Updating post from Reddit.
Absolutely not. Do not rent from this landlord. Either it is a scam or a bad landlord. No reputable landlord you would ever rent from would ask for a deposit before viewing. Totally unacceptable in all cases. Do not proceed with this.
Quadruple upvote for this comment.
Walk away right now.
FYI document is an obvious fraud. I’ve never seen an official HM Land Registry document that looks like this or is so badly formatted.
This 👆 I’ve seen a lot of documents on land registry and this does not follow the right format
It looks to me like someone has done a very quick copy-and-paste job on a genuine document and substituted his own name.
Nope, not one word of that appears on a genuine land registry title.
Stra ta being a phrase every solicitor learns day one of the LPC...
Total fake. You can check basic land registry details online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry - a small admin fee gets you detailed records for the same, well worth it if you're about to commit £1000+ deposits. Also, never ever pay a deposit in advance of a viewing - 100% sign of a scam.
I think it’s about £3! So nothing extortionate, and this is a total fake, I agree!
Unfortunately it’s gone up to £7 nowadays. Quite a hike up, but still worth it if you’re wanting to double check.
Oh has it?! I used to have to use this for work all the time but that was last year and the year before and it wasn’t charged to myself so I didn’t pay that much attention so didn’t notice the change! Thank you for confirming ☺️
I would spend the money. It’s already obviously a fraud
Oh me too! I'd be curious to see what it comes back with lol
£7 to save £thousands though. Seems fair to me
Let me guess, the price is also really good? This seems like one of the standard scams, they ask for a deposit upfront before the viewing. Run, once you send the deposit you are never getting that back or the flat.
Yep doesn’t seem weird whatsoever 😂
Firstly. A deposit? To view the property? That... isn't normal. (Is it?)
And the document.. doesn't quite look right to me, but I am just a home owner. Not a legal person.
Edit. Im not entirely sure how your post ended up on my feed as I've not been a landlord in over a decade, and im not in this subreddit, so best waiting for an actual landlord to reply.
Report them for scammers, if ppl report them cos scamming practices things would be much better
Walk away and report them to the local council, police and Land Registry. Along with HMRC.
As that is frankly totally imaginary bollocks.
The document is a fraud - Canadian or US i think
They didn’t even try to make that document look convincing
I'd at least get the bank account details they want it paid into, before reporting this scam to the council.
Great idea
Brilliant idea, i would certainly do this
Fake Scam Scam scam
As a solicitor that does not look like any land registry doc I’ve ever seen… you can pay £7 to get a copy of the land reg document yourself but don’t pay a deposit as per all the other advice here
As the others have said: scam.
"RECORDOFCERTIFICATEOFTITLE" tells you basically everything you need to know.
100% scam, walk away.
doesnt look right doesn’t sound right it’s not right
it looks like its been run through an online pdf convertor
That may explain ‘polio’ in place of (presumably) ‘folio’
Nah, this is a scam, no landlord asks for a deposit before a viewing and signing contracts.
This person probably isn't even in the uk, looks like he used some foreign template document.
a sample from the land registry dated 2019
now granted theirs is dated 2010, but if they're legit maybe they should generate a fresh one that isnt riddled with formating errors
Earlier ones don't look much different iirc
Solicitor here, well retired, but nonetheless practiced for some decades.
This is not a title deed I’ve ever come across and if I asked for proof of ownership I would expect the HMLR title deed which this is not!
I agree with others that this seems like a scam. You can jump of HMLR website and down the actual title deed for £7 to find the actual owner. Undoubtedly they’ll be interested in this!
Run away as fast as you can
is this what chatpgt can generate?
btw your landlord doesn't have to agree on your request. and on the other side, trusting whatever your landlord sends you is also dumb, guess how easy is it to forge?
[ Removed by Reddit ]
You don’t pay a deposit to view anything. Your response is f**k off you scamming Count.
These are not OCEs. Alternatively, they can give you a title number and you can obtain OCEs on line from Land Registry.
Total scummy landlord at best or classic scam at worst
I mean this in the nicest way but a basic Google should tell you do not pay a deposit before viewing .
Even after viewing you should be mindful . Few people have been scammed by Facebook adverts renting out a airbnb sort of thing,
If you are new to renting you should probably stick with the high street agents or the likes of open rent where landlords generally have to prove ownership and you have a platform to go back to should things be wrong . Dave down the pub who will rent you a place cheap is not to be trusted .
And the old age if it looks to good to be true ... it probably is .
Apart from being dated 2010, there are half dozen grammatical errors from the “title” to the end of the first paragraph. And this is supposed to be an official govt document? I stopped reading at that point, sketchy AF and defo doesn’t seem legit.
