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Anyone here ever been on the leasing agent side of a background check? My wife and I applied for an apartment this afternoon. We were in love with it and we're keen to get out of our current place (with management's permission) after someone broke in and attacked my wife (she is fine now, but obviously doesn't want to stay here). Got an email this evening stating we had been declined due to criminal history (unspecific as to who) and her credit. We have 24 hours to supply additional info and they have 48 hours to reconsider. I'm not surprised that her credit would be an issue. I was unemployed for a period over the summer between grad school and starting my current job, and she missed a payment or two on her student loans before she was able to get it in forbearance. However, I am the primary on the lease, have spotless credit, and make $2k/mo above the required income for the unit without considering her income. I expect to be able to work something out over that. But the criminal thing is baffling. Neither of us has ever been in trouble. I passed a FINRA background check in August and currently hold a Texas concealed handgun license. She's only ever had one speeding ticket. They used a service called RealPage to run the check - anyone ever used them? Will I be able to look over a copy of the report with a leasing agent when I go in tomorrow and point out discrepancies/errors (we are assuming it is my report as I have a very common first & last name), or did they just get a pass/fail with no detail? RealPage apparently only provides reports to individuals via snail mail, and we only have 48 hours to fix this before we lose the unit. Really not looking forward to spending months going back-and-forth dealing with FCRA disputes, court records, etc..
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Dec 15, 2013 02:11
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I would ask to see the report. It is their responsibility to confirm that you are the person in question on the report. Those reports tend to match records based on names and dates of birth as well as similar names, so if there's two Jane Smiths born on the same day and one killed a bunch of people, there's a good chance it will come up when the other Jane applies for an apartment. I would demand to see the details. I've seen it where everything matches up but race, or there is even a subtle difference in the spelling of the name, or a different middle initial.
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Dec 17, 2013 15:20
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My wife gets constant calls for a name very similar to hers. ie if she was Jane Smith she gets them for June Smith. This has caused problems because the calls are debt collection agencies who don't see the difference. They just see the same birthdate and a similar name and keep calling. I've escalated this with their companies and the ombudsman to stop these calls. Your wife has probably just got the same thing happening. Or she leads a double life you don't know about.
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Dec 18, 2013 02:32
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quote:My wife gets constant calls for a name very similar to hers. ie if she was Jane Smith she gets them for June Smith. This has caused problems because the calls are debt collection agencies who don't see the difference. They just see the same birthdate and a similar name and keep calling. I've escalated this with their companies and the ombudsman to stop these calls. Tell them to cease all calls. Follow up with a cease and desist letter. Make note of any successive calls and any other violations of the FDCPA. Notify them of your intention to sue for violation of the FDCPA. Negotiate a cash settlement.
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Dec 18, 2013 04:15
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I'm going around checking out apartments now for my first one bedroom. In regards to Craigslist, anything I should definitely not buy used? The stories of bedbugs and mattresses have got me waking up at night thinking something bit me, so I'm looking to stay away from that in real life.
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Dec 20, 2013 23:18
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Literally anything can have bedbugs, not just cushion-y furniture like mattresses and couches. Bedbugs can be in metal bed frames, in dressers/shelves, cracks in any wooden furniture or chairs, etc. If it came from a bedbug-infested house, it can have bedbugs hitching a ride on it.
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Dec 21, 2013 00:41
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Someone recommend some sheets to me. I'm looking in the $80-$100 range for nice sheets, hopefully that's enough. I know I'm not going to get any true 1000TC Egyptian cotton whatever for that price, but I'm hoping for something that will last for a few years. FWIW, I live in a warmer climate (Houston), so anything that breathes well would be a plus.
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Dec 21, 2013 10:39
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Don Markstein posted:I'm going around checking out apartments now for my first one bedroom. In regards to Craigslist, anything I should definitely not buy used? The stories of bedbugs and mattresses have got me waking up at night thinking something bit me, so I'm looking to stay away from that in real life. Do you live in a city or region that has a lot of reports of bedbugs? I know they've seen a lot of press lately, but they're not nearly as common as people make them out to be. Obviously ask to see any pieces you're thinking of buying first, in their normal environment if possible, but I've bought two couches, a coffee and end table set, a dining table, and several other items on Craigslist without problem. Just use your better judgment. edit: I should say that despite the above advice, I'd still never buy a mattress on Craigslist. That's not just the bedbug thing, but also a preference to only have the bodily fluids of me and my partner to sleep on, not other peoples'. ExtraFox fucked around with this message at 19:23 on Dec 21, 2013 |
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Dec 21, 2013 19:21
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So, every 2-3 months I have to use Drain-O for slow drains on my shower. Am I loving anything up? I'm not terribly concerned about the long-term health of this place, since the owners clearly aren't, either, I just want to make sure I'm not going to, like, destroy the drain on the tub while I'm still here.
