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I just signed a new lease, and the owner, as far as I can tell, is very nice, and has owned the place for quite a while, and while it isn't up to date, its in good condition.
However, when we signed the lease, they only had the first two pages of what was a standard, generic type lease. We ended up signing and dating on the bottom of the page. The rent amount, dates, and whatnot are there, just not the 3rd and higher pages (most leases I've signed have been like 10 pages...)
Are there any potential problems that could arise from this? I've dealt with crummy land lords before, and while they most certainly don't come off as one, I try not to let their initial "niceness" cloud my judgement.
My leases are 11 pages. I've learned to put it all in writing so there is no confusion as to what, who, and how. It saves alot of problems.
Tell the LL you want the complete lease. As nice as the LL seems and the building is in good shape does not mean there will be questions or concerns down the road.
Get the complete lease.
I just signed a new lease, and the owner, as far as I can tell, is very nice, and has owned the place for quite a while, and while it isn't up to date, its in good condition.
However, when we signed the lease, they only had the first two pages of what was a standard, generic type lease. We ended up signing and dating on the bottom of the page. The rent amount, dates, and whatnot are there, just not the 3rd and higher pages (most leases I've signed have been like 10 pages...)
Are there any potential problems that could arise from this? I've dealt with crummy land lords before, and while they most certainly don't come off as one, I try not to let their initial "niceness" cloud my judgement.
Any thoughts?
Do you have reason to believe there are pages missing, other than the fact that you have seen longer leases? Did you ask the landlord about missing pages? The landlord is the only one who can tell you if there is something missing or if that's the entirely of his lease. And if there are issues you feel need to be addressed, you should ask the landlord to address them and put them in writing.
I recently had a landlord take me to Civil Court for a vast list of issues (I was the defendant, though) where he lied. Part of his deception was taking a draft lease apart that I signed and merging it with a final lease I signed. I did not know this because he never mailed me (a requirement of the law) the final copy. In court was the first time I saw the countersigned lease. He could not prove he mailed the lease to me, I still lost. I knew it was a 'switcheroo' document only because I crossed a paragraph on the last page he included, but I couldn't prove it in court because I did not initial every page and the pages were not numbered (I should have numbered them myself).
I too thought he was a good person when I moved in.....I was completely wrong.
IF I WERE YOU....I would absolutely push for a FINAL copy of the entire lease with page numbers, countersigned by the landlord.
In my state, just remember this.....the Landlord is required by law to mail (not certify, simply regular mail) the lease back to you countersigned as a final agreement (with all pages).
Of course, they may get pissed they have to physically do this.....but like my recent miserable small claims civil court experience....I would have known very early on who I was dealing with.....and not moved in to the property.
Keep the envelope showing proof of mailing too in case you ever have to go to court and he tries to add pages later!
My lease is about 24 pages with all of the required disclosures & forms. I sign with the tenant, then scan the entire document, burn it to a disk with a copy of the "before" move-in pictures ( at least 50 pics, including the model & serial tags on the appliances) and a five-minute walk-through video taken the same day the lease is signed.
Then I print a copy of the signed lease, and put it in a folder along with a copy of the disc & hand it all to the tenant within 24 hours of move-in. A half-hours labor at the beginning of a lease is better than arguing about everything at the end of the lease.
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