When I first moved to Canada from Sri Lanka for my studies, I quickly realized that finding a place to rent in a new country or province wasn’t easy. It was complicated, expensive, and the worst part – falling for a rental scam. Imagine flying halfway across the world, only to find that the place you paid for doesn’t even exist.
Something similar happened to me.
I rented an apartment in Ontario, and the photos and videos the landlord sent made it look great. But after a long 20-hour flight from Sri Lanka, I arrived and was shocked. The place was nothing like what I had been promised.
There were holes in the walls, the living areas were dirty, the washing machine was disgusting, and there were mice in the kitchen with water leaking from the bathroom into the kitchen.
Only then did I realize the landlord had posted pictures of the top floor, claiming they were from the basement to cover up the mess in the basement unit.
I had to contact the authorities to get my money back, find a new place, and pay for moving again – all while dealing with a harsh Canadian winter.
As I did some research, I found out that I wasn’t alone.
Many others have faced similar scams, like:
- Dishonest landlords using old or misleading photos of the property.
- Scammers pretending to be the landlord, collecting deposits and disappearing.
- Completely fake listings for properties that can’t be verified without visiting in person.
After going through all this, I thought, “This wouldn’t have happened if I had someone local to check the place for me.”
That’s when I shared my experience with a friend who had gone through something similar. Together, we came up with the idea for Renvfy: a platform that lets renters hire someone local to visit and view a rental property on their behalf.
With Renvfy, renters can:
- Make sure the rental listing is accurate.
- Get an honest, first-hand opinion on the property.
- Check any specific details that matter to them.
That’s how Renvfy came to life. We’re still in the early stages, but we’re working hard to make the process smoother and take the guesswork out of your next long-distance rental experience.