Rent etiquette

[Deleted]

We have a few rentals and have been very lucky with good communication between us and our tenants, except one. I just got a call from someone asking if she rented from us because she had filled out a rental application with them. This woman lives in the same building as us, I see her almost every day. She and I have had issues in the past, but am I wrong to think that she should have mentioned this to us before I got a phone call? I know technically she doesn't have to, but this just adds to my thought that she is socially out of touch.

[drrn04]

I gave our apartment people whatever the minimum notice was. Maybe a few weeks more just so I didn't miss the deadline.

We never had the option of extending our other leases due to H's career moves/commitments, so we always gave plenty of notice, and we usually were in communication w/ the landlord fairly regularly anyways. So when we moved down to NC, our land lord knew like 6 months ahead of time that we were out at the end of June. When we moved back from NC, we filed our formal notice 3 months ahead. We hope to talk w/ our current landlord soon about his plans to sell/allow us to renew the lease at the end of june, so we can plan accordingly w/r/t buying a house.

It is a little impersonal, but as long as she is within her contractual obligations regarding notice for non-renewal/lease termination, I wouldn't really worry about it.

[Deleted]

Wait -- are you irritated she's looking before telling you there's a possibility she may move, or for not telling you she put your contact information down on a rental application (but she told you she was looking)?

If it's the first, yeah -- I usually don't tell the landlord I'm looking until I'm SERIOUSLY looking. But then I just tell them I won't renew the lease, giving us both enough time to find something new.

If it's the latter, I don't get that at all. I would assume that's part of being a landlord.

[Deleted]

Don't get me wrong, I know she has every right to wait till she has a place to put in her notice and tell me she is leaving. I guess the backstory pertains a bit here.

I have plenty to give her a bad reference on, my personal feeling aside. Damage to the apartment, 2 different broke down vehicles with expired tags by over a year, one is still sitting in front of the house and has been there for months and putting her boyfriend on the lease for his income when he does not live here. I don't want to give her a bad refernce because I don't want her here, but at the same time I don't want to lie. Having someone ask me if she is honest or high maintainence out of the blue just had me struggling for an appropriate responce. It would have been better for her had she told me ahead of time and I could have been prepared with a more professional responce.

[Deleted]

I've definitely never told a landlord to expect a call. Actually, I have absolutely no idea whether new landlords have called my old ones at any point. It's not like a job reference.

[speckledfrog]

It sounds like it means a lot to you to be friendly with your tenants and it's hurtful that she isn't like that. It's a bummer but it's not weird on her part.

[Deleted]

Aug 13, 2012 22:16:58 GMT -5 speckledfrog said:

It sounds like it means a lot to you to be friendly with your tenants and it's hurtful that she isn't like that. It's a bummer but it's not weird on her part.

Kind of. We have great relationships with our 4 other tenants, but I am not hurt by it. We hand pick our tenants and this is the only one we were not sure of, but it had sat empty for awhile so we went ahead and rented to her. She's a bitch, not just to me but to my kids. I don't want her here and am happy she is leaving.

I guess I would have approached it differently if the tables were turned, to try to get a better reference by giving them warning.

[Deleted]

I have never told a landlord I was looking, ever.

ETA: You're peeved that your rude ass tenant didn't give you a heads up to give her a decent reference to her possible new landlord? bwahahaha!

[Deleted]

Aug 13, 2012 22:47:26 GMT -5 @habbsies said:

I have never told a landlord I was looking, ever.

ETA: You're peeved that your rude ass tenant didn't give you a heads up to give her a decent reference to her possible new landlord? bwahahaha!

No, I think she is peeved her rude ass tenant has put her in the awkward position of having to say "I cannot serve as a positive reference for X" instead of (like a normal person) realizing she can't be a good reference for her and leaving her off the rental application (or at least sounding her out about whether she is comfortable being a reference).

[Deleted]

Yes but again, these are rude ass tenants. It's not like they've proven they are rather sane and well reasoned people.

[montereybride]

Aug 14, 2012 0:08:00 GMT -5 @amber said:

What, are you new to the general public?

This might be my new favorite thing to say to people.

[mrsjuleshs]

She put her boyfriend's income as a consideration to rent but he doesn't actually live there? How is that in of itself not terms for breaking the contract? I would be thrilled to be getting someone like that out of my rental even if that meant a long search for a new tenant.

[imoan]

Although I know you say you have a few rentals, it sounds like you just might be a wee bit too sensitive for landlord-dom.

[gbck]

Aug 13, 2012 23:51:08 GMT -5 elle said:

Aug 13, 2012 22:47:26 GMT -5 @habbsies said:

I have never told a landlord I was looking, ever.

ETA: You're peeved that your rude ass tenant didn't give you a heads up to give her a decent reference to her possible new landlord? bwahahaha!

No, I think she is peeved her rude ass tenant has put her in the awkward position of having to say "I cannot serve as a positive reference for X" instead of (like a normal person) realizing she can't be a good reference for her and leaving her off the rental application (or at least sounding her out about whether she is comfortable being a reference).

I didn't read this as asking for a reference as much as asking to confirm address. Which is kinda like the difference between HR confirming you worked between X and Y dates and your boss giving you a letter of recommendation.


If the 'new' place wants to do a background check, they would want to confirm past addresses (and it's expensive to do a check and have it be wrong because of fake addresses).

[kellbell191]

Every time I filled out an application they just asked whether I'd paid on time or owed any outstanding amount of money. I'd say that's all the info you need to give. And then celebrate when she and her shitty ass cars are gone (if she can move them...)