DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — A Douglasville mother of three says she thought she had found a home for her family. Instead, she says she lost nearly $3,000 to a man who allegedly posed as the owner of the rental property.
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LaKenya Gardner said she found the Douglasville home on Apartments.com and was contacted by a man who identified himself as Irvin Schooler.
Gardner said Schooler provided her with a lease, and she began making payments for the property.
“He gave me a lease to sign, and that’s when I started paying him,” Gardner said.
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Gardner said she paid nearly $3,000 for the security deposit and first month’s rent. She said Schooler stopped responding after receiving the money.
“I haven’t heard from him,” Gardner said.
Gardner said she then contacted the previous tenant, who told her she had never heard of Schooler.
Gardner said she also learned the home was owned by Invitation Homes, not Schooler.
“Invitation Homes said they never heard from the person,” Gardner said.
Gardner said she has filed a police report and is now living in a hotel with her children while she tries to determine what to do next.
“I can’t afford to be losing money like this. I work too hard for me and my kids,” Gardner said.
A GoFundMe has been established to help the family.
A CoStar Group spokesperson, which operates Apartments.com, said the company is reviewing the allegations.
“We take allegations of rental fraud seriously and are reviewing this matter,” the spokesperson said.
The listing for 5996 Zane Court was provided to Apartments.com through a direct feed from Invitation Homes, an established corporate property owner and Apartments.com customer, according to the spokesperson.
The listing was removed from Apartments.com on July 21.
The company said its records show no rental application associated with the property was submitted through Apartments.com and that no payment was facilitated through its platform.
“Apartments.com uses a combination of automated technology and human review to identify suspicious activity, investigates listings reported by users and removes listings when appropriate,” the spokesperson said.
The company also said it works with property managers and other listing providers and supports law enforcement investigations involving alleged rental fraud.
Apartments.com encourages renters to verify the identity of anyone offering a property, tour the property before making a payment and be cautious about requests to send money through wire transfers, payment apps, cryptocurrency or other difficult-to-recover methods.
Gardner said she wants others to be careful before handing over money for a home that may not be what it appears to be.
“It is insane because they shouldn’t be letting people get away with stuff like that,” Gardner said.
Channel 2 reached out to Schooler using several phone numbers. None were functional.
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