"He/she was the suggested contact on a third-party website. Geez, no, I don't remember which one. It was an apartment hunting website, and I've looked at 5-6 in the last two days. Found all of the links through Google."
-Standard suggestion of neighbor/distant relative/friend of a friend/new co-worker/friend of a new co-worker/a personal client at work/new hairdresser/some random person you just met recommending them.
-You could also look up to see if there are any online testimonials from people who say they've worked with them, pick a name, and say you know one of them.
-If the leasing company has more than one location, you could also pick a different one and say I was referred by them because the location would be closer to me/where I want to be.
-You found the name in a printed or online phonebook under 'Leasing Agents', 'Apartment Complexes', 'Renters', or something related to that.
-You found a business card lying on the ground/on a bench/ on the floor some random place within 0-15 miles. Geez, no. I don't know how it got there. I wasn't worried, though, because the card and surrounding surfaces looked clean. Funny coincidence. Can I talk to the person?
-"My cleaning lady gave it to me. No, she doesn't want me to tell you her name."
*twiddles thumbs with a guilty look*
I sometimes also look at resume or social media sites to investigate schools attended, other places worked, volunteer/awareness activities, churches or religious groups attended, charities they might support, or clubs/organizations they might be in.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2016 08:04PM by OceanGirl.