Rental scam, help needed!
I recently moved to Tacoma with some friends, and during our initial house/apartment hunt, we found a really promising spot via FB marketplace. We toured and met with the (supposed) owners who were living there and they told us they’d just purchased another home and wanted this one to become a rental.
We liked the place and they seemed normal, so we applied on the spot. Our application fees were processed through a business LLC for their car detailing business, which we thought was odd but not super consequential.
A few days after, they reached out and let us know there was another party interested, so they’d be leasing to whoever provided a deposit soonest (in retrospect this should have been a huge red flag but we were staying with friends and kind of desperate).
We sent the $1,000 deposit ~ May 25th, and were given a move in date of 6/5. We didn’t hear another word from them until 6/7, when they emailed from the same business LLC’s email address to inform us they wouldn’t be able to lease to us after all, but they also couldn’t return our deposit until 6/29 due to “unforeseen banking circumstances “. I told them this was unacceptable, but I didn’t have a ton of choice except to wait it out.
I followed up last week and they moved the goal post again to 6/30, and now 7/1, I still have not received my deposit back and they are no longer replying. I called the non-emergency police line today and was informed this is more of a civil issue because we voluntarily handed over the money and they failed to uphold their end of the agreement.
I have proof of all events in both text message and email threads, as well as a deposit receipt.
The ask:
Can anyone recommend a good civil attorney in the area with knowledge of these kinds of cases? Anyone with a similar experience able to shed some light on steps I can take? I’ve never been in this situation and it’s super frustrating. Would it be worth my time to connect with the BBB and go after the detailing business vs the individuals? I have a first and last name, plus social media profiles for the person who took the money.
I like Tacoma a lot, and we’ve since found another place to live, but the initial loss of $1,000 made things a lot more difficult and left a sour taste in my mouth. I’d like to get our money back, and potentially some damages for time wasted and theft. TIA!!