Spartanburg Co. woman warning others about ‘rental scam’

SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) — A Spartanburg County woman who recently rented a home said she is left without a place to stay, and without her money.

What was supposed to be an exciting new chapter for Latori Fleming and her family, she said, has now turned into a nightmare.

“We had nowhere to go and immediately I was distraught because I have kids and I have my fiance and we were looking forward to moving into our own space and it wasn’t the best but we were willing to make it work,” said Latori Fleming, a renter. “It was so devastating.”

She said she and her family were homeless and found a house to rent that seemed too good to be true. She said during a short walk-through before getting ready to move in, the home’s  safety hazards were not obvious, but things changed once they moved into the house.

Officials said that’s not unusual.

“When you get in there you can check the lights, see if the lights are on, checking the flooring, make sure you don’t see creeks, basic general knowledge stuff you would do if you’re buying a house,” said Jamie Nelson, the Spartanburg County Environmental enforcement director.

Upon inspection, Fleming said the house was found to be uninhabitable.

Fleming said the woman she was renting from agreed to create a new contract, voiding the first one, but after reading through it, Fleming said it contained several false statements.

“It was hard because as I mentioned earlier, we’re homeless, that’s something me and my family, we’re trying to get into so we can have our own place,” said Fleming.

Officials said when dealing with landlords, it’s important to be aware of red flags.

“If they’re wanting a downpayment before you have a contract, or if you have a contract and they want you to sign it later,” said Nelson.

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