What do you think of this renting situation? (apartments, lease)

[Caldus]

I decided that I wanted to rent a place somewhere in the city. I give the landlord a security deposit check. He wouldn't cash in the check until I pay the first month's rent. He hasn't cashed in the check yet. I haven't signed a lease yet. He has attempted to run a credit check on me and has tried to call my current landlord and my boss (never needed to go through all of this before). I found another place that I like a lot more and it's around the same price. Could he just cash in my check if I were to go to this other place instead?

[knitgirl]

He has your check, so sure, he *could*. Would it be legal? An attorney could probably tell you. Or you could just call him and tell him you're coming for your check. How long has all this been since you wrote the check?

[sfcambridge]

This all sounds a little out of order.

If you haven't signed a lease yet, that is probably why he hasn't deposited the check yet. Clearly he shouldn't until you have the contract in place.

Call him immediately and tell him your plans. Ask if you can come over and pick up the check. If he gives you any problems, just stop payment on the check. So you eat a little cost on the stop payment, ......considering you have caused him some inconvenience as well (i.e. he is assuming you are taking the apartment and he has stopped showing it) I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

And I have always had to give references, job, credit, and even bank statements for some apartments. Particularly when the landlord got stiffed by the prior tenant! I actually like a cautious landlord, because it also tells me my neighbors are probably a little more stable. I have lived next to some wacko/unstable/dangerous neighbors in my past, so now I appreciate these things more...

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Caldus

I decided that I wanted to rent a place somewhere in the city. I give the landlord a security deposit check. He wouldn't cash in the check until I pay the first month's rent. He hasn't cashed in the check yet. I haven't signed a lease yet. He has attempted to run a credit check on me and has tried to call my current landlord and my boss (never needed to go through all of this before). I found another place that I like a lot more and it's around the same price. Could he just cash in my check if I were to go to this other place instead?

Rule number one in apartment searching: Don't give the landlord a dime until you're sure you want to rent it.

Rule number two in apartment searching: The landlord is perfectly entitled to check your references and validate what you tell him about work, previous addresses and credit. As sfcambridge said, assuming you're an honest, credible person, living somewhere the landlord does validation actually plays in your favor. Remember, if he's a full-time landlord, his entire ability to support himself relies on having tenants who do what they promise. Why would you deny him the right to protect himself? Even if he's a part-time landlord, many part-time landlords are only a couple bad tenants away from losing their entire investment so you can hardly fault him for wanting to take steps to protect himself and his family's future. Landlords aren't some mysterious evil cabal. They're human. Most are trying to do the right thing while still making a profit. Some are bad apples from the start. And some start out wanting to do the right thing and become bitter and cynical after being totally screwed by unreliable tenants.

In your situation, he will probably return your check. The fact he hasn't cashed it yet is not a guarantee that he's a good landlord, but it is at least a little bit of an indication that he tries to treat his tenants fairly. Just try to think about what you'd want if you were in his situation.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Caldus

I decided that I wanted to rent a place somewhere in the city. I give the landlord a security deposit check. He wouldn't cash in the check until I pay the first month's rent. He hasn't cashed in the check yet. I haven't signed a lease yet. He has attempted to run a credit check on me and has tried to call my current landlord and my boss (never needed to go through all of this before). I found another place that I like a lot more and it's around the same price. Could he just cash in my check if I were to go to this other place instead?

^ If you've ever been a landlord you'd want to do a credit and background check on your tenants too

[Manigault]

Just stop the check. Usually landlords demand a cash deposit for the background investigation.

[Vlajos]

you seem to have a lot of issues renting apartments