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I'm new here and this is my first post so please excuse any mistakes I may make!
*already made a mistake and posted this in the Boston forum instead of the renting forum by accident. Sorry for the double post! I don't know how to move a post from one forum to another*
So I'll state the problems I'm faced with upfront: My girlfriend has been living off of the lease but with me in my room in the apartment that I'm on the lease for. I'm worried that in the future if we go to a different apartment and she wants to be on the lease that it will look strange that she'll have worked here for some time but not have a "previous landlord". So I would love to try and get her on the lease I have now with my current landlord but then with regards to that I fear that he either A) won't allow her on the lease and will evict us or demand she leave due to a breach of the lease or B) Raise rent a significant amount.
My relationship with the landlord thus far: My relationship with my landlord thus far has been good I feel. Rent has been paid on time with no trouble, I am very polite and respectful via any communications I have with him and he seems to come to me for any questions that he may have around the apartment or current tenants (even though I'm the newest tenant he has). He's been very helpful and tentative with me so far and in my opinion he's been a good landlord. He seems like a good and nice guy.
Why things happened this way: My girlfriend and I have been dating for 3.5 years now and long distance since October. Originally we were both going to colleges in Boston after high school (both accepted) but her parents have a bankruptcy under their credit history currently so they couldn't cosign the needed loans for her to attend school. Her extended family was of no help either. She went home and saved money to move in with me in Boston for some time in the future.
She saved money and moved in at the end of October. Back when I was originally looking for apartments I brought up her moving in with the Realtors I Met with and most of them seemed to think it would be fine and best to just keep it quiet about the whole thing. And college students regularly sublet (technically breaching lease of course) while they go away to study abroad and such other things. My girlfriend doesn't have credit yet and she most likely doesn't have anyone that will cosign her. But she's had a stable job (and was promoted to Supervisor in the short time she's been working there) since she's moved here. She's from out of state by the way.
Sorry for the long post. I didn't know how else to describe the situation. Does anyone have any suggestions? Whether it be: A) I speak with the landlord in person about the whole thing and just be truthful, apologetic and make my case that we've been great tenants and that we love the apartment and would love to stay there and that we weren't trying to do anything wrong by him, B) just don't say anything and tackle the whole "no previous landlord" thing when it comes time in the future to move to a new apartment, C) say that she's been couch surfing at a friends place not on the lease up until now but has been working and wants to move in or D) say that she's currently a live in nanny with my Sister (she was a full time live in paid nanny to help my sister with her kids prior to moving) and then say she got a job here at her current employer and wants to move in.
Sorry again for the long post! Any opinions would be appreciated!
You're putting wayyy too much thought into this, especially if you already have a good relationship with the landlord. Just tell them "Hey, my girlfriend is moving in for more than x days (the number of days specified in your lease at which a "guest" has become a tenant). I need to put her on the lease."
They may try to make you sign another lease though.
Call your landlord on the phone and let him know you and your GF Of 3.5 years want to live together. Say she's been a guest often at your place and ask about putting her in the lease. If he suggests that he is ok with the idea but wants to get additional security deposit or rent, say thanks and that you will think about it if you believe his response isn't reasonable. Say you really were hoping not to increase your rent if you believe your are, in fact, paying market value now. Or, counteroffer a lesser increase.
I am a landlord and only put those in the lease who I believe can handle the rent if the relationship falls apart. If my tenant phoned me with this question, I would have the GF complete an application and I would charge my usual application fee. I would evaluate the app just like it was a new tenant and make a decision. If the new applicant had an eviction or a felony record of concern (I would look at the problem not automatically decline). I might not accept the person on the lease, and might actually not let her live there. If she did not pass my screening as a tenant on the lease based on finances only, I might issue a note to the tenant that she is an approved occupant/guest for a specific, defined period (up to the end of the lease) but is not approved as a tenant on the lease.
1. My girlfriend has been living off of the lease but with me in my room in the apartment that I'm on the lease for ... So I would love to try and get her on the lease I have now with my current landlord.
