Found a cute place near Tempe that advertised water, trash, and sewer included for $1,100 a month. Turns out the AC runs nonstop in July and my electric bill hit $245 on top of that, plus the landlord added a $50 'shared maintenance fee' that was buried in the lease fine print. I asked him about it in the hallway and he just shrugged and said 'it's in the agreement, everyone pays it.' Has anyone else gotten burned by these hidden add-ons after signing, or do you have a way to spot them before you commit?
I was set to sign for a unit in Portland that looked great in photos, but when I drove by on a Tuesday at 4pm, the parking lot was full of semi trucks idling and the 'quiet courtyard' turned out to be a loading dock. The ad said 'no commercial activity nearby,' which was a total lie. I crossed that place off my list and started checking every listing at random hours before even scheduling a tour. Has anyone else had a landlord try to hide something that only shows up during work hours?
After my landlord tried to keep my full $1,400 deposit over 'paint wear' that was clearly there before I moved in, I started photographing every single wall and outlet cover with a dated newspaper next to it on move-in day, and when I showed those photos to the property manager she suddenly found the paperwork to release my full amount, so has anyone else had to pull the dated-evidence move to win a deposit dispute?
I spotted a renters insurance requirement in my new lease and almost signed it without reading the fine print. It said my coverage had to be at least 100k liability, but I only had 25k. Called my agent, bumped it up for 9 dollars a month, and when my neighbor's pipe burst last month, the landlord tried to bill me for water damage until I pointed out the lease actually put that on the building. Took a lawyer friend 20 minutes to confirm I was off the hook. Anyone else catch a sneaky clause that worked in their favor?
He told another agent that people with storage units are hoarders or flaky, but I've had a unit for 5 years because my last place was 400 sq ft and I already paid $200 a month for it, so which side are you on, do landlords actually screen for that or is this guy just nuts?
My cousin swore that offering the full $1,200 asking on a one-bedroom near the bus line would seal the deal. Landlord took it, then told me the next day he found someone who paid three months upfront, so I lost the place and the $50 application fee. Has anyone else had landlords pull the bait-and-switch after accepting an offer?
I kept losing out on places because I'd tour at noon like everyone else. Last week I asked a landlord for a 7am viewing of a duplex in Cleveland and he said yes, probably because nobody ever asks. We walked through while the street was empty and I noticed the upstairs neighbor's dog barking, which I would've missed during rush hour. I signed the lease that morning before the open house even happened. Has anyone else tried off-hours tours to dodge the crowd and catch real noise issues?
Last month I found a rent-stabilized 1BR in Astoria for $1,400, which is unheard of. The landlord said there was a background check fee through a third party site. Paid it, got a receipt, then the guy ghosted me for a week. Turns out the real management company never heard of him, and the listing was pulled from a dead site. Now I only pay fees in person with a lease in hand, and I Google the address plus the management name first. Has anyone else gotten burned by a fake rental ad that looked totally legit?
I was hunting in Columbus last month and kept seeing these listings with a shiny verified badge next to the landlord name, figured it had to be some kind of background check. First place I toured, the guy couldn't even show me the unit because he'd already rented it to someone else but forgot to take the ad down, and the second one wanted a $1,200 deposit before I could even see the lease. Has anyone else run into this where the badge is just a paid perk from the listing site, or did I just get unlucky twice in a row?
Last month I moved into a place in Columbus and the lease said a garage spot came with the unit. Three weeks in I noticed my key fob only opened the main door, not the garage gate, and the manager kept saying maintenance would fix it. I finally read the lease line by line and found the spot was listed as 'optional' in a tiny rider I skimmed at signing. I had paid $75 a month extra for nothing, so I got it removed and put that cash toward a storage unit instead. Has anyone else had a landlord sneak a charge into the fine print like that?