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Dec 24, 2013 21:18
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Yeah, especially if you have an older place, there's a good chance you're ruining the pipes. Snake the drain (this is really effective but really gross), and use a hair trap from then on.
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Dec 24, 2013 21:38
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i like nice words
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I thought red bottle draino was relatively docile stuff? It doesn't appear caustic. I have had things like that mess up plated finishes on fixtures though.
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Dec 24, 2013 22:05
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I'm thinking of grabbing a minifridge for my room, living in a house of 7 its hard to pinpoint who is using your condiments and taking your sodas, not to mention the territory disputes on fridge space... Is there a downside to putting a compact fridge directly on carpet? Should I grab some tile to throw under it?
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Dec 24, 2013 22:29
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Leal posted:I'm thinking of grabbing a minifridge for my room, living in a house of 7 its hard to pinpoint who is using your condiments and taking your sodas, not to mention the territory disputes on fridge space... The basic working of a fridge is that it moves heat from inside to outside, so somewhere on the outside of it will get warm. You should probably place it on something that can take some heat at least, and also be careful about the wall behind it.
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Dec 24, 2013 22:39
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Leal posted:I'm thinking of grabbing a minifridge for my room, living in a house of 7 its hard to pinpoint who is using your condiments and taking your sodas, not to mention the territory disputes on fridge space... The fridge is going to be a substantial power drain, so make sure you know what else is going to be on the same circuit. It would suck to discover that your outlets and one of your roommates' outlets are all on the same circuit, so you have a mini fridge you can't actually use.
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Dec 24, 2013 23:24
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My apartment management company requests that we have them come clear any drain blockages, since the building is 110 years+ old. Not sure how old your place is, but maybe see if they'll come do it for you to save the pipes?
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Dec 25, 2013 05:20
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Thanatosian posted:The fridge is going to be a substantial power drain, so make sure you know what else is going to be on the same circuit. It would suck to discover that your outlets and one of your roommates' outlets are all on the same circuit, so you have a mini fridge you can't actually use. This was my old living situation. The entire first floor was on the same circuit, except for the fridge and stove in the kitchen. Any time this one housemate was running her space heater (see: all winter, all the time), it got to where I could run my xbox OR my coffee maker, but not both, unless I wanted to trip the breaker. I would try and get everybody to give you 15 minutes to investigate which rooms/outlets are on which circuit breakers.
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Dec 26, 2013 13:54
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I'm assuming the way to find out which rooms are hooked to what circuits is to go down to the breaker box and start turning stuff off and see what rooms are effected? I should of tried it last night when everyone else was out with their families and my goony self stayed here.
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Dec 26, 2013 19:05
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I've been renting a house for a year and a half. The refrigerator is failing, so I let the landlord know. She said that since we're month-to-month now having completed the lease, replacing or fixing the refrigerator would be my responsibility. (noting I would take said new fridge with me) I asked if she could buy the new one from me when we move out, and she said yes. I'm not a fan of having money tied up like that, but I need a working fridge... I also don't know how to protect myself from getting hosed. Is an email exchange enough?
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Dec 26, 2013 19:18
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That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. She's a bad person.
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Dec 26, 2013 19:21
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Shooting Blanks posted:Someone recommend some sheets to me. I'm looking in the $80-$100 range for nice sheets, hopefully that's enough. I know I'm not going to get any true 1000TC Egyptian cotton whatever for that price, but I'm hoping for something that will last for a few years. FWIW, I live in a warmer climate (Houston), so anything that breathes well would be a plus. If you don't mind waiting around, Woot throws up sheets occasionally. I got some 800TC for $40 a while back, I've seen 1000TC for about $60 on there before.
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Dec 26, 2013 19:23
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I had the same thing with my current apartment. You could run one high powered device at a time otherwise you knocked out half the apt (2 floor 2 bedroom apt). Usually I would mis-coordinate with my roommate and someone would accidentally run the microwave and the wall AC at the same time. The worst part was the building was a duplex and the breakers were all in the basement which could only be accessed through the landlord's floor. So whenever I tripped it I had to get the landlord to come home and reset it. I eventually solved this by putting pressure on him for a few weeks and intentionally tripping it multiple times a day while telling him to fix it. Now it's been upgraded and I never trip the breakers anymore. Thanks for reading my story.
