topic Re: Questions about renting an apartment in General Credit Topics

Questions about renting an apartment Update 2/17

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:35:23 GMT

I hope this is the correct place to post this. My question is a bit detailed, so please bear with me.

In two weeks I'm relocating from Ohio to Los Angeles and am trying to sublease an apartment in the Hollywood area. The lady whose lease I'd be taking over is leaving March 1st and her lease ends June 30th.

My credit score is not good (About 15 months ago it was at 435 and has since gone up to 578 as of today because I've been paying stuff off with PFD letters) but I also have no evictions or reposessions on my report. I actually have two apartment complexes listed on my report as creditors that I have an excellent history with.In any case, if my rental application were to be denied, my aunt (who has excellent credit) said she would co-sign for me.

My issue is, this landlord seems to be kind of a jerk, and has been very short/rude with me on the phone (He doesn't like the fact that I'm wanting to initiate the renting process i.e. application from my current location even though my cousin in L.A. is scouting the apts for me and paying my application fees in cash; long story)

Anyway, my concern is, if this guy denies my application due to my credit, is there any law or statute that says that I have a right to have a co-signer apply with me before I am finally denied? Also, what do you think are my chances of being approved for this sublease considering my history and the amount of time that's even left on the lease?

Message Edited by MysteriousSkin on 02-17-2010 07:35 AM

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Jazzzy — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:13:59 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I hope this is the correct place to post this. My question is a bit detailed, so please bear with me.

In two weeks I'm relocating from Ohio to Los Angeles and am trying to sublease an apartment in the Hollywood area. The lady whose lease I'd be taking over is leaving March 1st and her lease ends June 30th.

My credit score is not good (About 15 months ago it was at 435 and has since gone up to 578 as of today because I've been paying stuff off with PFD letters) but I also have no evictions or reposessions on my report. I actually have two apartment complexes listed on my report as creditors that I have an excellent history with.In any case, if my rental application were to be denied, my aunt (who has excellent credit) said she would co-sign for me.

My issue is, this landlord seems to be kind of a jerk, and has been very short/rude with me on the phone (He doesn't like the fact that I'm wanting to initiate the renting process i.e. application from my current location even though my cousin in L.A. is scouting the apts for me and paying my application fees in cash; long story)

Anyway, my concern is, if this guy denies my application due to my credit, is there any law or statute that says that I have a right to have a co-signer apply with me before I am finally denied? Also, what do you think are my chances of being approved for this sublease considering my history and the amount of time that's even left on the lease?

For this, you would have to find out what California law says on the subject. As a landlord in another state, I don't have to rent to anyone I don't want to, as long as I am not denying that person for any reason that is coverd by fair housing laws. I would be surprised if you have "a right" to live in someone else's property.

I don't know what to tell you about your chances. Are you wanting to move into one of the rent-controlled apartments in West Hollywood? Is that why the landlord could be cranky?

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:25:53 GMT

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?

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:27:52 GMT

I guess what I'm trying to ask are, how common is it for a landlord to deny a renter even if they have someone with excellent credit to co-sign for them?

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Jazzzy — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:14:33 GMT

@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.

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:34:59 GMT

Credit is a big issue today when it comes to renting/leasing anything. Some require a certain score, some require there be no collections, paid or not, on your CR. Most of the time as long as there are no evictions or you owing money to a past landlord for any reason on your CR, they are willing to work with you. But, you need to be honest with them up front. Don't wait for them to run your credit and find you have a low score.

I have a low score (578) and I have never had a problem. I have always applied in person (I know you can't) and told them everything. I am an honest person and make enough money but I have had problems in the past and a few now. I tell them exactly what is on my CR so there will be no surprises and meet face to face.

Rent in the area you are going to is high. I would be cautious if I was a landlord also.

It might be a good idea to go through a rental agency to find a place.

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:59:59 GMT

I definitely understand where you're coming from with that, which is why I would be completely willing to sign that kind of clause in the lease.

