Here's How to Not Get Scammed.

Short answer: If a Houston rental is priced way below similar homes, the "landlord" can't show it to you in person, or they want a deposit by Zelle, Cash App, gift card, or wire, treat it as a scam. Look the address up on HAR.com, call the listing agent shown there, and check the owner on the county appraisal district website before you pay a dime.

The phone call

This week a man called me to "confirm the price" on one of my rental listings in Spring. Four bedrooms. Big pool. He asked me if it was $650 a month.

It is not $650 a month. It's not anywhere near $650 a month.

He told me he'd found it through a girl on TikTok who was promoting my listing. Same house, same photos, a price that doesn't exist. If he hadn't picked up the phone, he would have been one Cash App payment away from losing his deposit and still not having a place to live.

He did the right thing. He called. So here's what I want every renter in Houston to know before they send anyone money.

How the scam works

It's not complicated, which is why it works:

1. A scammer copies the photos and description from a real listing.
2. They post it on TikTok, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or in a group chat at a rent that's way too low.
3. When you reach out, there's always a story. They're out of the country. They're a missionary. Their cousin manages it. They can't show it, but they'll mail you the keys.
4. They want a deposit or "application fee" fast, and they want it through an app that's hard to reverse.
5. You show up on move-in day. Someone else's house. Your money is gone.

The 4-step check

1. Compare the price

Pull up similar rentals in the same area on HAR.com. If one home is hundreds of dollars cheaper than everything around it, that's not a deal. That's the bait. A 4 bedroom with a pool in Spring for $650 does not exist. I know. It's my listing.

2. Find the listing on HAR.com and call the agent listed there

HAR.com is the Houston Association of Realtors® site, and it's where real listings in the Houston area show up. Search the address. If it's there, call the agent whose name is on the listing, using the phone number on HAR. Not the number in the DM. Not the number in the comments. Not the number on the flyer someone texted you.

3. See it in person before you pay anything

No deposit, no application fee, no "hold" money until you've been inside the home with a real person. And never pay by Zelle, Cash App, gift card, crypto, or wire transfer. Those payments are almost impossible to get back. "Just send the deposit and I'll mail you the keys" is a scam every single time.

4. Check who owns it

Search the address on the county appraisal district website:

• Harris County: hcad.org
• Montgomery County (parts of Spring, New Caney, Porter, The Woodlands): the Montgomery Central Appraisal District site

Spring sits across both counties, so check both if you're not sure. The owner of record should match the person you're dealing with, or that person should be a licensed agent who can show you they represent the owner.

If your budget is tight

Rents in Houston are high right now. If you're looking for something around $650 a month, a whole house isn't realistic, and anyone offering one is the red flag. Here are real places to look:

• PadSplit.com: furnished rooms, rented by the week
• Roomies.com and SpareRoom.com: room shares
• Houston Housing Authority: housingforhouston.com
• Harris County Housing Authority: hchatx.org
• Dial 2-1-1: Texas 211 connects you to local housing help, in English and Spanish

Verify before you pay on these too. Scammers post on legit sites.

If you already paid a scammer

Move fast:

1. Call your bank or the payment app right away and report the fraud.
2. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
3. Report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
4. File a police report with your local police department.
5. Report the post or account to the platform where you found it.

Common questions

Is every cheap rental a scam? No, but a price far below everything nearby, plus an excuse for why you can't see it, plus pressure to pay by app is the pattern. Two out of three of those and you should stop.

Can I trust a listing because it's on Facebook Marketplace or Zillow? Scammers post on every site. That's why you check HAR.com and call the agent listed there, not the person who messaged you.

What if the "owner" sends me a lease to sign? A lease that shows up by text before you've been inside the home means nothing. Anyone can type up a lease.

Will a real agent charge me just to look at a rental? Some properties charge an application fee after you've seen the home and decide to apply. Nobody legit needs your money just to let you look.

Not sure about a listing? Send it to me.

Send me the address and I'll check it. I'm Marysol Calvillo, a broker with Elite Properties, LLC, and I've been licensed in Texas for 14 years. I work Houston, Katy, Cypress, Spring, Tomball, and the surrounding areas. Hablo español.

And if you're paying rent and wondering whether owning could cost about the same, that's a conversation I'm happy to have too. No pressure, just numbers.

713-213-9593 

This article is general consumer education, not legal advice.