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Dec 26, 2013 19:44
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re: sheets. I never buy sheets I can't touch before buying.glompix posted:I've been renting a house for a year and a half. The refrigerator is failing, so I let the landlord know. She said that since we're month-to-month now having completed the lease, replacing or fixing the refrigerator would be my responsibility. (noting I would take said new fridge with me) What does your lease say about repairs? I have never heard of a landlord not having to replace major appliances because their tenants are month-to-month. Contact a lawyer if you want to protect yourself from getting screwed.
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Dec 26, 2013 20:00
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ladyweapon posted:re: sheets. I never buy sheets I can't touch before buying. This. I bought some sheets on Amazon that had rave reviews, and they didn't feel great and sounded like crumpling paper when I moved. Never again.
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Dec 26, 2013 20:13
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The fridge is definitely the landlord's responsibility, but if that's her attitude you're probably not going to get a new fridge out of her in any case. Normally in these situations the refusal of a landlord to provide essential appliances just results in you getting out of your lease to find a more habitable living arrangement. I don't know if replacing the fridge counts as a "repair" though, in some states you can deduct a certain amount from your rent if you're forced to make repairs because the landlord refuses to do so.
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Dec 26, 2013 20:18
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Before you spend money call the Tenant Services office in your area.
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Dec 26, 2013 20:19
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ladyweapon posted:re: sheets. I never buy sheets I can't touch before buying. When we went month to month, I didn't sign a new lease, and we just kind of kept paying and living here. When I asked her about it she just said month-to-month was okay. I'm not sure if the old lease applies, but I figure there's some kind of law on the books about this. I'll definitely check out tenant services and push back on the fridge a bit. Definitely not carrying an appliance on my credit card for this. I've tried what I could, which is just dust the compressor.
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Dec 27, 2013 03:22
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Leal posted:I'm assuming the way to find out which rooms are hooked to what circuits is to go down to the breaker box and start turning stuff off and see what rooms are effected? I should of tried it last night when everyone else was out with their families and my goony self stayed here.
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Dec 27, 2013 05:22
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glompix posted:I've been renting a house for a year and a half. The refrigerator is failing, so I let the landlord know. She said that since we're month-to-month now having completed the lease, replacing or fixing the refrigerator would be my responsibility. (noting I would take said new fridge with me) And what exactly does your landlord expect will happen if you say "ok, in that case gently caress it, I'm moving out, find a new tenant"? Answer: she'd then eventually have to replace it, no matter what you do. But she thinks she can gently caress you over and make you pay for it even though it's her sole responsibility, and she's possibly right because you're considering doing it. glompix posted:I asked if she could buy the new one from me when we move out, and she said yes. I'm not a fan of having money tied up like that, but I need a working fridge... I also don't know how to protect myself from getting hosed. Is an email exchange enough? January 2015: "I'm moving out. You're gonna buy the fridge now yeah?" "What? No. gently caress you. Get out." "But I have this EMAIL which---" "Do you have a lawyer? Do you have thousands of dollars with which to pay him to sue me?" "Well but the email" "lol bye" showbiz_liz fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Dec 27, 2013 |
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Dec 27, 2013 05:37
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glompix posted:I'll definitely check out tenant services and push back on the fridge a bit. Definitely not carrying an appliance on my credit card for this. I've tried what I could, which is just dust the compressor. That's a good idea, not owning or having to worry about appliances like that is supposed to be one of the benefits of renting.
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Dec 27, 2013 07:35
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Certainly here in the UK just being on a periodic tenancy doesn't absolve the landlord from their repair obligations, and I can't imagine it's different we're you are.
