Naughty rental listing company
In keeping with our naughty businesses theme, here's a recent one from the Attorney General's Office:
The Consumer Protection Division ordered Baltimore company, Maryland Rentals, LLC (a/k/a Rental Properties, LLC), which was formerly located at 5904 Harford Road, and its owner, Wanda Monroe, to cease offering illegal rental referral services.
The company and its owner were ordered to pay restitution equal to all fees it charged consumers for its services and to pay the Division $129,000 in civil penalties and costs for pursuing the matter.
Maryland Rentals advertised properties for rent at attractive rents in Baltimore area newspapers. But the AG says that when consumers contacted Maryland Rentals to rent the advertised properties, the company sold them a rental listing service instead of offering the callers leases.
The Division found that consumers who purchased the service were unable to locate rental properties in the areas that Maryland Rentals advertised, or at rents that were as attractive as advertised because the properties did not actually exist.
The AG says that the listings were created by Maryland Rentals to get consumers to pay for the listing service. Even worse, consumers who purchased the service were refused refunds. The Division found Maryland Rentals’ advertising to be deceptive and ordered it to stop offering properties for rent that did not exist or that it did not have the actual ability to rent.
“Maryland Rentals preyed on consumers who were having difficulty finding rental properties they could afford and took advantage of their desire to provide better housing for their families,” said Attorney General Doug Gansler. “When a business offers a house for rent, it must have the ability to rent the property at the advertised price.”
Seems to me, we might need to add this company to a Do Not Rent From list, or Avoid Completely list.
Categories: Naughty businesses/NBotW, Rent
