What the renters didn't know was that the 29-year-old man, whose name has not been released, had broken in to someone else's apartment and rented it out to 11 different people, national news media reported Tuesday.
Man breaks into apartment, then rents it out
Associated Press
OSLO, Norway — An enterprising Norwegian found a way to turn a tidy profit on Oslo real estate by renting out a nice apartment in a popular part of town.
Police said the man admitted to breaking into the apartment and posting photographs of it on an Internet real estate site. He then allegedly asked for a bargain 5,000 kroner, or $780, per month in rent.
Since such an apartment normally costs 35 percent more in Oslo, about 60 hopefuls flocked to the con man's showing.
Eleven people were so eager to rent the space they each paid a $2,340 deposit. A total $25,780 was transferred to the swindler's bank account.
Ingrid Christensen, of the Oslo police, told Norway's largest newspaper, Verdens Gang, that the money was found in the suspect's bank account and he would face fraud charges.
The real renter was traveling at the time of the showings and has now changed all the locks.
