21 April 2011

The Joy of Apartment Hunting...

I have begun to look for a new place to live.  I have been looking for flatshares as well as studios in or near the central London area and have been scanning ad postings for flats daily.  Naturally, every now and then I respond to an ad on craigslist or gumtree and  I am greeted with the same bullshit from unimaginative scam artists.  Here is the lates episode for your reading pleasure:

From: Steven r Hepner <steven_hepner55@yahoo.com>
To: ME
In response to your inquiry with regards to your interest in my Studio.A stunning recently refurbished studio apartment, set on the lower ground floor of a period conversion. The property benefits from spacious studio room with large fitted wardrobes and double bed. Modern well equipped fitted kitchen with D/W. Modern fitted shower room with W/D.The property is located close to the shopping and transport facilities of Paddington.This modern studio is well decorated and is in a great location, within walking distance of Paddington Station and Bayswater station. The period mansion block it is located in also has a daytime porter for increased securityAll bills inclusive.Available fully furnished.The rent includes Central Heating, Gas, Electricity, Water Rates, WIFI and a fast broadband internet connection, Council Tax - there are NO BILLS to pay.Address:140 Edgware Road, Paddington, London W2 2QP.
The development is within easy reach of all local amenities such as shopping mall,parks,bars and restaurants.
Off street parking.
One bedroom flat is available for short or Long term contract.


Rent per month:£600
Refundable Deposit required:£600


From: ME
To: Steven r Hepner
The pictures look excellent and I like that it is located close to the park.  When is the place available to move into?  I am hoping to move into a new place at the beginning of June, but I am somewhat flexible regarding the move in date.  
Please get back to me and perhaps we can schedule a time where I can visit the flat.  I am usually free Fridays until mid-afternoon, Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays until mid-afternoon.

Thanks,
G


From: Steven r Hepner
To: ME
Hello ,
Thanks for getting back to me. I would love to meet you, get to know you and show you round the flat so that you can see what you are renting but I have had problems with time wasters who could not keep to there end of deal despite the fact that i have made the rent so low considering the economic climate in London.Its really time wasting because i am a very busy person and do not really have much time to waste. For now i need your suggestion,because i cant afford a waste of time.

Can you please answer the following questions?

-Are you really serious about the renting the flat?
-If you love the flat when you see it, will you make the payment to hold it against your move in?Kindly get back to me about an idea on what we can do so that we can arrange a meeting for viewing. Thanks while hoping to read from you.

Regards,
Steven

The apartment is available during the period you mentioned and can be reserved only if you are looking to rent it

Steven

From: ME
To: Steven r Hepner
My interest is serious, however, without visiting the flat I cannot say whether or not I will rent it.  I am looking for a 6 month lease with the possibility of extending the lease after the 6 month period.
Please let me know how you would like to proceed.

Thank you,
 G


From: Steven r Hepner
To: ME

I understand every bit of what you have said and i am 100% willing to let the apartment to you and also ready to book it for you only if you can assure me there wont be any disappointment.
I was discussing with my colleague about the idea on how i will be so sure that i will not be disappointed and to avoid time wasters.She advised that we can work out something via Western Union.
All i want to know is how sure you will pay me the money if intend to rent the room and just an evidence that you have the money because i need a surety that my tenant will pay me the rent and deposit.

She adviced that you can visit any Western Union outlet by sending the rent and deposit in  your friend or partners name to your name as the receiver in London Via Western Union which you would cash immediately you arrive. The relevance of this transfer is to show that you have the agreed rent and deposit at your disposal to cash once you arrive which will give me the reliance that you are coming over.
The transfer charges would be refunded to you when we meet at the point of viewing whether you decide to take the property or not.It is what i can afford to loose for a trust.After viewing, if you are satisfied with the flat, then we would both go to the nearest WU outlet, you will collect the money out and pay me in cash in exchange for the keys to the property and all other documents signed.

