HotPads Daily :: The Official Blog of HotPads.com

Scams, Spam and Illegitimate Listings

At HotPads, we're constantly working on ways to ensure that we provide up-to-date, quality real estate listings to you, our users.  It's an endless struggle, but our largest and sharpest weapon against spammers, scammers and illegitimate listings is our community of educated users. 

Humans can easily detect spam.  For example, when you're browsing listings and the contact information reads "Sleazy Stan's Spamming Systems", you know to ignore the offending listing and move on.  One thing you may not know, but will help keep your browsing experience at HotPads as pleasurable and effective as possible, is that you can report these listings.  Each bad listing you report helps us learn the patterns and similarities between bad listings, and improves our ability to automatically keep them out of our system.

You can report spam, scam or incorrect listings on HotPads by clicking "report this listing" on the offending listing page.

Scams are more difficult to detect, but knowing how to detect a scam saves you money and embarrassment. To this end, Dan Daugherty recently launched a blog called rentalscams.org to document the latest scams perpetrated by both tenants and landlords.  Most of the scams we uncover at HotPads come in the form of fake listings, which we explain more in a short guest post on Dan's blog.

While not technically scams, unlicensed landlords (in areas where licenses are required) can cause renters just as much grief.  Properties offered by unlicensed landlords likely haven't been inspected to ensure compliance with safety regulations, so they may be unsafe to inhabit.  In the District of Columbia the Department of Consumer and Regulatory affairs is running a campaign called thisshouldbeillegal to educate college students about the district's landlord licensing requirement.

Help us combat scams, spam and illegitimate listings by remaining vigilant and keeping yourself informed.

HotPads Teams With HUD For Emergency Disaster Relief

HotPads is proud to announce our partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development in providing a helpful resource for victims of natural disasters.

HUD's National Housing Locator System (NHL) will function as a tool for displaced citizens to find both temporary and permanent rental houses. We have agreed to provide our listings to HUD's NHL so that, in the event of an emergency, evacuees and victims of natural disasters will quickly and easily be able to find a safe place to call home.

The impetus for this project was Hurricane Katrina and the service will first be used to help the victims of the recent Hurricanes, especially Hurricane Ike. However, the National Housing Locator service will be used to assist victims of all natural emergencies, both those declared by the President, as well as local disasters.

We sincerely hope that victims of disasters will be able to find housing more easily with this new service and are proud to help our fellow citizens in their time of need.

For more information on this initiative, please visit the National Housing Locator.

Mud, Blood, and Snakes?

A few of us here at HotPads have signed up to run the Army Ten-Miler in a few weeks. It is a fundraiser for Soldiers and their Families here in DC.  We have had a pretty good showings at other events including accidentally winning a walkathon last October because we thought it was a race.

So, I have started to get back into running shape in order to not embarrass myself.  As of last night, my training is on an indefinite hold after three consecutive days of escalating trauma to self. 

Here is my brief tale of woe:

1)  This past Saturday I decided to go for a run during Hurricane Hanna, so I guess I was asking for trouble.  But no, I was not washed away with a flash flood or hit with large debris, it was a fairly tame storm other than lots of rain.  I was running on Georgetown's campus when I a group of wet and muddy students spotted me.  They all turned on me pointing and chanting "Do It" "Do It"... I had no idea what was going on and then I saw the slip and slide, with flashes of Freshman year stunts flashing in my brain...and facing that kind of pressure, I guess I had no other choice than to hit that slip and slide as fast as a could travelling 20 feet past the end of the slide on the flooded quad, knocking the wind out of my lungs, swallowing rain and mud, and of course getting up and giving a victorious fist pump to the throng before heading on my way.

2) HotPads' office is in the heart of Georgetown right on the C&O Canal.  You can go out our door and run for 180 miles without hitting a road but it is also half a block from the corner of M and Wisconsin which is the epicenter of all the shops and restaurants.  On Sunday, I went on a 12.5 mile run... its been a while since I have gone this type of distance and forgot some of the affects it can have on the body, particulary soft tissue.  3/4 of the way through I knew I was doomed... my nipples had been rubbed raw by my swish swashing shirt, and had begun to bleed.  It was not long before I looked like the victim of a gangland style hit...perfectly symmetrical though.  Its not bad when you are running.  I passed people fast enough they could not figure out what happened.  But after the run, as I walked amongst the Sunday shoppers, diners, and tourists... I saw face after face of disgust, bewilderment, anxiousness, and distress.

3)  On Monday evening after work I set off for a 4 miler on the Canal again. I was decidedly not going to experience what I had on Sunday, so I ran with my shirt off.  Astonishingly I saw many of the same facial expressions due to this decision.  As I ran it became pretty dark and I could not see the path all that well.  All of a sudden a snake jumped and wrapped itself around my right leg and I had to kick it off.  I must have stepped on its tail causing this reaction...but, from my perspective I was attacked!  To actually feel the slithery scales on my skin was too much.  I may have screamed...  (I did).  Finishing out my run I jumped at the sight of every shady, rock, and twig.  I will never be the same person again. 

Hope this was not too long, I just had to get this off my chest.   

How to Host a Proper Party

After a great Labor Day weekend ending what was hopefully a stellar summer for everyone, and with BBQ season quickly coming to a close for many of us, we will soon be forced to move inside for the cold, snowy months (let's not get ahead of ourselves, we still have another month or so of outdoor shenanigans!) I thought we could all use a little refresher course on how to properly entertain while you are living in a community and how to throw a party without annoying the neighbors.

When you decide you want to throw a party you have to decide what kind of party you are going to have. Generally your set-up will determine what kind of party it is, but there is always a chance that things could get out of hand (it is a party after all). If you decide you want a quite calm affair, then wine and cheese might be your best bet. Your landlord and neighbors would prefer this option.

If you decide to go with another option like beer and chips while watching the Skins game, then you should be prepared to deal with a rowdier crowd. Here are some rules to remember no matter what kind of party you decide to have:

• Ask your roommates. If you live with other people, at least ask them if they would mind if you had some people over.  Chances are, if they are your roommate, they will be down, but you need to make sure that the parents aren't in town/they aren't taking the LSATs the next day/they aren't hosting their monthly book club that night/etc

• Tell your neighbors you are going to be having people over and give them your number to call you if things get loud. If you don't they will usually call the cops instead. Heck, might as well take the opportunity to invite them over and get to know them while you are over there!

• Only invite your friends or the friends of friends you trust. Random people are usually less accountable for their actions and are not as careful with your things.

• Make sure there are enough refreshments for your party. Whether you are having diet coke or whiskey on the rocks, the party usually ends when the house runs out of drinks.

• Collect keys. If people are going to drink make sure they don't drive. Either tell them to cab over or have designated drivers.  If you live in the city, this is usually not a problem.  If you don't, tell them to draw straws for DD status anyway or have some pillows and blankets on standby.

• Put away your most valuable/breakable/important things. Even though theses are your friends, it is always better to be safe then sorry.


• Check the volume level. If you are playing music, check the volume level. If your friends are yelling (even if you are merely playing Taboo), check the volume level. Go outside and see if you can hear the party from outside. If you can, then you need to turn it down


• Clear out some space so that people can congregate and not run into your things... thus breaking them.  The more open the floor space, the more communal socializing will take place.

Remember to be respectful of your neighbors. If you are constantly annoying them, they will be much more likely to call the authorities rather than you if things get too loud for them. Also remember that if your neighbors complain enough, you can be held in violation of your lease and have some unnecessary problems with the landlord!