Being Asked to Pay a Deposit Before Signing a Lease
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Reviewed & verified by A. Jason Velez, Esq.*
Managing Attorney, 1LAW · Last reviewed May 17, 2026
Legal Inquiry
Consumer Legal Issue
Have a lease but they are asking me to send a deposit before signing the lease. I believe they’re a legit company but I am from out of state.
Attorney Answer
Being asked to send a deposit before you've signed a lease or seen the unit — especially as an out-of-state renter — matches a well-known rental-scam pattern, and a simple "yes" to having verified the company doesn't confirm that verification was actually meaningful.
No specific Colorado statute squarely governs pre-lease deposit fraud, so this guidance is general rather than tied to one law. The core risk is that scammers routinely pose as landlords or property managers, produce convincing-looking paperwork, and pressure remote renters into wiring money before any lease is signed or the unit is seen in person.
What you can do:
1. Independently verify the property manager or owner through county property records, rather than relying only on contact information the sender gave you.
2. Arrange for someone to view the unit in person, or insist on a live video walkthrough, before sending any money.
3. Never wire funds or pay through non-recoverable methods (cash apps, gift cards, cryptocurrency) for a deposit.
4. Get all deposit terms — amount, refundability, and conditions for return — written into the signed lease before you pay anything.
Until you've verified the property manager and the unit independently, and the lease itself is signed, treat a request for money upfront as a red flag rather than a routine step in the leasing process.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal to be asked for a deposit before signing a lease?
Generally, no; being asked to pay before signing a lease or seeing the unit matches a common rental-scam pattern, especially for out-of-state renters.
How can a renter verify a landlord or property manager is legitimate?
Generally, checking county property records independently, rather than relying only on information the sender provided, is a reliable verification step.
What payment methods should be avoided when paying a security deposit?
Generally, wiring funds or paying through non-recoverable methods like gift cards or cryptocurrency should be avoided, and deposit terms should be in the signed lease first.
