Is this rental agreement suspicious?

[dana]

After avoiding several other more obvious rental scams, I have found myself in a predicament.

I found a place on craigslist.com, I saw it in person and met the tenant who is on the lease. I am subletting under the pretense that her friend, who is also on the lease, bailed out last minute. Without thinking, I wrote my portion of the security deposit to her, and noted so in the memo on the check. I assumed it was because she (or she and her friend) had already paid the security and just wanted my money in case I damaged the place or whatever.

Meanwhile, I haven't gotten the keys, nor any agreement or receipt. But hasn't she cashed my check yet either.

I am just worried that she will have no obligation to pay me back should she cash my check and blow the money. I'm not on the lease so,I am in no way entitled to the deposit that has already been paid.

Now, I'm supposed to be mailing my rent check to the apartment manager, whom I haven't met.

I checked out the girl online and everything she said about work/school was true.

Am I being too distrustful? or Does this sound at all suspicious to anyone else?


I'm trying not to make a stupid move with my money and the more I thought about it the more I realized I'm not protected by rental laws because I paid the tenant, not the homeowner or apartment manager.

[yehudi]

contact the apt. manager and confirm she is the legal tenant. It doesn't sound all that fishy to me, but I would have gotten keys after writing a check (unless it was just a small deposit).

[dasco]

Before signing any agreement have your attorney review it, you can find legal advice by joining a legal services membership and never have to guess where you stand on this as well as any other legal issue, go to the source link listed below.

[ryscford]

Well just as long as you are keeping the receipt's that you are sending her then you are in titled to you money back if something isn't right. Just make sure you keep track of everything. Name(s), Numbers, e-mail addresses, and etc..EVERYTHING

[alburt]

You have reason to be uneasy. Hopefully it will work out. You should be on the lease so you need to speak with the property manager. Make sure that your portion of the deposit is in your name with the management. In the future you need to do business more professionally. The management should have returned the security deposit to the person you are replacing and you should have given them a check for your share of the security. Other details also but live and learn -- sometimes painful and costly.