St. Pete-Clearwater Sun

As rental fraud schemes become increasingly common, the Pinellas County Property Appraiser’s Office is pointing residents to a new way to verify who actually owns a rental property before signing a lease or paying rent.

The office has added a direct link to Florida’s official Division of Corporations database, known as Sunbiz, to its online parcel search tool. The feature, available on corporate-owned properties, allows prospective renters to quickly look up the managing members of an LLC or other business entity that may be listed as a property’s owner.

To use the tool, renters can visit pcpao.gov, locate a property using the Map Search, select a parcel, and click the Sunbiz link in the pop-up window. From there, users can scroll through the corporation’s filings to see who owns the entity.

Previously, confirming ownership was straightforward when a property was held by an individual, but corporate ownership made that verification more difficult for the average renter.

Officials stressed that the online lookup is just one layer of due diligence. Renters are still strongly advised to meet landlords or property managers in person and request documentation before paying a first month’s rent, last month’s rent, or a security deposit.

Rental fraud — in which scammers pose as landlords and collect payments for properties they do not own — has increased in frequency across Florida and nationwide in recent years.

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