The fees, omg the fees! (apartment, rental, mortgage)

[hitpausebutton2]

So you apt and housing people.. Whats the deal with $100+ application fees for a 25 dollar background and credit blood check, only to be telling the person no. and give no reason.

reason i ask, just my sister decided to move here with to be close to me last week and spent over 500 dollars in application fees only to get told no.. One did give a reason and rest didnt.. reason was no rental history here or back home. She got divorce and waiting on her home to sell.. till then she has to rent.. Lucky i got a room here for her till she can find a place, but that 500 can be use for a good down payment on something.. If your going to tell somebody NO, least give their money back or half it..

[A-Tex]

Originally Posted by hitpausebutton2

So you apt and housing people.. Whats the deal with $100+ application fees for a 25 dollar background and credit blood check, only to be telling the person no. and give no reason.

reason i ask, just my sister decided to move here with to be close to me last week and spent over 500 dollars in application fees only to get told no.. One did give a reason and rest didnt.. reason was no rental history here or back home. She got divorce and waiting on her home to sell.. till then she has to rent.. Lucky i got a room here for her till she can find a place, but that 500 can be use for a good down payment on something.. If your going to tell somebody NO, least give their money back or half it..

The fact that a prospective tenant ends up not being credit worthy doesn't change the fact that the landlord spent the money on the background check and resources showing the property, taking and reviewing the application etc. But of course you're the person who believes property owners should eat their property tax and other expense increases to provide cheap rent.

[10scoachrick]

Dang

[hitpausebutton2]

Originally Posted by A-Tex

The fact that a prospective tenant ends up not being credit worthy doesn't change the fact that the landlord spent the money on the background check and resources showing the property, taking and reviewing the application etc. But of course you're the person who believes property owners should eat their property tax and other expense increases to provide cheap rent.

Sad thing is, they really didnt give a tour.. well 2 of them gave her the "demo" apt. But fact is she is out of 500 bucks for 5 min application and 5 min tour. Money could been spent on her deposit/first month payment. Just because she didnt have history here in texas shouldn't disqualify her.

[Austinite76]

Originally Posted by hitpausebutton2

Sad thing is, they really didnt give a tour.. well 2 of them gave her the "demo" apt. But fact is she is out of 500 bucks for 5 min application and 5 min tour. Money could been spent on her deposit/first month payment. Just because she didnt have history here in texas shouldn't disqualify her.

If that's what she told you the reason was, she lied. There's people that move here constantly that were homeowners in the area they're moving from, or have no rental history in Texas (or anywhere for that matter).

And if you don't like the place so much, why move your sister here too?

[centralaustinite]

There are a lot of tricks and turns to the rental process and it varies WIDELY from state to state! At least in Texas you don't have to provide first and last's month's rent as a security deposit, that is common in many places and it is a serious chunk of change.

$75 is a more typical application fee but $100 isn't unheard of, that is why you shouldn't fill out more than one at a time and only fill out an application if you are seriously interested in an apartment. You can usually get a tour without filling out an application. The application fee clearly states that it is a nonrefundable fee.

Not having any rental history can be a serious obstacle, how is her mortgage payment history? Car loan history? It is hard to rent here without a current employer and less than stellar credit.

[JackGriffin]

The process can be challenging and expensive, but you can't just throw money away and then complain that you threw money away. Ask the approval criteria before applying. You should have a pretty good idea of whether or not you qualify before spending any money. If there are special considerations, get them worked out before applying. Maybe try to rent from an individual who may give some leeway, instead of from a large company?

[rangergrit]

What is a "credit blood check"?

[Trainwreck20]

I don't know the actual costs, but based on the huge percent increase in application fees over the years, I expect there is a little profiteering going on - either by the management companies or the background agencies (or both).

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by rangergrit

What is a "credit blood check"?

They make sure you have good blood in the blood bank....