Rental scams
Are self-guided tours with a lockbox code safe?
Updated By the Housing Rocket moderators
Short answer
Self-guided tours booked through a known management company's own website or app are generally legitimate. The risk is a scammer who sends you a lockbox code or tour link for a vacant home they don't control. Getting inside only proves the door opened, not that the person you pay has the right to rent it to you.
Scammers target vacant homes, especially ones listed for sale or between tenants. Some have found or reused lockbox codes, some send you to a real company's self-tour system for a home they've copied, and some just say the door is unlocked. After the "tour", they ask for a deposit to hold it.
- Start any self-tour from the management company's official website or app, not a link someone sent you.
- After the tour, apply and pay through that same company, never to an individual.
- Call the company on the number from its website to confirm the unit is available and who you are dealing with.
- Look for signs the home is for sale, such as a yard sign or an online sale listing. If so, the listing agent can tell you whether it's also for rent.
If you see a rental post for a home you toured through a company, with a different contact, report it to the company. They often know about copies of their listings.
Want the whole picture? Read How To Avoid Housing Scams.