Security Deposit to hold apartment.?
This is not a security deposit, but a holding deposit, which is completely non-refundable. Do not pay this unless you are 100% certain you will rent this place. Without all the necessary roomates, you are not 100% certain. If you back out or cannot find other roomates, then you will not get this money back. The only way you can recover this money is if the landlord decides not to rent to you, or if you do take the place, in which case the holding deposit is applied to the actual security deposit and/or first month of rent.
Applying to an apartment complex with 2 other roommates... got denied?
One of them has a drug paraphernalia charge on their record. Our leasing agent is extremely nice and said he’s going to run everything through with his manager. He said he really wants to get us in and will fight for us. Do landlords usually work with something like that or is that an automatic no?? Really worried because we need to move soon
What happens if I'm sleeping when my landlord shows my apartment?
We recently decided not to renew our lease (due to roommates, not the place itself). And our landlord has begun showing our apartment, which is a necessary annoyance. Our landlord has been very good about it, letting us know 24 hours in advance (as we agreed to in our lease), not hanging around too long, etc. All in all, it's a good situation, and I'm glad we're not living some of the landlord horror stories I've heard about. The problem is that our landlord likes to schedule viewings in the morning, before I would usually be awake. I don't work until the evening, so most days, I'm up late and asleep late. Now, since they give us 24 hours notice, I've been able to go to sleep a bit earlier and wake up in time for showings, but I'm very worried that some day, I'll sleep through my alarm or forget to set my alarm to the new time, and I'll be asleep when the showing is scheduled. I lock my bedroom door when I'm asleep (I'm a girl, and I live with three guys, so I feel more comfortable that way) and my door only locks/unlocks from the inside. So if I'm asleep when a showing happens, my landlord wouldnt be able to open my door to show my room. Theoretically, what would happen if I were to oversleep? Do you think my landlord would just knock on the door until I woke up and opened it? Or would they move on from the room? Do you think that I could get in trouble if this were to happen, or that it would ruin my relationship with my LL. Help?
I moved into an apartment with a roommate & I'm on SSI income only. I used to live with 2 family members & my income was/is 500$ per month w/ backpay. I now have to pay for half of all the bills here. Do you think my income will increase a good bit?
There are two basic SSI amounts a beneficiary receives which is dependent on whether one is responsible for the cost of utilities along with their rent.The lower amount is for those who not responsible for utilities such as if you rent a room in a house and then your part of the cost of the utilities would part of your rent. To receive the higher amount you would have to have the utilities in your name and be considered the one legally responsible for the payments. This can work if you share a place with someone, but the utilities are only in your name. If the utilities are not in your name the government will not increase your benefit, but instead suggest you move.You need to be very careful when dealing with SSI. Their regulations are much more restrictive than SSD and because a small percentage is paid through welfare it is treated more as a State government program than a federal one.
Can my landlord take pictures of my apartment with all my personal belongings/valuables to post online?
Your landlord cannot do this without your written consent. He can take pictures of the building's exterior and provide a detailed description of the interior but no photographs. Photographing your personal belongings would be considered a violation of your privacy since your suite is not accessible to the general public without consent. Consider the following taken from the American Law Institute: "One who gives publicity to a matter concerning the private life of another is subject to liability to the other for invasion of his privacy, if the matter publicized is of a kind that: (a) would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, and (b) is not of legitimate concern to the public. —Restatement (Second) of Torts, § 652D" In my opinion your landlord would liable on both counts. Firstly, as a "reasonable" person you would highly offended if your personal valuable property were put on public display for all the world to see and secondly, seeing your personal property is not a legitimate concern to the public. As an aside, I would also add that with those kinds of valuables on display you might have another concern. Your landlord has the legal right to show the premises with or without you being home and may well do so. It is not unheard of for "pros" to case the place by appearing as would be prospective tenants so they can see what you have. They return later when you're not home to rip you off. I'd start packing as much of the valuables as you can.
Why do landlords want fifty dollars just to show you the apartment they are trying to rent you?
Who doesn’t want $50 for no reason???All seriousness, what market are you in where a landlord can get away with doing this? Have you seen more than one landlord doing this? Or is it just one?Sounds like a scam… is the rent amount very low for the quality of the pictures? Almost too good to be true?Also, is it possible that you’re confusing $50 to show, with maybe a $50 application fee?$50 application fee is somewhat reasonable to cover the cost of due diligence.
