Looking to rent in Edmonton? Don’t fall for this scam property, police warn

With more and more people moving to Alberta, Edmonton has a hot real estate and rental market.

However, police are warning would-be tenants to do their due diligence after several people interested in a home on the north side were scammed out of their money.

The Edmonton Police Service said the rental scam they’re investigating has defrauded multiple people of almost $11,000.

Police said the address — 7516 147 Ave. — is being fraudulently advertised as a house for rent on Facebook Marketplace, and may be advertised on other online marketplaces as well.

The 1,138-square-foot home built in the 1970s is in the Kilkenny neighbourhood.

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On Wednesday, Global News was unable to find any active listings for the property on commonly-used sites such as Facebook Marketplace or RentFaster.

Police said multiple complainants looking to rent the home reported speaking with a person they believed to be the homeowner, and in some cases meeting in person and touring the house.

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After the prospective tenants sign a lease and pay a deposit, the suspect disappears with their money — failing to return calls or show up on the agreed-upon possession date.

It’s not known who is running the scam. A neighbour told Global News the last tenants at the property moved out two months ago in November.

The property’s land title indicates the mortgage for the home was paid off in March of 2023, and then this past November a certificate of Lis Pendens was filed against the address.

A Lis Pendens is a document that indicates a lawsuit is pending against a property in Alberta. In some cases, that means the property is involved in a legal matter such as a divorce, or other times it’s part of a builder’s lien placed against it, and in some instances it means the property is being foreclosed upon.

The land title documents don’t indicate what the issue with this address is.

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Police said they are investigating the scam and in the meantime, are advising prospective renters to be aware of the address and accompanying scam, and report advertisements for this address to police.

As well, anyone who has information or has lost funds as a result of this scam is asked to contact police.

Edmonton police say in addition to touring the property in person, renters are advised to:

• Chat with someone who has rented from the same person or company in the past, if possible
• Conduct an internet search on the property to see who may live there, and determine if there are additional rental ads for the same property
• Check other listings in the general area and see what the going rates for rentals are
• Pay attention to your instincts: if something feels wrong with a listing, the application process feels rushed, or something seems too good to be true, be wary

To report this scam to police, please contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.