Apartment Rental Scam

My partner and I have been considering a move into a new rental apartment in Vancouver. The market is really competitive and we end up spending hours searching and not finding anything that meets our needs. So you can imagine our excitement when we finally discovered the perfect apartment at a great price.

We emailed the person who had posted the ad on Craigslist. They had provided photographs of the apartment and a street address. It seemed almost too good to be true. So we jumped in the car and drove over to check it out. And there it was, just like the ad said. We were very interested.

I knew that with the high demand for apartments in Vancouver, if I wanted this one, I would have to act quickly. It’s not unusual to bring your first and last month’s rent when viewing an apartment, and there are rumours of landlords accepting the “highest bid” from people competing for the same apartment. We anxiously awaited a response.

Then we found another ad that was using the same pictures as the one we were interested in. But in this other ad it was much more expensive and listed as a two-bedroom. Still, we weren’t convinced that our ad was the scam. That is, until we received an email from the supposed landlord, Micheal Smith, in response to our enquiry (if the unusual spelling of the first name, and the suspiciously common combination of both names, isn’t enough, just keep reading):

“Hello,

Thanks for your interest and inquiries about my apartment. Yes the apartment is still available for rent and, we are looking for a responsible person/family to occupy and maintain the apartment now that i am not around. i just traveled to Virginia for a program called SERVING IN MISSION (SIM), you can view the link for more info: (http://www.sim.org/index.php/content/our-purpose ). i will be away for 2 to 3 years or more that is why I have made up my mind to put up my apartment for rent to whom ever that will take good care of it. However, my initial plan was to sell my apartment but it was not successful because the Realtor raised the price which made it difficult for me to sell before leaving , It has already been taken off the market as for sale so there is no need to contact any Realtor. Please one more thing, I wouldn’t like to have any benefit of trust in you because I want to stand in your words that the property would be well taken care of all the time. I believe you have seen how lovely it is if from only the pictures attached here compare to the 100% comfort to be derived from it as you are an occupant.

-Rental Price: $1500 per month and security Deposit is $500 (Security

Deposit is Refundable) –

-Bed: 1 Bath:1

-Pets: Yes

-Laundry: In Unit

-Parking: Attached

-Floor size: 900 sqft

-Utilities included in monthly rent.

So please if you still find my unit worth renting pls get back to me with the

rental application filled below.

RENT APPLICATION FORM.

Name (First name/ Middle name/Surname ) : __________?

Phone numbers (home,cell and office line ) # :__________?

E-mail :__________?

Best time to call :__________?

Marital Status:__________?

How many proposed occupants :__________?

List all in addition to yourself including approx age :__________?

Present Address :__________?

City/state :__________?

Will you have pets :__________?

Please describe Breed, size :__________?

Personality of pet :__________?

Preferred move in date :__________?

Intended length of lease:__________?

Do you agree to pay the payment before you move in:__________?

Earliest possible date of deposit payment:__________?

Length of previous tenancy :__________?

Present occupation :__________?

Do you work late night :__________?

Do you smoke :__________?

Do you drink :__________?

Looking forward to hearing back from you with all this details so that i can have them in my file in case of issuing your rent payment receipt to you and for contacting you. Your quick response will be highly appreciated so that we can discuss on how to get the documents and the keys of my property to you via Express Delivery Services and you may drive by to view the building and its living environment. May GOD bless you and your family.

Best Regards,

Micheal.”

It was about two weeks ago that I got this email from Micheal and I haven’t bothered to respond. What do you think? Is this a scam? Should I email Micheal back and see if the apartment is still available?