Edit: I'm so glad I asked here. After sleeping over it and seeing the replies here, I've sobered up (figuratively) and will be backing out. Really wanted this to be true as it ticks every single box I had but alas.
This is the first time I'm trying to lease a single family home from a private landlord in the Bay Area.
I found the listing initially through Craigslist, with photos and no further description for $3,450 a month. I contacted the phone number listed on Craigslist and scheduled a tour of the property at 4PM the next day. I also asked for information on utilities, and he told me utilities, other than electricity and internet, are included in the rent.
Day of the tour:
I arrived at the property about 10 minutes early and notified the landlord. I thought he was going to show up, but instead he called me after giving me a Ziprent listing of the exact property, and told me on the phone to use the "schedule appointment" feature on Ziprent to do a self tour.
This was a little odd, but I went with it anyway. What bothered me were discrepancies between the Ziprent listing and his texts:
* Rent was listed as $4,800 in Ziprent, instead of $3,450.
* Utilities were not included in Ziprent, while he claimed some are included in his texts.
* When I confronted the discrepancy in rent price, he said he intended to rent the home as a furnished unit, but nothing in the Ziprent description mentioned it was furnished.
* I asked if he could change the price in Ziprent to match what he claimed, and he said no without further explanations.
I tried to apply anyway, and he provided an "alternative" application process instead of using Ziprent. My guess is he did not want to pay the fees that Ziprent charges.
Here is what he sent through the email:
https://preview.redd.it/gb4i8vgnh4tg1.png?width=2234&format=png&auto=webp&s=be5651dd0be18c916cca99ce35d7f2ad88a8670f
I initially expected a caanet.org form but a friend who has leased with a private landlord said this was par for the course, even though it does look like the landlord is lazy. When I also asked if he can provide information to prove he is indeed the property owner, he said he's willing to show the deed after I fill the info above, and he would accept just the last 4 digits of my SSN.
My gut feeling is telling me to back out, I don't know if that's because this is the first time I'm not leasing through a management company. Does this look like a scam? Did I miss obvious rental scam red flags?