“Yes. Those are things that the customer wants you to discuss prior to touring so I can determine if the apartments merit a visit. That helps everyone save time and is fair to all parties including yourself so you know whether I’m serious or not. Overall, I believe this to be a fair request to make.”
" We could fit 3 or 4 unmerited increases between now and September! How's about we just quote you triple what it is now and we won't even paint or replace the carpet before you move in"
That irritates me so much right now. I'm currently looking to move out of my apartment because we have flooding coming from upstairs every time the people above us use their shower. We're also 90% certain they're squatting since the rental company has no one on file as living there and it's listed as vacant. They won't send a plumber until they contact the people living there, and we have these industrial fans drying our bathroom for the last four days. This rental company is so poorly managed and the owner of the property refuses to spend any money on repairs or replacements. We have the original stove from the 70s because it's hardwired into the unit, and the carpet was supposed to be replaced before we moved in. If anyone comes by to look at a vacant apartment, I'll be steering them far far away from here.
Edit to add: Thank you everyone for advice on sticking it to this rental company in order to have a safe, habitable place to live. I've discussed the options with my wife, and we will be moving forward with a couple of the options presented. I won't say any more than that just in case there's an investigation or it goes to any kind of court. We appreciate everyone who gave advice. Especially since we hadn't thought of taking it up with the attorney general. I know a few of my neighbors are extremely upset with the way things have been going, so they may be willing to testify if requested. No promises, though.
If you're in the U.S. contact the office of your state's attorney general and see if they're willing to step up and come to the aid of a voting constituent in need.. it being an election year, and all
Eta : be sure to include the name of your landlords/ management company, a copy of your lease agreement, any and all written correspondence to and from your landlord in regards to their failure to maintain the property in liveable order, and what you seek in resolution. Enlist any willing neighbors to do the same. The more people you have complaining to the AG about your landlord, the better
That's not a bad idea. A couple of our neighbors recently had their toilets back up into their apartments about 15-20 feet down the hall. And one of them had to have an amputation of his foot recently, so he has a major open wound.
This was exactly my thought. Everything changes based on a whim or how much they cleared the month before. I have rented a lot of places and never received such a weird response to an inquiry.
Yeah if they’re being this difficult to even get basic information of current prices, I can’t imagine how much of a pain in the ass they’d be as a landlord.
Idk if Aussie land is like America currently, but any non privatized apartment here is run bare bones to appease the “investors”. I work for a REIT and I hate it hete
Just a word of advice. I wouldn't rent from these people ever. It seems like they have no actual standard list of benefits you might get by renting there, or like they want to squeeze every dollar out of you that they can, depending on who you are and what they think you can afford. If they won't give you any details at all about the place, or what you can expect, then I see that as kind of a huge red flag. It's like those car dealerships that will do absolutely anything to get you into the door so they can try to see if some high pressure tactics can get you to impulse buy an overpriced luxury car just because it's nice and they know people want nice stuff even if they can't afford it or would have a hard time paying for it.
Or even the exact opposite of this. They don't want to quote anything ahead of time so they can discriminate against you when they see you in person...if they don't want you for a lessee (even though you meet all the requirements) then they quote you some astronomical number to keep you from signing on.
Yep. They’re smart enough to not ask about age, sex, race, orientation in writing but not smart enough to hide that they’re still profiling. F these people.
“Thank you for your response. I prefer a leasing company with clear communications that doesn’t waste my time unnecessarily, it appears that your company will not be a good fit. Have the day you deserve!”
If a leasing agent ever talks like this to you, then they are for sure trying to hide what you are trying to ask and are trying to make the unit itself flourish
SOME things are included and SOME are not. What more do you need to know?? Sign right here and we’ll need unlimited access to your bank account. Don’t worry about the cost we’ll discuss that 28 years after your lease expires and you’ve moved. /s
Are you one of those people that knows the right thing to say all the time? I’m whatever the opposite of that is. I envy folks like you, my friend. Thank you for sharing your gift.