As far as speaking to him, I have. The woman I want to sublease from explained to him my situation with moving before he spoke to me. When I called him and confirmed this, he immediately went into his whole speech about why he doesn't do that. When I tried to explain in detail my situation and why i was hoping he'd negotiate with me, he kept cutting me off and saying the same thing over and over. He's one of those people (it seems) who thinks they know what you will say before you finish so they don't need to hear it, and just talk over you. It took me three attempts to get him to let me finish what I was saying before he finally said, "Okay, just send your cousin to look at the apartment and I'll give him the rental application." then when my cousin showed up, he ot subjected to his "she wants to rent an apartment and she doesnt even live here" speech.

As frustrating as he was, I made sure to keep my cool, speak calmly and slowly and address him by Mr. so and so, and I thanked him for letting me get the application early and told him how much I appreciated it. I figure if I just remain professional and non-emotional when speaking with him, maybe he'll consider that despite how rude he was being towards me.

I guess I'll just have to wait until he gets my application and responds to decide where to go from there. It's been about 6 days since I spoke to him. Since I'm about to fax in the application this morning, would you suggest I call him and say "I'm faxing my app right now....." and then go into my credit stuff? I feel like that would be weird to do that because it might throw up red flags and he'll think, "Oh boy, she's already making excuses for her bad credit." you know what I mean? However, I did tell him in our phone conversation that I could well afford the place and that I did have a co-signer if it would be necessary. Should I just re-iterate that to him, rather than bring up my credit history?

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Jazzzy — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:30:31 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

I guess I'll just have to wait until he gets my application and responds to decide where to go from there. It's been about 6 days since I spoke to him. Since I'm about to fax in the application this morning, would you suggest I call him and say "I'm faxing my app right now....." and then go into my credit stuff? I feel like that would be weird to do that because it might throw up red flags and he'll think, "Oh boy, she's already making excuses for her bad credit." you know what I mean? However, I did tell him in our phone conversation that I could well afford the place and that I did have a co-signer if it would be necessary. Should I just re-iterate that to him, rather than bring up my credit history?

Wow...I don't know about calling him on a Sunday. I don't know his situation. This is business, and you may want to wait until Monday during business hours to talk with him. Even for those who work from home, they still like to have some time off. Remember, this is a place to live for you...it is work for him. He may contact you today, but I wouldn't call him on a Sunday. (OK...this may not bother everyone, but my husband is a real estate appraiser who works from home...and you wouldn't believe how many people feel free to call him at nine at night or seven in the morning, or on a holiday or weekend. If he doesn't contact you today, I'd wait until tomorrow to call him.)

It's tough to advise about how upfront to be with your credit difficulties when you know the landlord is already negative about your situation. I believe in this situation I would call him tomorrow morning during business hours (his time zone) and tell him that you appreciate the opportunity he gave you to fax your application to him for his consideration. Tell him you will gladly answer any questions he might have. Then, also remind him that you can provide a co-signer if necessary.

Follow your instincts to be professional and nice.

Keep us posted on how this all works out.

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:03:31 GMT

Thank you for reminding me that today is Sunday. LOL

But yeah, I'll just go with that and see whats up. Thanks for the advice. I will let you know what he says.

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

msmsm — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 06:50:23 GMT

I live in small gray sedan down by the river. I'm not a landlord or a renter so I can't provide good information.

I can say Lynette is offering excellent advice though. I'm impressed.

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Jazzzy — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:35:33 GMT

@msmsm wrote:
I live in small gray sedan down by the river. I'm not a landlord or a renter so I can't provide good information.

I can say Lynette is offering excellent advice though. I'm impressed.

Hey...you sound like renters I've had who can't pay their rent because they had to "fix the car." You're not one of my former renters, are you?

I was always tempted to ask the tenant if they'd rather go live in their car than under the roof I was providing (for free) over their heads??? I never did ask, though. I was too nice.

I never did make anyone go live in their car. I have likely provided more free/reduced rent over the years than most landlords...but that's what being a landlord in a small town can bring.

I hope your small gray sedan is keeping you warm and dry...

(Actually the renters who REALLY bugged me were the ones who weren't home when I came to collect their late rent...but the kids would tell me they weren't home because they were gone playing BINGO. Boy, a lot of my rent money went to BINGO games.)

OK...I'm done with my trip down memory lane...

