Renting in Remote Towns: How to Not Get Burned

Booking crew housing in a small town can feel like walking through a minefield. Construction project managers often have to secure lodging in places with limited options, like Morehead, KY, or similar rural communities. Unfortunately, too many have learned the hard way about scams, dilapidated rentals, sudden cancellations, and sky-high prices. This article dives into real experiences, revealing how remote spots can burn unwary renters. We’ll explore why rural rentals pose unique challenges and how to overcome them, so your construction team stays safe, comfortable, and focused on the job.

Limited Options, High Costs, and Hidden Issues in Remote Towns

Remote and small-town rental markets can be deceptively tough. Fewer homes are available to rent, and local landlords know demand is high, especially if there’s a college or major project in town. In fact, one Redditor noted that in Morehead (a college town of eastern Kentucky), “housing/rent is overpriced” because landlords hike prices for lack of alternatives. Even economically depressed rural areas aren’t necessarily cheap. As another commenter observed, with “very little development in terms of housing,” small towns can end up with surprisingly expensive rents despite modest local incomes. Construction teams rolling into such towns often face a pay-more-for-less dilemma, shelling out big dollars for aging motels or sparse short-term rentals. Worse, the properties that are available might be older homes or trailers with maintenance issues lurking beneath the surface. A house that looks “clean and cozy” in online photos could turn out to have leaky plumbing, a temperamental well, or pests, problems that are more common in rural rentals lacking professional management. Without careful vetting, you might book what looks like a charming country cottage only to find a junk unit with serious upkeep issues. And when crew safety and morale are on the line, those hidden issues become major liabilities.

For project managers, the stakes are high. A poor housing choice in a remote locale can undermine the project itself. Long daily commutes from the “next closest” town, lack of internet for site reports, or substandard living conditions that exhaust workers all chip away at productivity. Unfortunately, these trade-offs often aren’t apparent until after you’ve checked in. Rural landlords might gloss over problems in listings, figuring tenants have no better options. Morehead, KY is a prime example of a small town with limited rentals, meaning crews coming for a major project could easily fill the town’s capacity. That tight supply can lead to cutthroat pricing and sometimes cutting corners on quality. The lesson? Don’t assume that a quiet country town means easy or inexpensive housing, it often means the opposite. You have to approach remote-town rentals with a healthy skepticism and a diligent eye for red flags, as we’ll discuss below.

Scams and Fake Listings Lurking Everywhere (Even in Kentucky)

Rental scams thrive in small markets, too. No town or city is safe from this activity. In fact, scammers often prey on areas with high demand and out-of-towners (like traveling construction crews) who might be desperate to book quickly. The tactics are brazen. According to a BBB study released in 2025, more than 5 million people in the U.S. have lost money to rental scams, and a stunning 43% of online rental shoppers encountered a bogus listing during their search. The most common con is simple: fraudsters copy real estate photos and descriptions from legitimate ads and repost them as their own, hoping victims will wire a deposit before anyone catches on. Even Kentucky has seen cases–police in Richmond, KY reported scammers relisting an owner’s property using a lockbox code, tricking renters into paying first month’s rent for a home that was never actually for rent. It’s a cruel scam: renters arrive with moving trucks, only to find other people living there or that the local owner has zero idea their home was “rented” out by a con artist.

Online forums this year have been rife with warnings about these ploys. One Reddit user in Washington described how they nearly fell victim: the “landlord” refused to show the house in person and pushed for everything to be done digitally, a major red flag. Another Redditor in a local Kentucky thread recounted a scenario where a supposed landlord gave them a lockbox code to tour an empty house alone; later, the scammer tried to rush them into wiring $10,000 to “secure” the lease. Thankfully, that couple smelled something off and walked away, but not before the scammer bombarded them with frantic calls trying to appear “legit”. These stories underscore how convincing the setup can be: often the fake landlord has a slick story (out-of-state owner, too busy to meet) and a deal that sounds just good enough to tempt you. They prey on the urgency of needing housing for a project. As one Facebook poster warned when she found her own house photos stolen for a fake rental ad, “It’s an absolute scam”. If anything feels even slightly off, trust your gut.

