@Anonymous wrote:
Nope it's not rent controlled, and it's just in regular Hollywood.
What he told me was that he "didn't rent to people who were not in the state to fill out the application face to face so I can see who wants to live here, and I need to show you the apartment personally."
I explained to him that I'm relocating 2300 miles and that I was unable to schedule a trip out there beforehand. I also didn't want to waste money in hotel rooms, so that's why I just wanted to see if I could fax in the rental application. My cousin is actually looking at the apartments for me, and I told him I would be completely willing to sign a form saying that I waived my right to physically inspect the apartment myself in lieu of my cousin doing it for me.
He's just really hung up on the fact that I'm not there right now so he can see me face to face. But I mean, it's not like he's going to approve me and then I'm gonna move into his place without meeting him in person. lol Anyway, he finally agreed to let me do the app. and fax it in but when my cousin went to get the application, he went off on him saying "She wants to move in here but she doesn't even live here!" and my cousin said".....that's because she's relocating and she wants to have at least the prospect of getting a place before she gets here."
But yeah, the pros of getting this place for 4 months would be worth me dealing with this guy for that short amount of time just to get acclimated which is why I want it despite his behavior. I would just at least like the opportunity to present my co-signer to him in the event that I get denied on my own is all.
Sorry for the novel. LOL! Can you tell me, in your opinion, would you be willing to rent to me with my scores, taking into account my history, having a co-signer and being able to pay a higher deposit amount if needed?
I can relate to how he feels. I had a tenant take an apartment sight unseen, and of course it turned into chaos. He moved out relatively soon after getting here...sued us for his deposit...called the news media about how terrible the place was...etc. We don't tolerate BS very well, so we made him take us to court...jury trial no less. (He sued us in small claims court. We bumped it to circuit court.) He thought we would fold in face of the media coverage. The jury found in our favor. Why? Because we had the new tenants (the ones who moved in after he broke his lease) testify that the apartment was fine. We had the city rental inspector testify for us. This guy just wanted a convenient place to dig into until he could find where he REALLY wanted to live. The fun part??? The apartment was located on Elm Street. The newspaper headline (statewide paper) read "Nightmare on Elm Street." Of course, the reporter hadn't even been in the unit and believed the guy hook, line, and sinker. As per usual, the newspaper never did report 6 months on down the line about how the jury found in our favor. That doesn't make good headlines.
So...maybe that story can help you understand your potential landlord's feelings. Who knows if he has had something like this happen. Also, he has other tenants to consider. Landlords can get some sense for a tenant when they show the property to you personally. You are a totally unknown quantity to him. You won't come in and disrupt his other tenants will you? He has no idea.
A couple of years ago, we rented a home sight unseen to a family. We put a clause in the lease that they acknowledged that they chose to rent it without first seeing it, and that they relied on the opinion of their realtor. That family is still there two years later. It has worked out wonderfully.
Have you called and talked personally with this landlord? If not, I would encourage you to do so. That could give him a chance to at least get a feel for you. I would encourage you to remember that it is his property. Don't try to convince him of your rights. That could absolutely make him deny you. Get some references from your current landlord and fax to him. Can you offer him any advance rent?
Personally, I wouldn't be afraid to do this because it is for such a short period of time. You will be gone quickly if this doesn't work out. But, I live in a college town, and my tenants are quite portable. That is not necessarily the case in his building. He may be looking for a long term tenant and is wary that this is just a temporary stop over for you. Why would he do that for you? You have to be very nice and may have to give him an incentive to do this.
Sorry for the long post, but maybe this helps you see the situation from his perspective.
