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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

#131

Post by taejo »

4ad wrote: post #92
fwefwwfe wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Then they made a photocopy of our ID for a file. Which again raised my suspicion, I’ve rented many apartment before and none of properties ever asked for that before signing the lease That sounds like a red flag with the article/author. What apartment place wouldn't do a background check and want ID to make sure they go the right person?

As a non-American living in Western Europe the idea of a landlord doing a "background check" on prospective tenants is terrifying. Never heard of such a thing in Europe. What the hell does "background check" even entail.

German landlords in large cities generally require a credit report (though not things like criminal record, which can be in a US background check). For large institutional landlords, you may sign a document permitting them to perform this check; the more usual case is that you request a report from the credit-report company yourself and send them a copy.

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

#132

Post by djyaz1200 »

Related but not precisely on topic... When will a group of talented people with access to capital end the gross imbalance of power between landlords and tenants with technology? In just about every other area of the economy the customer has the power. To give the customer aka renter more power they need more information. Step 1 is having ratings for all landlords/properties. The landlords get your rating (your credit) but you don't get theirs. That asymmetry puts the renter at a disadvantage. There is also no price discovery mechanism. You only know the rate they quote you, no way to find out the actual price they are charging existing tenants. Payments in this industry are often still by check which is absurd in 2017. This is one of the last giant markets left for technology to disrupt but it's going to be a war. The landlord/tenant relationship is "where the rubber meets the road" in the struggle between the rich and the rest of us... so this isn't going to be easy. If someone took this on I'd be honored to be a part of it!

https://vimeo.com/user12087540/checkmeonce

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

#133

Post by kodt »

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.

Yeah, note everything, preferably with the landlord on a walk through when you first get the place. Write down any flaws/damage and have both of you sign/date it. Keep this for when you move out.

Also, it may depend on your State or local municipality, but usually they can't deduct normal wear and tear from your security deposit. Stuff like nails or anchors in the walls, faded paint, worn carpet, scuffed floors, broken appliances because of mechanical wear not negligence or improper use.

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

#134

Post by kbenson »

saghm wrote: post #67
wyldfire wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since there really is a property there, they would probably cleverly slip their application into the "approved" pile.

Wouldn't they notice that they had no neighbors, and that literally every other apartment in the building is being shown multiple times per day?

I'm pretty sure they rent most the units. It only takes a few empty units to run this scam, no reason not to rent the rest legitimately for more money.

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

#135

Post by Bartweiss »

bubblethink wrote: post #86

I was looking for rentals last weekend in ATL , and i noticed the administrative fee too. I don't remember seeing it last time around (couple of years ago), which makes me wonder if it's a recent phenomenon. The adminstrative fee, usually $250 or so, was in addition to the application fee. This makes no sense. What are they charging this for ? I didn't ask if it's after the application is approved or before. I'm gues…

In keeping with this (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11986307), cable companies frequently pay for lock-in deals with apartment complexes. Spectacularly shitty, but I suspect related to you getting worse-than-listed rates.

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

#136

Post by Bartweiss »

Veratyr wrote: post #29

> Then they made a photocopy of our ID for a file. Which again raised my suspicion, I’ve rented many apartment before and none of properties ever asked for that before signing the lease, in my head it was done deal — so I let it slip. Seems to be normal here in the bay area. They usually do a background check too and I can't imagine that happening without ID.

I was confused about that being suspicious myself. It seems common, and it doesn't actually prevent him from doing a credit card chargeback - he's not disputing on "I never paid that", he's disputing on "they didn't give what they promised".

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

#137

Post by x0x0 »

Broken_Hippo wrote: post #108
x0x0 wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I help manage an apartment building. There's always the chance there's something wrong on your reports. You should get your own credit reports directly from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion; this will cost you $30-ish in CA. Make sure the reports include FICO scores, and don't settle for any non-fico nonsense (eg CreditKarma or any such competitors). For future applications, you may be able to re-use those reports f…

Didn't they pass a law some years back allowing folks to get their credit report (from the major companies) once a year? In addition, isn't it law that they send a letter after taking negative action based on the credit report - because people are entitled to it then as well? If this is the case, that fee won't be there.

Free credit reports don't include FICO scores, and come with various other drawbacks, such as a lengthened time for the CRAs to respond to disputes.

The CRAs don't send a letter after negative action, the company who chose to grant or not grant credit does. You are entitled to a free report; however, it can be a pain to get when the company from whom you requested credit is small.

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

#138

Post by saghm »

kbenson wrote: post #134
saghm wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't they notice that they had no neighbors, and that literally every other apartment in the building is being shown multiple times per day?

I'm pretty sure they rent most the units. It only takes a few empty units to run this scam, no reason not to rent the rest legitimately for more money.

Ah, okay, I just assumed that they were using the building only for the scam, not for actual renting.

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

#139

Post by Broken_Hippo »

x0x0 wrote: post #137
Broken_Hippo wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Didn't they pass a law some years back allowing folks to get their credit report (from the major companies) once a year? In addition, isn't it law that they send a letter after taking negative action based on the credit report - because people are entitled to it then as well? If this is the case, that fee won't be there.

Free credit reports don't include FICO scores, and come with various other drawbacks, such as a lengthened time for the CRAs to respond to disputes. The CRAs don't send a letter after negative action, the company who chose to grant or not grant credit does. You are entitled to a free report; however, it can be a pain to get when the company from whom you requested credit is small.

Ah, ok. Well, in that case, it is only a half-good law and not really helpful. Thanks for filling in the details for me.

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

#140

Post by howard941 »

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 try very hard to stabilize it to avoid getting franked at the voting site. (problem: Florida)
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