2. My girlfriend doesn't have credit yet and she most likely doesn't have anyone that will cosign her. But she's had a stable job (and was promoted to Supervisor in the short time she's been working there) since she's moved here.
3. I speak with the landlord in person about the whole thing and just be truthful, apologetic and make my case that we've been great tenants and that we love the apartment and would love to stay there and that we weren't trying to do anything wrong by him.
1. Simple, ask your LL. You can either seek to have her put on the lease or add her as an additional occupant (but she'll have no legal obligation to the lease, will simply be acknowledged as an occupant).
2. As long as she can prove that she's gainfully employed she may well be considered as a joint lessee. She should, though, start seeking to build a credit rating and it can start out with something as simple as a CC. She can pay for normal expenses with it and if she pays off the monthly balance in timely fashion she'll quickly have a positive credit rating.
3. No need to be "apologetic" or anything else. He may well already know that your girlfriend is living with you! Just tell him that you and your girlfriend are now living together and ask him if she needs to be included on the lease or if the lease needs to be amended to include an occupant.
Assuming he agrees to her either being on the lease or listed as an occupant, he MAY ask for some additional rent to cover utilities (if those are included in your monthly rent payment).
Just ask. The biggest pit that so many tenants fall into is not communicating with their landlords and then over thinking so much about the "what ifs" that they end up with their thought processes in tatters. Talk to your LL. Good luck!
Thank you all for your comments and suggestions! This forum is pretty great and I've definitely taken everyone's thoughts into consideration. I've contacted the landlord and I'm waiting for him to contact me back. Fingers crossed!
I am much more agreeable if the tenant doesn't hide things from me. When I rent to someone single I expect them to have a SO come over and possibly move in. If that happens its best to call and ask for the SO to be added to the lease and let them know. In my leases it would be a violation of the lease. Same with a pet. Allow the LL to make the decision. You'll find it makes for a better relationship.
Good luck.
Got a question , my boyfriend and I have been together for 3,years and lived together for most of it. We moved into these apartments and I'm not on lease, and some of the tenenants complained about me and had me evicted. Boyfriend works for the owner of the apartments, as well. So I didn't want to make any trouble for him. Now im not allowed to be on property. My boyfriend wants to put me on lease, if approved he stays at the same place can I still get in trouble with law for living with him
Got a question , my boyfriend and I have been together for 3,years and lived together for most of it. We moved into these apartments and I'm not on lease, and some of the tenenants complained about me and had me evicted. Boyfriend works for the owner of the apartments, as well. So I didn't want to make any trouble for him. Now im not allowed to be on property. My boyfriend wants to put me on lease, if approved he stays at the same place can I still get in trouble with law for living with him
If you don't want to make trouble for him, you'll find your own place to live. He's lucky he didn't lose his job because of you illegally living in his unit.
They evicted you, what makes you think they will now approve you??
Got a question , my boyfriend and I have been together for 3,years and lived together for most of it. We moved into these apartments and I'm not on lease, and some of the tenenants complained about me and had me evicted. Boyfriend works for the owner of the apartments, as well. So I didn't want to make any trouble for him. Now im not allowed to be on property. My boyfriend wants to put me on lease, if approved he stays at the same place can I still get in trouble with law for living with him
I'm assuming you are using evicted wrong, only a court can evict you they likely just asked that you leave. I wouldn't count on you being approved if I were you since you were already there illegally. If approved and added to the lease then you legally have the right to occupy so you can't get into trouble for being there.
Got a question , my boyfriend and I have been together for 3,years and lived together for most of it. We moved into these apartments and I'm not on lease, and some of the tenenants complained about me and had me evicted. Boyfriend works for the owner of the apartments, as well. So I didn't want to make any trouble for him. Now im not allowed to be on property. My boyfriend wants to put me on lease, if approved he stays at the same place can I still get in trouble with law for living with him
If your BF gets approval to have you on the lease and live with him, then you won't get in trouble, unless someone there has a restraining order that says you can't be on the property. Otherwise, it's the owner's call.
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