The red flags of rental scams have become well-known, and you should memorize them. The Better Business Bureau advises that if the owner claims to be out of town and can’t meet you, be very suspicious. If you see a “For Sale” sign in the yard of the supposed rental, that’s often a sign someone hijacked a real estate listing. And no legitimate landlord will ever demand payment via Western Union, gift cards, or crypto, scammers love untraceable payment methods like those. Finally, if the rent seems shockingly low for the area, be careful: that “too good to be true” deal might be bait for the unwary. The good news is that most people don’t fall for scam listings, about 85% recognize the hoax in time. But with one in three victims losing over $1,000 when they do get duped, no project manager can afford to be complacent. The takeaway is clear: whether you’re booking a house for your crew in Louisville or a farmhouse in Morehead, approach every listing with due diligence. Verify ownership, don’t send money outside official channels, and remember that in the internet age, seeing isn’t always believing.

How to Vet Landlords and Avoid Unsafe or Misleading Housing

Given these risks, how can construction teams safely rent in remote areas without getting burned? The key is vigilant vetting and smart booking strategies. First and foremost, verify everything. If possible, always view the property in person or via a live video tour before committing, especially in rural towns where you can’t easily drive by yourself. Legitimate landlords will accommodate a video walkthrough or have a local agent meet you; scammers and slumlords will make excuses. Never rely solely on polished listing photos. Do some detective work: check if the photos appear elsewhere online (reverse image search can reveal if they were lifted from a Zillow sale ad). One Reddit user noted you can often tell a fake listing because the pictures match a recent home sale or have a strange watermark from another rental company. Also, read between the lines of reviews. Don’t just look at star ratings, read comments for clues about cleanliness, accuracy, and responsiveness. If other construction crews or traveling workers have stayed, their feedback is gold. For example, if multiple reviews mention “the place wasn’t as clean as expected” or “communication was spotty,” take heed. And absolutely insist on a lease or written agreement for longer stays. A proper lease (even a short-term one) that both parties sign before money changes hands is critical. It should spell out cancellation policies, who to call for repairs, and what penalties exist if either side backs out. Informal arrangements and handshake deals have no place when housing a crew, you need recourse if things go wrong.

When evaluating a listing or landlord, watch for practical red flags that signal a potentially unsafe or misleading rental. If a host or owner won’t answer basic questions about the property (e.g. septic tank, well water, heating source), that’s a bad sign. If they pressure you to pay via wire transfer or Venmo before you’ve even seen a contract, walk away. Check the Better Business Bureau or local tenant forums for any mentions of the landlord or platform you’re using. Even some well-known rental platforms have issues: for instance, Furnished Finder currently holds an “F” rating from the BBB due to dozens of unresolved complaints, including reports of fake listings and slow customer support. That doesn’t mean you can’t find a decent rental there, but it means you should double-check each listing’s legitimacy and not assume the platform has done it for you. Whenever possible, get on the ground. Some companies dispatch a team member or hire a local inspector to do a quick check of a house before move-in. In fact, innovative solutions are emerging: one startup lets you send a local person to verify a rental and do a video tour for you, precisely to combat the sight-unseen scam problem. The bottom line is to approach crew housing like you would any critical project task, with a thorough plan. Have a backup housing option (or two) on standby in case your first choice falls through. Keep all communication with hosts documented (save those texts and emails). And trust your instincts; if something feels off about a listing or a landlord, do not ignore that feeling. It’s far better to lose a “great deal” than to end up with your crew in a dump or no house at all.

Renting in remote towns will never be totally risk-free, but by learning from others’ horror stories you can greatly stack the deck in your favor. We’ve seen how rural housing scams, surprise cancellations, and subpar living conditions can wreak havoc on a construction project. The good news is that with due diligence and the right approach, these pitfalls are avoidable.

Don’t let housing hiccups derail your next project. Hard Hat Housing specializes in securing vetted, crew-friendly accommodations, handling the legwork so you don’t have to. We verify landlords, ensure stable terms, and deliver comfortable housing for your team. Get in touch with Hard Hat Housing to protect your crew and keep your project on track.