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How I legally got scammed for $250 by an upscale apartment complex

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Re: How I legally got scammed for $250 by an upscale apartment complex

#121

Post by firebird84 »

joshuaheard wrote: post #14

Landlord here. This tenant made a mistake paying an "administrative fee" of $150, and giving the deposit ($350) without a signed lease. Though, we do charge a $50 application fee to cover the cost of the background check we run. However, if this company is indeed not intending to rent this property and only collecting the application fees, it would be fraud.

It may depend on where you live. Here in south florida, everyone charges these fees. I tried to find complexes without it, and they don't exist. Sometimes you don't have a choice.

Re: How I legally got scammed for $250 by an upscale apartment complex

#123

Post by squozzer »

It's possible the author is on to something -- but proving it is something else. Maybe 5 people in Austin area with perfect-ish credit scores / hidden cameras could mount a sting op.

Similar to how government agencies build cases of racial discrimination in housing.

Re: How I legally got scammed for $250 by an upscale apartment complex

#124

Post by pbhjpbhj »

tedmiston wrote: post #75
wapz wrote: post #28

>The First place we visited Altis Lakeline managed by Altman Companies was amazing, its a brand new apartment complex with cool amenities, priced at $1400 which is much lower, compare to similar places $1600–$1700, that where I missed first red flag. Plus they had amazing special — 2 months free rent — which under normal circumstances will raise suspicion, I thought it’s a brand new property with construction done a…

I felt the same way over and over again throughout. Whether or not the author's primary language is English, it feels like it was written without proofreading or editing at all.

Welcome to the internet?!

Re: How I legally got scammed for $250 by an upscale apartment complex

#125

Post by M_Grey »

reustle wrote: post #30
ransom1538 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Even disputing a charge on the credit card — they have copies of our ID, smart. Your credit card company will charge back that charge. AND they will make a note on the merchant's account. More than likely, when you call regarding this merchant account it will already have notes on it -- just making it even quicker. Once, I paid 2k for a couch on Macys.com. Their delivery guys came to deliver the couch on the agreed…

Are you saying they forged your signature?

I don't even have a signature. While I can do lovely calligraphy, my actual handwriting is a testament to a failed Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test. Now, that's extreme, but how many people have a stable signature now when they almost never have to reproduce it?

Re: How I legally got scammed for $250 by an upscale apartment complex

#126

Post by mkrishnan »

ploxiln wrote: post #15

Maybe you've never attempted to rent an apartment in NYC. They typically require * scanned ID * recent bank statements * recent pay stubs * recent tax return or W2 * letter of employment on official company letterhead * company office number they can call to confirm employment * last two addresses you lived at * letter from previous landlord * yearly salary at least 40x (sometimes 50x) monthly rent * ~ $100 applicati…

Well. That doesn't justify one way $150 administration fee

Re: How I legally got scammed for $250 by an upscale apartment complex

#127

Post by Bartweiss »

M_Grey wrote: post #125
reustle wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you saying they forged your signature?

I don't even have a signature. While I can do lovely calligraphy, my actual handwriting is a testament to a failed Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test. Now, that's extreme, but how many people have a stable signature now when they almost never have to reproduce it?

I have been asked to 'reproduce' a signature once in my entire life. At a 7/11, buying $6 worth of food. It took 4 tries to satisfy the cashier, because my signature is completely inconsistent. I almost refused, but I was curious whether I was even capable of signing convincingly.

To this day, I have no idea what drove that decision.

Re: How I legally got scammed for $250 by an upscale apartment complex

#128

Post by djyaz1200 »

wyldfire wrote: post #6

If this happens to you, you should consider talking to: 1. Your state's AG [1] 2. The local TV news 3. Local police I don't think I would call it a "legal scam," it sounds remarkably like fraud. Lots of modern fraud takes place over international VoIP calls, so the fact that there's a brick and mortar business with assets that can be seized means you shouldn't give up quickly. > Even disputing a charge on the credit…

Totally agree with advice above, this is the kind of issue the legal system is made for. Additionally I'd suggest you go file in small claims court today. Suspect they will settle just to avoid the hassle... and if you do it quick you might still get your apt. Good luck.

Re: How I legally got scammed for $250 by an upscale apartment complex

#129

Post by kodt »

eloisant wrote: post #106
kevinoconnor7 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given what's in the Medium post, there's zero evidence for that. The author is assuming that a scam took place, but another plausible explanation is that the author had a missed rent payment on their record and the management company auto rejects those applicants. Sure, that record might be wrong, but it's still not a scam. Everything else they mentioned is pure speculation. I think the author, if they feel strongly…

Even though, when I was living in US and rent from an appartment complex, it took them 5 minutes to clear my credit check on their computer. Even if the author did in fact miss a payment, why should they be able to keep $250 from an tenant they rejected?

Non refundable application fees are normal. Usually to pay for the credit check. $250 is high though.

Re: How I legally got scammed for $250 by an upscale apartment complex

#130

Post by jessaustin »

rhexs wrote: post #117
lawnchair_larry wrote: post #9

Any company like this is going to scam you at move out time as well. One agent told me that nobody gets their full deposit back, ever. They'll make up a list of things they had to do and give you an inflated bill for it.

This is easy to get around. Take pictures of the apartment at move-in. Read the lease to discover standard cleaning fees before signing. Take care of the apartment. Walk through the apartment with the Landlord on move-out. If they fraudulently deduct as part of some sort of profit-center, discover the wonderful world of small claims court. Not going to be fun but you'll win.

Haha this seems like maybe you haven't rented many places. My brother used to talk like this, but on his last move-out he got totally shafted. He and his wife had meticulously scrubbed every surface, then they hired a cleaning company, and they still got none of their deposit back.

The "easy" solution to this, although it does have some drawbacks, is simply not to pay the last month's rent.

The only time I haven't gotten screwed over by a landlord is when we knew each other through our university alumni association.

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