Besides it being an obvious scam, I'm curious.. how did you find the property and who did you contact for the viewing?
I did find a reference to a flat for rent at that address, but it's let through an agency.
I found this on https://www.vivastreet.co.uk/rent/acton-west-london/fully-furnished-one-bedroom-flat-in-london/337750286 where did you find the reference ?
Vivastreet is a classified ads site that anyone can advertise on.
It provides adverts for anything from room rentals to escort services and intimate massages.
The (obviously fake) document they provided doesn't provide proof of ownership, it mentions a property at 33 York Street in central London.
I probably misunderstood from your post that the property you were looking at was at that address, instead of in Acton.
There is a studio flat available for rent at 33 York Street, which is in one of the most expensive parts of central London. The rent is £475 a week + fees.
Here's that listing:
https://search.savills.com/property-detail/gbmoreecl250057l
Anyway, asking for a deposit before viewing, and sending you a fake document after requesting proof of ownership is a huge red flag
Wow the address given to me was literally identical to that link this is hilarious. I’m gonna ask for account details anyways then report the account give to me.
The two pieces of legislation referred to in this are Australian.
I’d pass that to the Police
This is a well-known scam.
Walk away.
Now.
You can’t honestly believe that document is real?
But anyway - asking for a deposit for a viewing - 110% always a scam. Avoid. Very very common one too.
This is a scam. I did not read beyond the first line. You shouldn't be giving money to any "landlord" before viewing a property.
Nigerian scammer.
You’re about to be scammed. Amazing people fall for this shit
i look at Land registry documents on a daily basis. This is fake and formatted wrong.
Fraudulent doc
STRATTITL ES ACT1985
I don't think even ChatGPT could mees up this bad
This is so obviously fake
End your dealings with this person now.
Everything everybody has said about this being a scam is true.
I am not sure what that photoshoped document is but it is not a UK Land Registry document. You can log into GOV.UK and, for a couple of quid, buy a copy of the Land Registry entry for any property on the digital register.
NOO don’t do it. No way would they ask for a deposit before even viewing!
Deposits before viewings are scams.. never reply if they say this.
Run!
LIMITATIONS,INTEREST,ENCUMBRANCESANDNOTIFICATIONS:
This is not a Land Registry Document, I’m a landlord and would never ask for a deposit for viewing.
My friend sent his deposit to secure a viewing once. He never got to view. See it as a charitable donation aka scam
The Transfer of Land Act 1893 is Australian
Not many 'thank yous' from the OP for all the sound and free advice he has been given.
Also note that deposits should be paid to a safe government managed deposit protection scheme
READ THIS - it may be boring but read it anyway
I can honestly never imagine a scenario where I would entertain, even for a second, paying a deposit to view a listed property. Absolutely absurd.
Wtf is this? No wonder you’re concerned. I’ve got land registry for my home and it’s nothing like this document. I don’t even know what this is for? I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve had properties for years.
Only rent through estate agents. You’re protected contractually and everything is done above board. Stay far away from this ‘landlord.’
It’s easy to purchase land registry certificates online so do not use that as a form of proof. Eventually scammers will start to use that.
I work in a profession that uses titles for possession of properties, never seen one formatted in this fashion. I’d personally report to the governing body (assuming one exists). Stay clear, never rented but I know people who have and they have never paid a deposit to view. I’ve messaged a few to double check. Seems like a scam. STAY CLEAR!
I bet they just asked gpt to make a title lol
Play along. Get their bank details, then report to Actionfraud. https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/reporting-fraud-and-cyber-crime
That is most certainly not an official Land Registry document
The two statutes mentioned at the top appear to be Australian!
This is a clumsy shitty forgery
Fake 100%
Do not send money. I am a landlord and this isn't normal practice.
Not a land registry document. Walk away - quick!
AI generated land reg document. Also massive red flag to ask for a deposit before viewing
Don’t walk away, RUN.
That was created on a computer in Lagos
You only pay a deposit once you agree to a tenancy, not when you view. Tell.them.to.bog off
“Asked for a deposit” this was the point it became a scam, rest of the post and image isn’t needed
That looks nothing like a genuine land registry certificate.
Also always view the property before paying the deposit.
I see Land Registry documents at least once a month. Wtf is this shit?
As crappy as UK government computer systems can be at times, they never look as bad as this! Also, no landlord should ever be asking for a deposit simply to view. How did you find this property? You need to report this to whichever agent/system you used to find it. This is clearly a scam.
Document looks very suspicious. I am an owner, never seen anything like this. Yes they used some Times New Roman, does not make it legit.
Legal documents tend to have spaces between words.
It's been autogenerated by a programme and is in no way legit. Also legit landlords tend to want to let their properties as soon as possible and don't ask for a deposit to see them.