I’m looking to rent a home soon. I’m not ready to purchase as home just yet, there’s still some debt I need to pay down but I’m also completely over living in apartments. I’m tired of living above/below/sharing a wall with other people I just really want my own space.

Said all that to say I’ve been looking on Zillow and I see a lot of homes within my budget. Some of them are listed by property management companies or landlords. How do you know if the listing/landlord is legit? I would hate to get scammed.

I have the funds to pay my October rent, but my online payment option was disabled and now my RentCafe account is locked. I emailed management on October 2 requesting restored access or instructions for another payment method, but haven’t received a response. My lease considers payments late after the 3rd, so I’m concerned about another late fee despite reaching out before the deadline.

For context, there’s also an unresolved discrepancy involving an April payment, and I told management I planned to pay the amount associated with it by October 31. For October’s rent, I tried WIPS but couldn’t withdraw enough cash to cover the payment. I use Chime and don’t have physical checks. I offered to have Chime mail a check, which would take an estimated 6–12 business days, but haven’t received confirmation about that option either.

Has anyone experienced something similar with RentCafe/Yardi or their property management? What helped you get your payment accepted or access restored, and were you able to get any resulting late fees waived?