Spotted an apartment listing on Facebook? How to figure out if it's legit, legal, safe

Though finding available units in Facebook groups or on Facebook Marketplace may seem like a workaround in a competitive market, local agents say the platform is often a runway for scams and misrepresentation.

"Most of the time, when I get a call from somebody who has seen a Facebook rental, it's a fraud who is copying my listing, and advertising it for a third of what it's actually renting for," said Douglas Elliman agent Wendy Sanders.

The Facebook housing landscape is "like the Wild, Wild West times 10," said Jonathan Enriquez, of Listing Pro Realty Services. Sometimes, listing photos from apartments in other states are paired with low prices to draw interest, he said; most often, even a legitimate offering is an overpriced basement apartment with no egress window.

Meanwhile, much of the Long Island housing market consists of unregulated listings in private homes. Available housing inventory numbers do not include illegal apartments, which makes the number of such units difficult if not impossible to determine.

For those looking for rentals independently, experts recommend careful vetting.

"Because of the shortage of affordable housing, people tend to jump for things that seem to be affordable in their price range, and are willing to do things without exercising their due diligence," said attorney Karen Svendsen, of Bay Shore law firm Long Tuminello.

"If you want a deal, you have to work for it," said Leah Tozer, of Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty.

Sanders, who works mostly with multifamily buildings, said it is rare that legal units in multifamily housing are legitimately listed on Facebook.

"You think that you're getting a bargain. You think that you're avoiding paying a broker fee," Sanders said, of using Facebook alone. "There's no way of ensuring the legalities, and the safety."

How to vet

The potential consequences of using Facebook to find a rental unit range in severity. An apartment advertised unofficially may not have smoke or carbon monoxide detectors in place, or the necessary permits; or, an exchange of money could bring complications.

"Your identity could be stolen. Your bank accounts could be accessed," Sanders said. "At the very least of it, you could lose money, giving it to someone who's not legit."

It is important to verify the identity of the person listing the apartment, and to confirm through public records that the person actually owns the property, experts said.

"You're going to be producing ID for them, they need to produce ID for you," Svendsen said. 

Anyone can contact their local municipality for information about ownership and whether there is a rental permit for an address. 

Other protective measures include checking for smoke detectors and locating the heating system, Tozer added.

What not to do 

A prospective renter should not be sending documentation aside from a censored photo of a driver's license, Enriquez said.

Tozer cautions against sending money to anyone, even if they send what appears to be a lease. Meet the person offering the rental, in person, she said, and do not go alone.

When it is time to pay, never use cash, Svendsen said.  

"If they're trying to pressure you, that, 'if you don't put this deposit down, then you're going to lose it,' then this is most likely a scam," Svendsen said.

By Arielle Dollinger

arielle.dollinger@newsday.com@aridollinger

Arielle Dollinger joined Newsday as a staff reporter in 2022. Previously, she covered local and national news as a freelancer for The New York Times, Newsday and other outlets.