Please be aware of potential scams. IPOA have been notified by landlords of the following situation. 
A response is received to an advertisement placed by a landlord.
- The potential tenant will state that he/she is a foreign national working abroad being transferred to Ireland, and needs to organise the accommodation in advance.
- A copy of passport, work and previous landlord references may be sent. (It is unlikely that the references can be checked).
- A copy of the lease will be requested for the company who will allegedly be paying the rent. It will be acknowledged and a claim made that it is being checked by the employer.
- Confirmation will be sent by tenant confirming that a “bank draft” will be sent and requesting a receipt when it is received.
- A cheque will arrive which will appear to be in order. The normal process is that the cheque will be for a substantial amount. The property owner will lodge it.
- It will take a considerable time to clear, but the monies may appear to have cleared into the account.
- The prospective tenant makes contact and notifies that their work situation has changed, and asks for a refund of some of the cheque allowing for reasonable deductions.
- The property owner refunds and sometime later the bank notifies them that the cheque bounced.
- The cheque may take a considerable time to bounce (one landlord said a couple of months) despite the fact that it may already have appeared to be cleared.
- Meanwhile the scammer has already cashed the refund.
Be very careful when renting property, please ensure that you do your due diligence on prospective tenants.