Staying safe with housing listings

See it before you pay

Tour the home in person, or ask someone you trust to go and verify it for you. Never rent or buy a place that nobody you know has stood inside.

Verify the property and the person

Find out who owns or manages the property before you agree to anything. Ask for the owner’s or manager’s name, and check it against county property records or by calling the management company yourself using a number you looked up — not one you were given.

Never send money by an untraceable method

Do not send a deposit, first month’s rent, application money, or purchase money by gift card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or a payment link you did not expect. Those payments cannot be traced and cannot be recovered. A real local landlord will not need any of them.

Get it in writing

Get a written lease or purchase agreement and a receipt for anything you pay. Read what you sign, and keep a copy.

Pressure and distance are warning signs

Be careful with anyone who is out of the country, cannot meet you, refuses a tour, will only communicate one way, or needs the money today to “hold” the place. A price far below every comparable home nearby is a warning sign, not a bargain.

Check whether the listing appears elsewhere

Search the address and the photos. A listing copied from somewhere else, or the same photos under a different name and price, is a common scam.

What Harvest 57 does, and what it does not

Harvest 57 reads every listing before it appears and takes down what it should. It does not verify legal ownership, does not inspect any property, and does not guarantee any listing or any person. Harvest 57 never handles deposits, rent, fees, or purchase money — every payment happens between you and the other person.

Report anything that looks wrong

Tell us if a listing looks like a scam, is already rented or sold, is duplicated, states a preference about who may live there, or worries you for any other reason. A person reads every report, and reports stay private.

You have the right to be considered

Housing on this board is open to everyone. If a lister tells you a home is unavailable because of your race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family, disability, or age, that is a fair-housing violation — please report the listing to us, and you may also contact a fair-housing agency.

Good to know

• Listings are written by the people who own, manage, or live in these homes.
• Harvest 57 reads every listing before it appears, but it does not verify legal ownership, does not inspect any property, and does not confirm that the details are correct.
• Harvest 57 does not guarantee any listing, its price, its condition, its availability, or the person offering it.
• Harvest 57 never handles deposits, rent, fees, or purchase money, and is never a party to a lease or a sale.
• Harvest 57 is not a landlord, a property manager, a real estate broker, or a rental agency.
• Everyone who posts here is independent of Harvest 57 and acts for themselves.
• Housing on this board is open to everyone. Listings must describe the property, never a preferred occupant.
• Confirm the home, the person, and the terms yourself before you pay anything or sign anything.
• For emergencies, contact your local emergency services.