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:34:49 GMT

Quick update....the landlord was being very nice. lol

So I spoke to the landlord a few days ago once I got my rental application all filled out and ready to fax it. I spoke to him and said, "Hey, I just wanted you to know that I was faxing my application to my cousin and he will be by tomorrow to drop it off with my application fee in cash. If there's anything else you need to know just give me a call. I also wanted to know if my aunt would need to fill out an application herself since she will be willing to co-sign for me if necessary."

He asked me if I didn't have any credit and I told him that I did and that I had no evictions or repos on my report, and was in great standing with the two places I'd rented from before, but my score was ind of low, so that if I needed a co-signer then my aunt would do it. He then said "Okay, we will run your credit and then you can have a co-signer and just fax a copy of the application to your aunt and have her do it." Since my aunt has excellent credit, I'm hoping that this pretty much means I'll be approved, and as long as he likes me okay when he meets me face to face then I should be okay.

So the next day (yesterday) my cousin drops my application off as was planned. the man wasn't there but his wife was there and she took my application. She then complained saying that she would take it, but that I would probably need to do another one because I didn't put my full bank account numbers. I felt uncomfortable about it so I spoke to my bank and they instructed me not to put the full acct numbers but to put X's and then the last 4 digits of my number. They told me that the landlords or company would not be allowed access to any information other than for the bank to tell them that my accounts were in good standing, so to protect me from my account being conpmromised, that I should do that.

I told my cousin to tell her that and then she started complaining about how my application was not the original copy. (Because I had faxed it, which I told her husband I was going to do.) My cousin told her, "I know, it's because she's in Ohio and she had to fax it to me, which she confirmed with your husband."

So that was it, and now I'm gonna call back tonight and speak with the landlord again to see what the deal is. I mean, are these people having comprehension issues or something? We already went over the fact that I would be faxing the application to them because I wouldn't be there until March 2nd. I'm kinda nervous to call now because when I spoke to him a few days ago, everything seemed fine and the lady I'm subleasing from is all packed and ready to move. Now with the bank account numbers crap, I'm wondering if they're pissed at me again.

But like I said, I was instructed by my bank to do that as well as my cousin who is a paralegal. She told me that she just finished working on a case where a girl put her full bank account numbers on her rental application. Well, the girl fell on hard times and couldn't pay her rent anymore and had to break the lease. The landlord and management company somehow took her account numbers and were charging her bank account to take the money that she still owed them for the rest of her lease. (Not sure how this all happened but that was the short story I got.)

Anyway, is there anything in california law that says I have to give them my full bank account numbers or that they can deny me for not doing so?

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

DI — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:03:10 GMT

If I were you, I would only talk to the husband from now on. It seems the wife and husband are not communicating all information, not organized and not documenting anything.

Message Edited by DI on 02-17-2010 01:03 PM

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:58:34 GMT

@DI wrote:
If I were you, I would only talk to the husband from now on. It's seems the wife and husband are not communicating all information, not organized and not documenting anything.

I would have concerns about renting from them at all.

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

newstart2010 — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:50:07 GMT

GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING!!!!

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:40:03 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@DI wrote:
If I were you, I would only talk to the husband from now on. It's seems the wife and husband are not communicating all information, not organized and not documenting anything.
I would have concerns about renting from them at all.

I would agree. There are too many houses and apartments out there for anyone to jump through this many hoops to rent a place to live. What they're asking is borderline ridiculous. I'd break off and look for someplace else, chiefly because there's no telling what they're going to do once you're actually in the place.

You've already said the landlord acts like a jerk. They want your bank account numbers. They are disorganized amongst themselves, and they seem to be completely unwilling to provide you with a simple means to appease their demands. My advice: Run away.

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Jazzzy — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:40:35 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

Anyway, is there anything in california law that says I have to give them my full bank account numbers or that they can deny me for not doing so?

Please remember...it's their apartment. I don't doubt that California has funky laws, but, at least where I'm at, the only reasons not valid for denial deal with Fair Housing.

They can likely not rent to you if they don't like the color of your hair.

I'm sorry you've had to go through all this. Has your cousin looked at other places for you? Does this one appeal to you because of the short timeframe?