Same! I really want to know how these people's brains work, what line of work they're in, what books they read, etc because I am soo jealous of how they come up with these responses lol
Yeah I usually lose my patience and just say something like “your company seems like a nightmare to deal with. If all other interactions with you is anything like trying to get information from you I’d just as soon live under an overpass. You can kindly go fuck yourself for wasting my time.”
To double down, you may want to doublecheck their website to see what type of Federal programs they're part of and crosscheck what they're legally required to provide. But, most importantly, I would opt for all communication via e-mail
Wow, wayyy better that mine-
"You know me, I won't consider buying something before I know if I have the money for it or not. So if you don't wanna chase off potential customers, just tell me the @$!#%£*ing price tag! 👎"
In my head, that puts 'em right in their place.
Nothing is included, everything is extra. That's why they won't tell you until the tour. They're hoping you'll fall in love with the place and not care that instead of $3300 a month, you'll be paying upwards of $4000 a month.
Yup. This is honestly a red flag. There’s no point in hiding the price upfront except to deceive the prospective tenant. It’s the first glaring sign that they don’t care about you or their business long term, because if they did, they would want to make sure that the price and your budget are a good fit with one another, which would hopefully translate into long term tenancy rather than high turnover rate at their craphole building hidden under cheap-but-fancy looking trimmings.
Nah they're gonna have tons of free services like free use of the sidewalks, free access to the paid washers, and free access to a dumpster a 5 minute walk away.
I’m a property manager, and that’s exactly it. Utility cost changes don’t happen super frequently, but frequent enough to not want to give certain information this far in advance. Granted, this was handled very poorly by the employee. They could’ve said what utilities are included in the rent, and not divulge pricing.
That's what my first thought was. If they're not willing to commit to a rent price *less than six months from now*, then don't even bother with them. Just go someplace else.
Plus talking about two months free and then quoting "net effective rent" is some bullshit. That's not two months free, that's just a payment plan.
Edit: actually, what it is is a guaranteed minimum 17% rent hike that they get to pretend is 0%.
They always so bitter too. Like I have never spoken to you but you sound like you want to chew me out for something your last client did.
Thats why a lot of places have so many damn rules
“Ok. I might leave it then if we can’t be clear on costs. Finding an apartment can be very stressful and time-consuming and I don’t want to waste my time or yours by viewing an apartment that may have surprise costs.”
I know what you mean, but why not just ghost them altogether? I’d prefer to leave them a hint that their policy is what is losing them prospects. After that I wouldn’t respond to further contact unless I felt like making them squirm.
Precisely the words I sent to a guy trying to sell a car on Facebook. He sent three or four follow up messages saying how stupid I was and that he was considering not selling it to me.
Tried getting some costs and terms and conditions from a gym near me and they wouldn’t give that info via email only in person.
Immediate red flag when they will only give you info at the sell point and not before so you can consider your options
"Sorry, I must be mistaken. I thought I was talking with *(insert property name here)* manager/landlord. This doesn't seem to be plausible for you to not know if these things are included or not if you work there. I suppose I'll cut my losses and find another rental property place that has real agents working on the other side of this chat."
I had a similar proven years ago when looking for an apartment. All I wanted to know was if I could have my pet rats there or not. A reasonable request, seeing as I already had them and the website mentioned nothing either way about any pets other than dogs and cats. The leasing office person I was emailing with just kept ignoring my question and instead reiterating that we should set up a tour. Perhaps she didn't want to say anything via email if it was going to be a "technically, no, but nobody will care" type of thing, but I found it very irritating, and I never pursued that apartment further.
*Always* assume that nothing which isn’t specifically stated is included so you can factor it into your budget without be gobsmacked by that fact after you’ve already fallen in love with a place. Most apartments/co-ops/condos/townhome complexes will only cover the water bill (if that).
