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Old 08-04-2015, 05:46 PM
 
Location: Shoreline, WA
400 posts, read 449,215 times
Reputation: 338

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Hi guys!

My fiance and I are moving to the Bay area in a little over a month. Our parents/in-laws scouted out the Ballena Village Apartments in Alameda. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until recently.

I've never rented an apartment in California, but have in 5 other states. The management gave us a "Reservation Agreement" that requires us to pay a very hefty amount. It has no terms or other information other than a breakdown of the fees and the unit listed. In all other places I've lived, one may pay a small deposit to hold the unit and then get a chance to review the lease prior to putting down the security deposit. They apparently want us to pay this reservation agreement before signing the lease. Is a "reservation agreement" standard for California? Has anyone ever rented at Ballena Village?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
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Old 08-04-2015, 06:17 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
28,226 posts, read 36,864,430 times
Reputation: 28563
I did a long time ago and the rental market wasn't as hot as it is now. Sounds like the management has changed since I lived there. But it is the nicest complex on that side of the island. And these days it is pretty hard to get rentals. It is reasonable for you to request more info on this fee.
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Old 08-04-2015, 06:27 PM
 
Location: Shoreline, WA
400 posts, read 449,215 times
Reputation: 338
Quote:
Originally Posted by jade408 View Post
I did a long time ago and the rental market wasn't as hot as it is now. Sounds like the management has changed since I lived there. But it is the nicest complex on that side of the island. And these days it is pretty hard to get rentals. It is reasonable for you to request more info on this fee.
Yeah it looks nice, I'm just worried why they are trying to get us to pay a very large security deposit, first month's rent, a dog fee, and an application fee without even showing us the actual lease first. The "reservation agreement" is more like an itemized statement.

So Ballena Village was on the up and up? I realize the Bay area market is on fire, but this seems like an odd practice.
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Old 08-04-2015, 06:29 PM
 
Location: Palo Alto, CA
901 posts, read 1,167,624 times
Reputation: 1169
In NYC, brokers get large fees from renters for getting them apartments. This seems comparable to me.
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