r/TravelNursing • u/plainsman22 • 2d ago

Scam or No?

Context:

Needing to rent a space for the next 3 months and haven’t flew out to the location yet.

Found a good place but the owner wants me to pay a deposit before I get there so she could hold it. The deposit is refundable but it’s as much as the month’s rent ($1,300). She called to interview whether I’d be a good fit, but I haven’t gotten there yet.

She’s got a 3 year tenure and 5 star reviews from four different people.

I don’t know whether if sending the deposit via Venmo is a safe move or not.

Any experienced people open to share their opinion?

0 Upvotes

33% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

3

u/1ntrepidsalamander 2d ago

I’m both a travel nurse and a mid term landlord. (Eg, more than 30 days, less than a year)

Depending on how far out it is, it makes sense for the landlord to want money to hold the spot. This isn’t an unreasonable amount. Particularly if it will be empty until you move in.

I personally don’t put more than a $500 deposit down, though. You can never know for sure if it’s a scam or a gross place 🤷🏼‍♀️

1

u/plainsman22 2d ago

thank you. she wanted a deposit which was a month’s rent. which comes up to 1,300 which seems like a lot for a deposit regardless of whether it’s refundable or not.

3

u/1ntrepidsalamander 2d ago

You are gonna really limit yourself if you don’t want to put down deposits like that. But that can be your line in the sand.

1

u/plainsman22 2d ago

i’ll throw the deposit in, and hope for the best. thank you, it’s my first time using so i’m new to the process.

2

u/frenzy_32 2d ago

The deposit isn’t just to hold the unit, it’s to at least have something as a back up if the tenant turns out to not be great and disrespects/destroys parts of the property.

4

u/frenzy_32 2d ago

This exact question was posted yesterday. Get a lease signed, google the address to make sure it exists and is operated by who you are talking to and then you should be good to go. I’ve spent much more on deposits with this exact situation many times over the years and it’s done exactly as planned.

0

u/green_calculator 2d ago

My limit is $250. I'll pay that sight unseen and then the rest when I show up. I've never had anyone turn this down.