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Dec 27, 2013 10:03
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Thanatosian posted:Find some not-particularly-sensitive device that gives an easily-detected indication that it's getting power (I used my Black & Decker battery charger, you probably shouldn't use your cell phone) and go from plug to plug. It's easiest if you have two people, one to flip switches, the other to check plugs, lights, appliances, etc. (and then label them so you don't have to do it ever again)
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Dec 27, 2013 10:27
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Legally speaking, your landlord can change the terms of your lease on 30 days notice if you are on a month-to-month tenancy. Among these terms would be changing landlord-provided appliances to tenant provided appliances. So, she could give you 30-day notice today that starting a month from now, you'll need your own fridge, but she'd have to provide you a fridge until that notice takes effect. Depending on whether you can find free legal aid and how much of a dick you want to be, you have a variety of legal options at this point, with basically all of them ending in "just move" and none of them ending "with a large cash settlement from the landlord". Your best bet (IMHO) is to convince her to buy you a new fridge because it's the right thing to do, because you'll leave if she doesn't, and then she'll have to buy one anyway. A compromise might be to get a fridge from Rent-A-Center and deduct the cost from the rent, or have her pay the cost direct. (I suspect she doesn't have/doesn't want to spend the $ to get you a new fridge). If you are thinking of deducting this cost from the rent without asking, I wouldn't advise it. Under no circumstances would I advise buying a fridge with the intent of selling it to her after you move out. She has no intention of buying it from you at a fair price, she's shining you on.
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Dec 28, 2013 07:17
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My friends want me to move in with them at a new apartment, but they own a dog and two cats. Is there anything that will reduce the amount of hair clinging to everything?
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Dec 28, 2013 18:53
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Neo Duckberg posted:My friends want me to move in with them at a new apartment, but they own a dog and two cats. Is there anything that will reduce the amount of hair clinging to everything? Not really. All you can do is to resign yourself to the fact that you can't wear anything black ever again.
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Dec 28, 2013 19:23
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razz posted:Not really. All you can do is to resign yourself to the fact that you can't wear anything black ever again. Well gently caress.
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Dec 28, 2013 20:17
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Neo Duckberg posted:My friends want me to move in with them at a new apartment, but they own a dog and two cats. Is there anything that will reduce the amount of hair clinging to everything? We have 3 cats and we keep it under control. It's more work but we vacuum every other day, dust at least weekly, and keep the closets shut. We also try to brush and furminate the cats a few times a month. All that helps but my wife still goes through a couple lint rollers a month. In the likely event you all won't be doing all this... Yeah you're pretty screwed. The hair builds up everywhere.
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Dec 28, 2013 20:41
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Probably the best thing you can do is to keep the animals out of your room. Make sure your door stays shut when you're gone. If your roommates let the pets jump up on the furniture then you're kind of screwed because there will be hair on your clothes whenever you sit there. As suggested, regular vacuuming and dusting will help a lot. Lint rollers are nice for furniture. But I know how having roommates goes and it's not likely that everyone in the house will give that much of a gently caress about pet hair as you do (obviously since they have 3 indoor pets). My husband and I have one cat and we live in a really small place so the cat goes everywhere. I vacuum pretty much every day and got sick of it so we got the cat shaved this summer. She looked ridiculous but it was a glorious 3 months where every surface in the house wasn't covered with long grey cat fur. Her fur is all back now. It's winter but she somehow still manages to shed in clumps. If she lays on the floor there will be a clump of hair there. Blah. In my defense I married into cat ownership, it wasn't my idea 
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Dec 28, 2013 20:52
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Thanatosian posted:So, every 2-3 months I have to use Drain-O for slow drains on my shower. Am I loving anything up? I'm not terribly concerned about the long-term health of this place, since the owners clearly aren't, either, I just want to make sure I'm not going to, like, destroy the drain on the tub while I'm still here. I live in a brand new house and it is in our lease to never ever use drano or anything similar. I have a poo poo ton of hair that falls out when you look at it funny so I use a hair trap in the shower. Like this thing: http://amzn.com/B004L04X5S I had to unscrew and put away the tub stopper mechanism to use the hair trap, so I got one of those flat drain stoppers http://amzn.com/B0039A58HI Sorta like this but cheaper for the rare occasion that we want to take a bath. Finally for removing a hair clog these things rule: Cobra Products 00412BL Zip-It Drain Cleaning Tool http://amzn.com/B000BO9204 It's gross as heck but very effective! Just be careful and definitely wear gloves, not just because ew gross hair clog but also because those barbs are super sharp!
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Dec 30, 2013 16:03
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Randomity posted:Finally for removing a hair clog these things rule: Cobra Products 00412BL Zip-It Drain Cleaning Tool Gross and effective, indeed! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkk0-cReLsM Edit: Good lord, why are some of those people touching it gloveless? 
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Dec 30, 2013 16:35
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I think the main issue with Drain-O is that when it doesn't work, it leaves a bunch of caustic chemicals in the backed-up pipe and makes the plumber's life more annoying. They often have to open a clean-out to snake it and all that nasty stuff comes out. And if you aren't using the nasty chemical kind, it probably isn't doing much anyways.
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Dec 30, 2013 16:36
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