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I've been a renter for decades; have excellent references and numerous former landlords are now friends.
However- as much impact as a comfortable dwelling has on your life, shouldn't being a landlord require some type of universal training/certification?
I mean, a sno-cone cart probably requires some type of permit but any slob with a house or room can call themselves Landlord and: 1. Get access to your most sensitive data 2. Make your life miserable. 3. Keep as much of your deposit money as they want.
Some states have landlord/tenant laws and others merely handbooks or 'guidelines'.
My last landlord modified a stock lease to be all in his favor, wouldn't okay me making minor changes to the property for handicapped accessibility ( like knobs on drawers/cupboards, a full-sized door for entry etc), then left the country for winter and some 'caretaker' introduced himself the day the pipes froze.
A tenant can have little or no recourse in dealing with inept or corrupt landlords.
What are your examples of landlord horror stories?
Should there be a type of Better Business Bureau all landlords are required to register with so prospective tenants can research them first?
No. No. No. There are more than enough laws to safeguard both tenants and landlords and the US public is in general more than over-certified and over-regulated as it is.
This is a civil matter and no one is forcing you to contract with an inept landlord. Shop around for someone reasonable and experienced and you should be good to go.
I'm out West which is probably less regulated than the East.
Part of the problem is landlords require all of Your info/references but aren't required to give you the same. How would you know a dirtbag if you just moved to an area?
This last guy people in town were volunteering their horror stories with him After I rented.
I'm out West which is probably less regulated than the East.
Part of the problem is landlords require all of Your info/references but aren't required to give you the same. How would you know a dirtbag if you just moved to an area?
This last guy people in town were volunteering their horror stories with him After I rented.
Thanks for the replies!
There are tenant services that will comb public records for ownership and related financials...
It's all available for those willing to expend the effort.
Another avenue is to rent only from well established management companies which typically means the entity is licensed under the Department of Real Estate.
Most States have a searchable database for Real Estate firms, brokers and agents...
It really comes down to turning over the keys to a property that might be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars with little more than first and last months rent and a rental application.
I'm out West which is probably less regulated than the East.
Part of the problem is landlords require all of Your info/references but aren't required to give you the same. How would you know a dirtbag if you just moved to an area?
This last guy people in town were volunteering their horror stories with him After I rented.
Thanks for the replies!
The condition of the rental should give you a idea of what sort of LL you are dealing with.
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