Video tour for a Nashville apartment – Is this a scam?
Hi everyone,
I’m French, and my husband just got a job at Vanderbilt University starting in early September. We're currently moving to Nashville.
We just did a video tour today from France for an unfurnished apartment, but I'm getting really worried that this might be a rental scam.
Here are the red flags I noticed:
The tour: It was conducted by the owner's mother, who couldn't explain the basic rental/lease terms to us directly during the call.
She offered to connect us with the previous tenant to reassure us about neighbor noise.
The lease flexibility: The owner initially sent us a 1-year lease to sign. When we told her we couldn't commit to a full year without seeing the place in person first, she casually said it was no problem, that we could leave whenever we want, and she would just keep the security deposit in that case.
The payment method: She wants us to pay the security deposit immediately via Venmo.
No background or income check: This is the weirdest part—she just sent us the online lease agreement to sign without asking for any proof of income, job offer letter, pay stubs, or co-signer/guarantor.
Coming from France, things are never this easy or informal, and I'm really afraid we're about to get scammed.
What do you all think? Is this normal for the US/Nashville, or should we run? Thanks for your help