Five Warning Signs of a Bad Landlord
The "I Don't Know" Landlord
You should have a checklist with you, either memorized or even better, on a clipboard that you take along, with several key questions that are important to you. Get answers to those questions - a good landlord will either know the answers off the top of their head, or be able to get it to you in a reasonable length of time. The "I Don't Know" landlord doesn't know the apartment or its amenities well enough, or care enough to know, to be helpful to you after you move in.
The "What a Dump" Landlord
These landlords will show you - anything. In a tight rental market, or with an aggressive property manager, you will probably be looking at an occupied apartment. If that apartment is in a shambles, and the landlord doesn't seem to care - you're in trouble.
You're in even worse trouble if the landlord shows you a vacant apartment which is a total wreck. This sort of landlord really doesn't care, and odds are, won't take care of the apartment after you move in, either.
The "Not This One" Landlord
This landlord shows you an apartment, then tells you that this is not the apartment you will actually be living in, but you will get one "just like it." Even in a brand new building, that is a physical impossibility.
Model apartments are fine if an apartment complex is still under construction - but beware model apartments in a building or complex that is finished. It is easy to maintain and keep up appearances in an apartment in which no one has ever lived, and an entirely different ball game for one that has been occupied.
The worst-case scenario is that the actual apartment you lease will be a total nightmare, with appliances that don't work, carpeting that is a wreck (if there at all), mold and mildew evident - you get the picture. Only agree to rent an apartment that you have actually seen.
The "No Samples" Landlord
You should have an opportunity to review the lease agreement before you sign it. A high pressure landlord will want you to put down your deposit on the spot, without a chance to review the lease. A bad landlord will refuse to give you a sample of his lease, and expect you to sign it unseen by you, or your attorney.
The "I Never Come Here" Landlord
You pull in, the grounds are littered with trash, the parking lot looks like there was a party there this morning, and the FOR RENT sign is covered in graffiti. A good landlord visits their properties on a regular basis, or has someone doing so, and keeps the exterior (at a minimum) spic and span. A landlord who never visits his properties to check on these conditions is unlikely to respond very quickly to your clogged toilet, leaking faucets, or a hole in the roof.
Keep these five warning signs of a bad landlord in mind while shopping for your next apartment, and your next rental experience could be a good one.
Published by W Thomas Payne
25 year pro at marketing, advertising, and writing creative copy to draw the mind and the interest of the reader. Freelance journalist and photographer. Drop me a note if you have a hot news story in centr... View profile
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25 Comments
Post a CommentFor what it is worth....do NOT rent from Chu Kuok "Robert" Wong in Gainesville, FL. He only wants dirt poor uneducated renters because he will try to coerce them out of thier SSI bank cards and foodstamps. He did this to one of my neighbors and several of us had to talk her into cancelling her bank card and requesting a new one with a new PIN because he told her he was keeping her card "for her own benefit." He then proceeded to clean out her bank account because she allegedly owes him back rent. He left her with no money to pay her lights or buy groceries with. This guy does no credit or background checks and half the neighborhood is rented to drug dealers and sex offenders. People let their kids play in the parking lot at 2AM. I have heard them myself. We changed our locks so NO ONE can get into our place unless someone is home. Rumors are flying that this man rents to the drug dealers then takes a portion of the "proceeds" to allow them to deal drugs on
I was recently effectively and unfairly forced out of my home of 5 years at 2219 Elliot Avenue South in the Phillips Neighborhood in south Minneapolis by the new landlords, Antonio Vejas (sp?) and Candace M. Myers. The previous landlord, Joel Mugge, had greedily put the building at risk of foreclosure with $600,000 in additional mortgages of which I was unaware at the time I made the building my home. Further, as Building Superintendent, I had, by my own initiative and largely uncompensated, brought the building and property back to life from an unlivable condition. The rest of the story is told in the following 2 letters that I wrote to Antonio Vejas (sp?) and Candace M. Myers. I will tell you about the other despicable behavior of Mr. Mugge in a later post.
