I am trying to move into a new apartment. The building that I live in now was purchased in August and we are under new ownership. The problem is, when the owner of the building that I am trying to move into now called my current landlords for a reference, they stated that all of the records before August when they purchased the building were stredded by the previous owners so they have no information on my rental history. I have tried calling the businesses that my previous landlords family owns to get in touch with her, bt have not been successful so far. Aren't there any legal regulations to this or does anyone with experience have a suggestion as to what I could do to get a reference, etc. or options for me. Thanks
2007-11-15 02:37:00 · 6 answers · asked by CaramelSunshine 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Renting & Real Estate
There is no legal requirement that a business give a reference to any other business. In this case, the current landlord will get no benefit from giving a reference and if perhaps there is an error in the records that they did not know about, can put themselves at a legal risk!
For example, if the previous landlord had not promptly recorded rent payments, the history may show that you were consistently late on your rent, even if you paid on time or early! The prior landlord would know about the recording issue, and the reference they give would be adjusted accordingly. If the new landlord were to give a bad reference, even if it was given in good faith, based on the information they have, they can be sued for deformation!
Do you have canceled checks or rent receipts? You should be able to show them to the landlord of the property where you are trying to move, and prove your payment history!! You may be able to get copies of canceled checks from your bank, or even print them through the bank's on line service!!
2007-11-15 03:13:21 · answer #1 · answered by fire4511 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Do you have a copy of your lease? At least with that you can show how long you've been in your current apartment. If you don't have that, ask if they'll take copies of cancelled checks. While it would be nice if they could actually get a reference, I think that if you prove how long you've had the lease and you must be an okay tenant because you're still there... I'd talk to the prospective landlord and see what they'll accept. Clearly, since they've already heard from the current landlord that the old one shredded the records, you don't have to prove that you didn't cause the problem.
2007-11-15 03:01:19 · answer #2 · answered by pag2809 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Not only are past owners not required to maintain tenant records, but they're not required to give you a reference even IF they have the records. Giving a reference is purely a business courtesy.
You can attempt to contact the former landlord, but there's no guarantee she will provide a reference, especially in the absence of any records from which to work. You can also provide what little reference the current landlords will give, and explain the situation to the management of the new property.
2007-11-15 04:07:47 · answer #3 · answered by acermill 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Think about this. A rental is an investment property. What logical reason would there be to "shred" records pertaining to one's investment? It's just not normally done. Such records would be kept for at least five years for tax purposes. My opinion is that they just don't want to be bothered.
Of course, if the property was managed by a property manager, then all bets are off- those records MUST be kept by law.
In a case like this, what I would like to see is:
(a) copy of lease showing amount of rent and deposit
(b) bank records showing your rent checks and when they were cashed
(c) record of when deposit was returned and put in your bank account.
I could glean enough info from that to be quite useful.
2007-11-16 02:03:53 · answer #4 · answered by Sagebrush Kid 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, you is merely not responsible. If there are liens on the valuables, the LL could pay them off in the previous merchandising. Get a identify seek to locate any liens or claims against the valuables. Then, purchase identify seek coverage to shelter your self incase the identify seek misses something. the two those steps are beneficial each time you purchase a belongings.
2016-09-29 07:10:00 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that was a business decision, there is no requirements for any landlord to retain past rental information.
2007-11-15 02:45:43 · answer #6 · answered by Jan Luv 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