Tulsa Homeowners 'Shocked' To Find Home For Rent On Facebook Page

Wednesday, August 20th 2014, 7:46 pm

By: News On 6

Someone is advertising houses for rent in Tulsa on Facebook, but the problem is the houses are not actually for rent and the person doing the advertising has no claim to the homes.

The Facebook page is called Rent Houses, and one man was shocked to find out his house was listed, especially because he's in the process of buying the home and said it's most certainly not for rent.

After I showed Anthony Harris the rental listing for his house on Facebook, he called the person he's buying the house from just to confirm it wasn't for rent, and of course it's not, even though many people did post they were interested in it.

"It's a very nice house. In no way is it for rent or sale,” Harris said.

Kenyetta Turner lives in the same neighborhood and there is a rental posting for her house as well. She said the picture was recent because they just put up the basketball goal.

She's lived in the home nine years and called her landlord, who confirmed the house is not for rent.

Online, though, it says Turner was moving out on the 15th and people could move in if they pay a $30 application fee and rent through PayPal or a money card.

"I think someone is going to show up ready to move in who's already paid first and last month's rent," said Turner.

She posted on the page it was a scam but got immediately blocked and the page posted “if you feel this page is a scam, you don't have to deal business with us.”

We called the number on the Facebook page to see what was going on, but instead of a real number, it was a fax.

The area code was tracked to Boise, Idaho.

Facebook pictures of a man claiming to be a part of the site, Kevin Mitchell, may or may not be real, but it says on the page he's from Tulsa, then on the timeline, says they're not in Tulsa but have local realtors.

Spencer Armstrong lives in the same neighborhood and his house was advertised for rent on the same Facebook page. His mortgage company assured him no one else had rights to it.

"Thought it was ridiculous,” Armstrong said. "It just shows in the times we live in, people do anything on social media."

After several calls and messages, the page has disappeared from Facebook, but, if you're looking online for a place to rent or buy, do your homework.

It's a good idea to meet in person, get a private tour of the house, make sure they have keys for all doors, check to make sure it's not on the county's foreclosure list and ask for paperwork that shows they actually own the property before you hand over any money.