Wednesday 10 March 2010
Dear Antonio & Candace:
I want to welcome you as the new owners and newest residents of the building at 2217-2219 Elliot Avenue South in the Phillips Neighborhood of south Minneapol
As a tenant of the Van De Lay Group, I urge you to rent from anyone else besides this “business.†I usually ignore negative comments posted online because many people who complain about their landlords are mad because he/she was mad when the rent wasn’t received on time and the tenant tries to bash the landlord’s name after that. I will start off by saying that all rent and “broken charges†have been paid on time. After speaking with many other tenants, it is the majority of this property that we would all rather live somewhere else. People have been charged for things they “broke†which were actually installed incorrectly, screamed at by Jeff numerous times for insignificant situations, and have waited six months to have items fixed that, in the contract, he needed to fix in a timely mannor. There are property “managers†at all locations, who are just tenants who get a reduced rent rate by “working†for Jeff. The “work†that is finished is not noticable and
DO NOT RENT FROM GHULAM M ZAMANI IN EL PASO TEXAS. HE HAS "BUILDINGS" ON PULLMAN, AS WELL AS GEORGE DIETER. IF ANYONE CAN BE JUSTIFIABLY CALLED A SLUM LORD.
let me clarify. if you have a problem with your apartment like flooding or roaches or mold the guys will buy cheapo walmart spray for mold or roaches and say they fixed the job. then when the government inxpects it's ok but returns after inspection and says i fixed it. the manager will show up with an overage on utilities and say pay and when you ask to see the original copy he says pay or leave. when the place is flooded the guy won't call a pro. he will suck up all the water and leave fans on the carpet and say i fixed it and the carpet n stinks and has a wierd feel to it. the manager talks bad about tennants who are not white and keeps tennants who are violent to other tennants. but tells the victim tennant to leave. the manager says the tennant can leave if he is being mistreated but says no security deposit and you broke the lease early. the owner will not remove the manager. these apartments are in madison county ky
don,t rent from faulkner properties or lane management in richmond ky
THIS IS A WARNING! ! ! ! THE AD THAT YOU MAY HAVE SEEN ABOUT THE 7 NOYES STREET APARTMENT FOR RENT. IF YOU RENT THERE, YOU ARE ASKING FOR PROBLEMS. THE LANDLORD NEVER GIVES DEPOSITS BACK AND DOES NOT FIX ANYTHING. SHE GOES IN APARTMENT WHEN YOU ARE NOT HOME, GOES THROUGH YOUR THINGS AND HOME TO TRY TO FIND A REASON TO SUE YOU AND/OR EVICT YOU ! ! ! ! SHE DOES NOT TAKE CARE OF ANYTHING. THIS IS CRAZY... SHE SUED A FORMER RENTER. SOME HOW SHE WON IN COURT AND HE IS NOW THE CARETAKER WORKING TO PAY OFF HIS DEBT. HE DOES NOT DESERVE THAT. WAIT... THERE IS MORE..... SHE SUES 8 OUT OF TEN RENTERS/CONTRACTORS EVERY TIME HER APARTMENTS GET RENTED OR WORKED ON. ITS HARD TO BELIEVE CODES HAVE NOT SHUT HER DOWN YET FOR HER UNSAFE AND UNSANITARY DWELLING. I WAS A TENANT OF HER A FEW YEARS AGO AND I STILL HEAR THE NEWS ABOUT HER MESSING WITH PEOPLE MONEY, FAKE RECEIPTS, HARASSMENT, LAW SUITS, HOME INVASION, ETC.
IT DON'T STOP THERE.... SHE SUED THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE APARTMENT BUILDING NEXT TO H
If you rented from Dart Properties in Michigan, and you experienced problems that were unfair and you were treated poorly, even though you paid your rent on time, I would like to hear from you.
These may include unexplained eviction threats, unrealistic charges for damage after leaving, aggressive requests to testify in court against other tenants, rude treatment from the office staff, incorrect information before leasing, lack of support from the office staff to resolve problems, problems with unit such as excessive repeated repairs, and/or corporate office administration rudeness as well as anything else that might be of interest. If you were seriously delinquent on your rent or had drug evictions against you in this community, this is not for you.
Dart Properties (Michigan) owns Oak Hill Apartments in Shelby Twp/Utica, Lauren Valley and Shoal Creek in Sterling Heights, and Hidden Lakes in Clarkston. The corporate office is on Dequindre in Sterling Heights.
I am seeking legal
How about being charged $50.00 for a quarter size nick in a door that you made while falling unconscious to your possible death caused by your landlords maintenance team not repairing a gas leak in your home. Full story is here. Please stop by and please sign the petition while you're there. http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Lnaturalgas.htm I bet that door is still there today with a little dab of wood putty and a little dab of stain. $50.00 for a $5.00 job.
I wish I would have seen this before I rented the place I am at! This guy spies on us, shows up unannounced, has showed up 4 times this week alone to do an "inspection" before we move out. Thank God we are moving out within a week!