Many renters choose to rent from private owners instead of professionally managed complexes. There can be many benefits to renting from an individual landlord, but in today's real estate market where foreclosures are commonplace and rental scams abound it is important to do your homework before signing a lease.

First and foremost it is important to find out whether the prospective landlord actually owns the property. A number of recent rental scams in South Florida have involved people renting out properties that they do not actually own. To check this:

1. Go to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser website (www.PBCgov.com/PAPA)

Renters Beware! New scams targeting renters are another way that the foreclosure crisis is affecting Floridians.

A recent Palm Beach Post article discussed a  Wellington-based company called Saving Palm Beach Homes Inc., run by Mark Guerette, that entered into numerous rental agreements on homes that were not actually owned by the company or its founder. The homes were in foreclosure, but Guerette hoped to use a centuries-old law to take possession of the foreclosed properties in Palm Beach and Broward counties. Florida Statute Chapter 95 deals with adverse possession and allows a person who cares for and acts as the owner of a property to legally take  possession of the property after seven years. The volume of foreclosures in recent years has created confusion over who owns properties. As mortgages are transferred between lenders and companies go out of business, documentation can be lost leading to mix-ups over ownership of properties. "This is the ideal opportunity for adverse possession because titles are clouded," said Kama Monroe, senior attorney for the Florida Department of Revenue. "No one is sure who to call to say, 'get them off my land." It is, however, still not legal for a person or a company to collect rent on homes they do not own.

Craigslist is the source of another rental scam targeting Palm Beach County residents. People are posting fake ads on Craigslist advertising rentals at very low rates and using property photos from actual listings. When prospective renters contact them, they ask for either forms with personal information like bank acounts and social security numbers, or in some cases they ask for payment to be sent in exchange for keys to the property. Click to read more about the "cash for keys" scam.