The stay-home order is changing the way renters find a new home and it's becoming even harder for people to figure out what's legitimate online.
Ben Spralding with the Better Bureau tells KING 5 rental scams are pretty consistent in Western Washington, but add social distancing restrictions and scammers are in their heyday.
"What we're seeing as some of these listings are they have prices that are too good to be true. And normally, residents who would see that and understand that because their finances may be a little more vulnerable right now, they may take a, you may go forward with, a rental listing that they otherwise might not have," said Spradling.
Normally, renters would be able to meet their new landlord and see their new home in person, before signing a news lease, but that's not the case right now.
The current circumstances are causing renters to be on their guard.
"The more legitimate the operation, the lower risk of you encountering some sort of scam along the way," said Spradling.
Turns out, the pandemic isn't putting a damper on the rental market. In fact, website traffic on Zillow.com is up.
"Right now, renter traffic is about 5% above where we had forecasted to be prior to COVID," said Douglas Pope, Zillow Rentals VP of Product.
Web traffic to rentals on Zillow were rebounding in April after rental shopper visits were 26% lower than expected in March.
Companies are having to adjust to the current circumstances. Zillow just rolled out the option to take a 3D tour of a rental property, landlords can now upload their leases online and allow online rent payments.
These tools combined create one less worry for renters who want to make sure they're not dealing with a bogus listing.
With the future so uncertain, renters are becoming more specific about what they want, says Pope. Many renters are looking for places that would allow for larger work from home spaces.