Staying safe when you rent, buy or sell
Every .direct site lets you deal straight with the other person, with no middleman. That is the point, and it also means the few simple habits below are yours to keep. They work on every site in the family.
The short version
- Never send money before you have seen the place and met the person. No deposit, no first month, no application fee, no "holding fee" sight unseen.
- Never pay by wire transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency or a payment app to someone you have not met. Money sent those ways is almost never returned.
- Never share a code that was texted to you. No one from a .direct site, and no honest renter or buyer, will ever ask you for one.
- If something feels wrong, stop. Then report the listing (see below).
When you rent
- See the place in person, or send someone you trust. Make sure the person showing it can let you in.
- Be wary of a rent far below others nearby, a landlord who is "out of the country," or pressure to decide today.
- Get the lease in writing before any money changes hands, and pay in a way you can trace.
- You can check who owns a property in the county's public records.
When you buy
- Meet the seller and see the property before any offer goes in.
- Check ownership in the county's public records, and let a title company or closing attorney handle the money.
- Before you wire earnest money or closing funds, call your title company at a number you found yourself, not one sent to you in a message, and confirm the instructions.
When you sell or list
- Be wary of a buyer or renter who offers to pay more than you asked and wants the difference sent back, or who sends a check and asks for a refund.
- Meet in person, in daylight, and let someone know where you are going.
- Keep your password to yourself, and never share a texted code with anyone who asks for it.
How the sites help
- A new .direct account must confirm its email address before it can be used.
- Messages to people who list are checked for the most common scam patterns before they are delivered. A message that asks for a code is held, and the sender is told why.
- Reports are counted, and a listing or an account that draws them is held or limited under the sites' published rules.
- The sites never ask you to pay to send a message, and never ask for a code.
How to report a listing
On any listing page, open Report this listing under the message form, choose what is wrong ("It looks like a scam," "They asked for money before a viewing," "They asked me for a code," and more), and send it. For anything else, send us a message with the button below.
If you have already sent money to someone you now think is a scammer, call your bank or payment service right away, then report it to your local police and to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Contact us
Saw something that worries you, or not sure about a listing? Send us a message and we will answer by email. The form opens on auth.oneplace.direct, the sign-in page every .direct site shares, and carries the OnePlace.direct name.