renting a house (credit, lawyer, rental)

[shadow91]

I have a question for you good people. When attempting to rent a house for my son and I, the prospective landlord strung me along, having me meet him at his house, he told me how much the rent was, the deposits were. I went to his home with all the money to be told that I had to have a credit check done--no problem!!! Two days later he shows up at my door with his wife and child wanting to come into my home to see, I guess how I lived. He asked why I didn't have furniture in one room. I was appaulled by his behavior to come to my house unannounced. Anyway, he didn't rent to me and I was just wondering if anyone has ever been through this with a prospective landlord and is that common behavior in AZ? If anyone wants to know his name, PM me.

[sablebaby]

The problem with so many rentals out here is that there are many landlords who shouldn't be landlords. They end up not knowing the laws that are a must to understand! Do you have a copy of the Landlord Tenat Act? If not, GET A COPY! Know your rights and tell them when they are in the wrong! But, yes you will find a lot of unethical, or ignorant landlords out here. Best bet would to find a property that is professionally managed.

[foma]

Man, all I gotta say is what a jerk!

Then again, maybe the guy has been burned before. Still doesn't justify his actions though. He should get a lawyer or go through a management company if he's going to be that abrasive!

Sorry to hear about that. I am renting right now through a management company. You can send me a message if you are interested. Good Luck

[diggitydot]

Holy crap. :O Yikes. What a freak show. Good thing you found out BEFORE moving in to this guy's house. Imagine what you'd have endured actually living there.

No, my experiences haven''t been like this and we've rented for the 3 years we've been here. Might be worth it to avoid private party landlords and stick to properties with management companies in charge. They'll should at least have a freakin' clue what a landlord/tenant law entails.

Again, yikes!

[sheena]

Originally Posted by shadow91

I have a question for you good people. When attempting to rent a house for my son and I, the prospective landlord strung me along, having me meet him at his house, he told me how much the rent was, the deposits were. I went to his home with all the money to be told that I had to have a credit check done--no problem!!! Two days later he shows up at my door with his wife and child wanting to come into my home to see, I guess how I lived. He asked why I didn't have furniture in one room. I was appaulled by his behavior to come to my house unannounced. Anyway, he didn't rent to me and I was just wondering if anyone has ever been through this with a prospective landlord and is that common behavior in AZ? If anyone wants to know his name, PM me.

That wasn't common practice when I was renting in Az.

[AZ_singlemother]

Is there a way you can send a complaint? I would hate to see this guy get away with it. This is completely wrong!

[shadow91]

Who would you complain to? Yes, I am very thankful I didn't rent from him. And yes, I can understand this is HIS HOME I would be renting. But to come here unannounced, walk into my home to "see what my home looks like?" Unbelivable. I tell everyone I meet here what he has done. Can that be slander? I don't want to get into trouble.

[Cyanna]

Originally Posted by shadow91

Who would you complain to? Yes, I am very thankful I didn't rent from him. And yes, I can understand this is HIS HOME I would be renting. But to come here unannounced, walk into my home to "see what my home looks like?" Unbelivable. I tell everyone I meet here what he has done. Can that be slander? I don't want to get into trouble.

I doubt you have anything to worry about as long as your claims are truthful and you have witnesses to back you up...

Slander is defined as the act of making false and injurious statements that do injury to a person's reputation. Both slander and libel are forms of defamation. Slander is defamation that is spoken, while libel is defamation that is written. Slander can include any false statement which does injury to a person's business or personal reputation and can relate to the person's character, morals, ability, business practices, or financial status. The victim of slander has the legal right file a civil lawsuit against the person who committed the slander to seek compensation for their damages.

United States slander laws are less plaintiff friendly than the laws of other democratic countries. This is in large part due to the protections offered to US citizens by the first amendment of our constitution. The first amendment guarantees free speech rights to all citizens, and therefore restricts the legal options available to those who are aggrieved by this speech. Both federal and state laws do, however, provide protections to those who are the victims of slander.

State laws regarding slander can vary considerably. Some lump both slander and libel into the same category of offenses, some laws are outdated and rarely prosecuted, and other laws are more specific and comprehensive. In most states the defendant in a slander case will only be charged with a single claim for the primary slander offenses, rather than a claim for each instance of slander. Slander statistics show that approximately seventy five percent of all civil cases involving slander are handled in state courts and twenty five percent in federal courts.

In most slander legal cases the defendant is a mass media entity such as a news organization. Newspapers are the most common defendant in defamation cases, and they are involved in defamation cases twice as often as TV stations. Because slander is spoken, however, newspapers are not typically the defendant in these cases. Other defendants in a slander case can be political or social figures or groups.

By definition, slander is the act of publicizing false statements that cause injury to the reputation of one person. Therefore, the plaintiff in a slander case must be a single individual. The most common plaintiffs in a slander case are business professionals, entertainers, and other public figures. Most states do not allow a slander lawsuit to be filed on behalf of a person who is deceased.

The defendant is a slander case has many potential points in his favor. A slander case may be dismissed if the injurious statements were stated as opinion rather than fact; if they are deemed "fair comments and criticisms"; if they do not actually do injury to the plaintiff's reputation; or if the statements were true. The plaintiff in a slander case must also prove that the defendant acted negligently or with malice in order to win a case.

http://www.criminal-law-lawyer-sourc...s/slander.html

[shadow91]

Thanks, I just meant that I want to tell everyone that this jerk came to my home with his wife and kid unannounced. At the moment he made me feel like trash--however on a more positive note, his house is STILL FOR RENT.

[Cyanna]

Originally Posted by shadow91

Thanks, I just meant that I want to tell everyone that this jerk came to my home with his wife and kid unannounced. At the moment he made me feel like trash--however on a more positive note, his house is STILL FOR RENT.

I don't see any problem with that. You are merely stating the fact that he behaved in a rude and offensive manner. It could be considered that your are making a "public service" announcement by forewarning others of his invasive and inappropriate actions. Potential renters have the right to know so that they can make an informed choice about renting from this landlord.