Staying safe
Most people on Find My ADU are exactly who they say they are. But rental scams happen on every listing site, and we would rather be straight with you about that than pretend otherwise.
What we do, and what we don’t
Listings are posted by owners, not by us. We don’t own, manage or inspect any of these units, and we aren’t a party to any rental agreement you enter into.
We require an account to list, protect our forms against automated abuse, and remove listings we find to be fraudulent. We cannot independently verify that every listing is genuine, that the person posting owns the unit, or that the details are accurate.
Ownership verification — an optional check that an owner really owns the unit — is something we’re building. Until it exists, treat every listing with ordinary caution.
Warning signs
- The owner won't let you see the unit in person, or keeps postponing.
- You're asked to wire money, pay by gift card, cryptocurrency or a payment app before seeing it.
- The rent is far below everything comparable nearby.
- You're pressured to decide immediately, or told others are about to take it.
- The owner claims to be abroad and wants to post keys to you.
- You're asked for a deposit or an application fee before you've seen the unit or signed anything.
- The listing text or photos appear on other sites under a different name.
Simple rules that prevent most of it
See the unit before you pay anything. In person, inside, not a video tour.
Never wire money. No gift cards, no crypto, no payment apps to strangers. These are chosen because they can’t be reversed.
Get it in writing. A real owner will provide a written lease before taking a deposit.
Check it’s theirs. County records are public — you can confirm who owns a property.
Report a listing
If something looks wrong, tell us. We’d far rather check a hundred honest listings than leave one scam up.
If you believe you’ve been the victim of a rental scam, report it to your local police and to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.