How can I legally break my apartment lease due to deception and severe damage in the apartment?
My apartment consists of 5 apartment rooms, each tenant shares the living room, kitchen and dining room. One of the tenants has had several animals in the apartment, which urinated and defecated all over the floors, countertops and furniture. Every other tenant moved out as a result of the living conditions and eventually the tenant with the animals, which were free to roam from her room to the living room and kitchen. The animals have left soiled floors and furniture and a terrible odor. My apartment leasing office agreed to let me out of the lease only if I can find someone to sublease or sublet the apartment. The problem is that multiple people have been aware of the odor and destruction and continued to show my apartment to prospective tenants. All of the prospective tenants who looked at my apartment rejected it because of the terrible condition. Multiple leasing agents were aware of the condition, but did nothing to act on it or have the apartment cleaned so it would be presentable to sublet. Legally, what are my options to get out of this lease? I hate to pay on an apartment that is in bad condition and does not provide adequate service to its tenants. The worst part was that they were aware of the bad living conditions and subjected my apartment to failture each time a potential sublet candidate saw the mess. Thanks for your help in advance.
If a landlord barges into a tenant's apartment without any prior notice of house inspection and opens the tenant’s private room without knocking on the door, can the tenant sue the landlord for intrusion?
I’m not sure about the law where you are, but I suspect what she did was illegal. If you rented the place and are paying rent, then she has no right to walk in on you. You have a right to privacy and use of that apartment. Even if you had missed rent payments and she wanted to evict you, she’d have to go through certain legal hoops to do so and she wouldn’t be the one putting you out, it would be a sheriff. If it is an apartment complex, I’d write to the complex manager. If she is the manager, then write a letter of complaint to the owners of the complex. If she is also the owner, write a complaint to the housing board in your city or go down and talk to them about your rights.When my husband and I got married, we moved into his apartment. The second day I was there and my husband was at work I was down on the floor in the kitchen organizing some cabinets. I couldn’t be seen from the front door. I heard the door open, stood up and was face to face with the apartment manager who had obviously come in to snoop around, recognizing that my husband’s car was gone and not knowing he had gotten married. She made up some excuse and left. I told my husband and he went and confronted her about it. That was in Florida and what she did was illegal there. I don’t know if laws are the same everywhere though but legal or illegal, it’s not right.
What are the best apps / sites out there to help you find a roommate(s)?
The Good News is that there are a lot of resources out there for finding roommates. The Even Better News is that they are all pretty great. Some apps are specific to a region or city, other apps work anywhere in the US—and some apps work anywhere in the world.1. Roomi – Swipe your way left and right to find the perfect roommate. Sound familiar? Comes with verified listings so you know your not living with a creeper. Out of all the apps on this list, Roomi is probably the most stream-lined and quick to jump into. Works with most major US and Canadian cities. Free!2. PadMapper – Browse apartments looking for a roommate via a handy Google Maps interface. Many of the listings are pulled from Craigslist, but it’s also possible to post your own listing. Free!3. SpareRoom – This site originally started in the UK and moved to the US a few years ago. It’s basically like a more stream-lined, more specialized CraigsList for roommates. You place a roommate wanted or offer “advert” with some photos and pictures of yourself, and then start looking at other profiles. Specific to New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Free! (With optional payments to make your adverts stand out.)4. Symbi – Whether you’re looking to move into new apartment, find a new roommate for your apartment, or are searching for a buddy to go apartment hunting with, Symbi’s got your back. With a thorough profile build, you can specify your cleanliness preferences, whether or not you own a dog, and even how many days a week you cook. Specifically for NYC. Free!5. Diggz – Using a proprietary algorithm, Diggz will provide you with a list of prospective roomies based off of your preferences. From there you can expand or narrow your search with a variety of filters, peruse profiles, “like” profiles that pique your interest, and then engage in chat with people who like you back. Easy-peasy. Specifically for NYC. Free!Very Relevant Plug: I work for a young startup called Roof. While it won’t help you find a roommate, it can help you split expenses, organize to-dos, and generally live better, together with your roommates. (We also have a very fun blog.)