NOTE- No monies would be sent to me, it would be made between you and any of your friend or partner to your own name in London as the receiver,i just need the transfer as a proof.
I was made to understand that you can send me the WU transaction proof for confirmation on WU website so as for me to be rest assured that you have the money to pay me available at WU.https://wumt.westernunion.com/asp/orderStatus.asp?country=global
Kindly let me know if you are willing to proceed so that i could reserve the flat for you.
Regards
Steven

From: ME
To: Steven r Hepner
I am not going to send you any money with out seeing the flat and agreeing to live there.  You are full of shit and have wasted my time.  I would love to meet you in person so I could pour gasoline over you, light you on fire, and then kick you into the Thames just before you burned to death.  Die a horrible death, you scamming piece of shit dead beat scum fuck.

With sincerest hopes of your timely demise,

G

11 comments:

  1. As someone who's been through this London-renting-treadmill many times, this is an unfortunately side effect of Gumtree and craigslist - my favourites are the ads with lists of room amenities that read like a hotel webpage (and were probably copied directly from the former).

    Have you tried moveflat.com? They're far more genuine, not as much choice but great search options for flatsharing and whole flats.

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just recently had contact with this person. He was renting out his apartment in Singapore for short term holiday makers. His ad boasts of the good location. This and the wonderful photos of interior of the apartment made it seem quite a good deal. Then he would not give me the exact address of the apartment. So I googled it and sure enough, the Apartment complex and the location he gave me where not even close to each other. I asked him straight out and he said it was 10 minutes walk to the location he had put on ad. I apologized to having wasted his time but i assured him that he definitely wasted mine as well.

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  3. We got the same email from the same person for an apartment in Singapore, posted in craigslist. Looks like it's a scam. Be careful.

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  4. I also have had the EXACT same conversation with this dude. He wants me to transfer money via Western Union...fuck that. It's people like him that take away credibility from people who are honest and trying to lease out a flat...pisses me off. Btw my partner and I are moving to London, do you know of any legit sites to check out flats? We were thinking of just flying in and staying at a hostel...but it would be nice to have a few places in mind.

    Thanks!

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  5. There are some sites that are reliable (mostly), but they tend to be for house shares rather than studio flats or one bedroom flats. So if you don't mind moving in with some new people I recommend checking out the following sites:

    www.intolondon.co.uk which is also linked with www.spareroom.co.uk

    There is also www.moveflat.co.uk which was recommended to me by a friend and has proved reliable.

    If you are looking for a cheaper studio or bedsit that is central you can try www.interlet.com, but you may have to wait until you get here to visit their office in order to get the latest listings.

    Good luck on the move, it can be a major pain. If you need any advice, please ask. I am not a native, but I may be able to help you out a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for putting up this blog on Steven Hepner. If not for your blog, I could have been his victim. This shameless bloke is showing up on Singapore rental property scene. I am very grateful for your work in keeping us on the alert for this scam artist.

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  7. Thanks, I was in contact with Mr Hepner for a flat in London (Islington) and something said to me he's a scam- he wanted all the money (rental+deposit) and no meeting at all (a key code by e-mail), another strange holiday rental owner is Marie Watford property in Marylebone..be careful! some of you can suggest a serious holiday rental site to book a flat in london for a week? monicamasoni@live.it

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  8. He is still at it , he has two 'lovely apartments' in Notting Hill and Gloucester road.....scum bag

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  9. Thanks for this article, I've been dealing with him for a week or so and was playing along with his game until the final email asking for money. It is *exactly* the same as the one you got asking for payment to Western Union. He's using a different email address - steven.hepner@yahoo.com. A charming 2 bed / 2 bath fully furnished place in Marylebone for just £250 p/w. If it's too good to be true then it is just too good to be true.

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  10. I want to thank you for posting this, he was doing the same with me the past few weeks. I appreciate it. Something never seemed right and then his reluctance to show the flat to a friend in London since i live in the US really seemed odd and then the payment details were an entirely different person was another red flag for me. He has also learned to change his name on one of the posting. unbelievable.

    ReplyDelete