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:56:22 GMT

@LynetteM wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:

Anyway, is there anything in california law that says I have to give them my full bank account numbers or that they can deny me for not doing so?
Please remember...it's their apartment. I don't doubt that California has funky laws, but, at least where I'm at, the only reasons not valid for denial deal with Fair Housing.

They can likely not rent to you if they don't like the color of your hair.

I'm sorry you've had to go through all this. Has your cousin looked at other places for you? Does this one appeal to you because of the short timeframe?

In WA the landlords can evict or deny a renter for what ever reasons they see fit. They can not discriminate though.

My current landlord wanted my bank account and credit card numbers. I told them no, I did not feel it was necessary for them to have them. They still rented to me.

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Anonymous — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:25:33 GMT

I agree with many of the others here - I would not rent from these landlords. I live in Southern California, and, here, it is a renter's market. There are TONS of places to rent on the market right now. I'm not sure if there is anything special about this place you're interested in - is the place super nice? A good deal for the money? If not, you might want to stay at a place like Residence Inn (like a studio apartment but owned by Marriott Hotel), or rent a month-to-month apartment (the big, property managed complexes do this). This will give you time to get to know the Los Angeles area and it's suburbs, and you can better decide where you want to live. L.A. is iffy - some areas are very nice and some are very dangerous and gang infested. Are you completely "sure" about the area where this apartment is?

I know it is more settling to have an apartment to move into when you're relocating as far as you are, but in Los Angeles, I just don't think doing it sight unseen is a good idea. If you stayed at a Residence Inn type of place, this would give you a little more time once you are here to find something you really like and a landlord who is cooperative and not strange. I've had two very good landlords, and one HORRIBLE landlord where I couldn't wait to get out of her rental house. It is SO important that you check out the landlord, just like they are checking you out. What do their other tenants think about him? I look up the court records online to see what types of lawsuits the landlord has been involved in and what the outcomes were (you have to read the minutes).

Some people don't want to go through all of that, and I understand, but for me, it's important that I'm not renting from a basket case landlord. If you write a letter of explanation for any negatives on your credit report, have a couple of positive letters of reference from previous landlords, can clearly show your income is 3x the amount of the rent (give copies of last 3 bank statement with the account number blacked out), and can put down extra security deposit funds if necessary, then you should not have any problems renting anywhere. A landlord who balks at that kind of disclosure is unrealistic and I would not rent from him (or her).

Don't forget, with the influx of people who used to own homes but now rent due to the crummy foreclosure situation in Southern California, I would think that more renters nowadays have a few dings on their credit rather than 800-scored, perfect credit ones. Landlords know this. Nearly everyone has a mistake of some sort on their credit. I wouldn't be overly apologetic over it to potential landlords, just explain it in your letter matter-of-factly. Landlords are like dogs and bears - they can sense your fear (lol) (shown in trying too hard to be excessively hoop-jumping with them). Come across professional, confident and super-transparent with your documentation and you will find more of them will rent to you than won't, even with a low credit score.

If you present yourself well, you will find a nice place very quickly once you physically relocate here. I have always found nice places to lease, usually within a few weeks of starting my search, and there have been times in my life when I haven't had a particularly high credit score at the time I was applying for the lease.

Good luck!

Re: Questions about renting an apartment

Anonymous — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:36:21 GMT

I would not give up my bank account information to anyone while looking for a place to live. Owners or not, they have no need for that kind of information.

Yes, not renting to an individual is that persons right and I too would be selective in choosing who resides in my home. Just not based on whether or not they gave me their account information.

@LynetteM wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:

Anyway, is there anything in california law that says I have to give them my full bank account numbers or that they can deny me for not doing so?
Please remember...it's their apartment. I don't doubt that California has funky laws, but, at least where I'm at, the only reasons not valid for denial deal with Fair Housing.

They can likely not rent to you if they don't like the color of your hair.

I'm sorry you've had to go through all this. Has your cousin looked at other places for you? Does this one appeal to you because of the short timeframe?

Message Edited by guiness56 on 02-23-2010 02:36 PM

topic Re: Questions about renting an apartment in General Credit Topics

Questions about renting an apartment *Update* 2/17

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Questions about renting an apartment Update 2/17