Scam prevention

Beware of Rental Scams

We do not post home listings of any kind on Craigslist

Main Street Renewal does not advertise on Craigslist. If you find a home listing on Craigslist claiming to be one of Main Street Renewals, this is an example of fraud. Approved Main Street Renewal listings can be found on msrenewal.com, Zillow, hotpads, Trulia, Zumper, Lovely Direct, Homes.com, RentPath, PadMapper, and Rently.com.

Your application fee, deposit, and rent can be paid online through the Resident Portal. We also use the RENTCafe Resident app (a Yardi system) for both Apple and Google Play. These are the ONLY payment platforms we use online.

For your safety, do not sign a lease unless provided directly by Main Street Renewal. If anyone is trying to convince you otherwise, it could be a scam. Report all scams to scamprevention@msrenewal.com.

What to watch out for

Third-party landlords

A third-party landlord will never contact you about a Main Street Renewal property. Only Main Street Renewal agents and representatives will reach out to you directly. We will never ask for your personal information, such as your Social Security number or the routing number for your bank account, during the home searching process.

However, we do require a Social Security number for background checks and applications. Only apply for a property from the Main Street Renewal website.

Main Street Renewal has property teams located in our local markets with additional support in Austin, TX. Main Street Renewal does not contract out third-party landlords. If you are contacted by a landlord who declares they are out of the country, they are a scam.

Wiring funds

Main Street Renewal will never ask you to wire funds using a payment app from your smartphone. However, Main Street Renewal does use the RENTCafe app, but our app is NOT mandatory. You have a second option to pay your rent through our Resident Portal. We also offer a third option if you’d like to pay by text. These are the only three digital payment methods we offer.

If you believe you have been in contact with a scammer, please report the incident immediately to scamprevention@msrenewal.com.

Renter's beware materials

When touring a Main Street Renewal home, be sure to look for the renters beware materials throughout the home for additional information about scams. This document may sound scary but it’s actually a preventative safety measure.