Pushy broker/landlord

[sskkc]

The current single family home we rent has some similarities to this thread...

When we met with the property managers, they told us they needed an answer RIGHT away about whether or not we wanted the place. While looking at it the first time, we decided we did. There were other groups also here looking at the place and they told us that they would look over everyone's rental apps and call us if they chose us. The following afternoon, they called us and said we were approved, but they needed the deposit check right away, the lease would be ready in 3 days (the reason given for the delay was our smoking... they were nervous about renting to smokers and wanted to add more language about where we could smoke). They wanted a check, made out in their names for the first half of the deposit - not the homeowners, not the property management company. Honestly, it never occurred to me it was a scam.

Everything turned out alright on our end. We've been living here since the end of last June and they have been the BEST landlords EVER!

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by Bevil

thanks everyone for the invaluable advice...well, i called the man back and told him that we weren't interested...it just didn't feel right in my gut...my husband is really upset with me because he wanted this apartment...i liked the apartment too, but after he wanted us to drop a cashier's check off through a slot in the door with no lease, that was a deal breaker for me

now we just have until april 8th to find a place...i am getting scared, i don't want to be without housing

Sounds to me like you lost out on a place because you don't understand professional rental procedures. Nothing you describe seems out of line from the property manager's standpoint. It's the same as we all do it.

First of all, there is no such thing as "interested" in a place, from a landlord point of view. You either want it or you don't. If you are not ready to commit, don't sign or do anything at all, period. It's real simple.

Once you do decide you want a place, you confirm that by providing an application and a deposit to hold the property. I don't and won't hold properties or even accept applications without deposits.

We get that request all the time:
Q: Can you hold it for us until I get paid Friday and we'll have the deposit then?
A: No. Call back Friday and see if it's still available.

Q: Can you run our credit and tell us if we are approved before we pay the deposit?
A: No. The deposit is required along with the application. When you are approved, you've rented the place and the application deposit becomes your security deposit. You then have two days to come in and sign the lease or you forfeit your deposit.

Landlords get ripped off and burned way more than tenants. Just check the small claims courts to see who has to sue who more often. It's not even close.

Frankly, when I run into highly suspicious tenants who want me to change how I do business just so they can feel better, I ask them to just move on and keep looking. I've been doing this almost 20 years. I've learned to stay clear of highly distrustful tenants because they are almost always going to cause trouble and be big complainers.

Not saying you guys are like that, and prudence and caution should be followed, but at some point you are either able to commit to the process or you aren't. I'd be more worried about dealing with someone who doesn't have a strict process that I would be worried about dealing with the guy you described.

Good luck.

Steve

[Steve Bagu]

Bevil; Putting a Cashiers check in a door slot is the same as putting CASH in a envelope and then dropping it thru the slot...no difference. They have your money and you have NO paperwork for your money. You lucked out. Just think if they claimed their was no Cashiers check received...your S.O.L. Steve

[Lacerta]

Everything sounds normal in this to me, except for two things.

1) Why did the agent want the check made payable to him? I can't imagine a legitimate scenario in which that would be a necessity, unless the homeowner owes him money that he can't collect on, which is not a situation I would want to get in the middle of. I wouldn't expect a lay-person to know to ask this, but I would have asked to see his management agreement with the owner, authorizing him to receive payments directly, and personally, from a tenant.

2) We often require deposits before the lease is signed if the tenant wants us to hold the property for some period of time, or if they aren't available to sign the lease up front because of work schedule, or whatever. However, I would NEVER require a prospective tenant to hand over a cashier's check without written agreement as to what it was for. Also, we never require a cashier's check (instead of a personal check) unless the tenant has already bounced checks on us.

As for the other things you have mentioned,

We have also had credit reports doctored, missing pages, things blacked or whited out, etc. Free credit reports from online don't give scores, which some companies look at heavily (I look more at the individual items and overall attitude toward debt, myself) In addition, you get used to one companies reports, and how to interpret the data provided.

We would never rent to someone who refuses to give a social security number. You can't run a credit report without one, and if the tenant fails to pay rent, the paperwork to evict or to collect debt can't be completed without one.

*Edit* Short version. This may or may not have been a scam, but it also could easily have been just not a very good agent, who is pushy, and rude.