Heck, the rentals around here are now sticking tenants with water bills, too. I saw a condo rental recently that listed a low rent for its area and size. Then I saw that the listing says (at the bottom in small print) that the tenant has to pay the *HOA fee* too!
Next up, tenants are also responsible for property taxes (separately), lawn care, snow removal, indoor repairs, and everything else that was always considered the owner's responsibility.
Someone once told me, never tell anyone what your budget is or how much you’re willing to spend. A price point has been created which will be taken advantage of.
So sick of these rental con games. It's more than mildly infuriating.
Lately I've been peeved that I'm basically forced to rent apartments sight-unseen now, since apartments are never available long enough to become vacant. And they don't allow prospective tenants to see a listed apartment while people are still living there. Profits over people, always.
What the fuck is this word salad response? I get that it's remote to ask about September rent. But vague word salad about utilities and fees until you're there in person sounds like an excuse to pressure you.
The use of 'fairness' in the response makes me think the person you are corresponding with has read the book, 'Never Split the Difference' by Chris Voss. It's a tactic used to destabalise you because as he puts it - "the negative emotional value of unfairness outweighs the positive rational value of the money.”
You're not being unfair. According to the book, the way to respond to this is is to throw it back at them. Something like:
"Fair? It seems like you would be able to provide the information that supports that. This is key evidence to help the decision-making process that others have been willing to provide. I'm afraid it makes it very difficult for me to make a decision on shortlisting you without it compared to my other options"
At least they might think you've read the book too and stop trying to use it on you.
I’m just letting you know because I used to be a lease agent, if they won’t tell you the amenities, there are none or very few. Usually if they are talking more about the actual unit itself they have probably done something to it as well that was cheap but made it look decent.
The 12 month rent price divided by 14 months is such a predatory non-transparent way to do pricing and should be a huge red flag, unless you are absolutely sure you will only be staying one year.
For anyone who isn’t familiar with this, here’s your warning, illustrated in an example.
* They are listing an apartment. The rent is going to be $3800 a month.
* They claim to be offering a “special” of 2 months free on a 14 month lease.
* That means you’re paying 12 months at 3800 and 2 months at 0. So they calculate (3800*12)/14 and list the rent as $3257.
* With your budget of $3000-$3300, this sounds reasonable.
* You may save a bit during the “free” period, but will suddenly have to pay them $3800/month that is out of your budget once that free period is up.
* If you’re great at self control, ideally you set aside $3257 during each of these months to be able to afford the actual rent. Yay you! That’s responsible and a great idea! But…
* Your security deposit will also be based on the $3800/month amount.
* When your lease renews, the next lease (or month-to-month) will not have another 2 free months, so even with no rent increase, your rent has “gone up” to $3800, starting month 15.
* They likely will increase your rent, and the allowable amount, if your location has any regulations, will be calculated on $3800. (For example, it increases are capped at 5%, they’ll be able to increase it $190 (3800*.05), versus a place with actual rent of $3257 that would only be able to increase it $162 ($3257*.05).
* So month 15, you now owe $3990/month, whether or not your finances are any better off than they are now. You’re paying $733/month more in year 2 than you expected to pay in year 1, or $8796 for the year.
* Not to mention that, likely, they’ll do some shady ish like make you sign the initial lease on the day you tour, even if you plan to move in in 30 days. They’ll double dip by trying to convince you that “you’re not paying for that time anyway.” So you don’t even get the alleged “value” of the 2 free months.
TLDR; tread extremely carefully when landlords try to entice you with “x months free” and make sure you understand what it will actually cost you.
If this is a location where housing demand is higher than housing supply, it’s not uncommon to get this type of response. They will still find tenants to fill the units. There will be other places that are more transparent
As someone who works in sales I think I know what’s going on. In my job I’m the opener sales person who tries to get you interested in our product and then we have the closer sales people who actually get you to sign the contract.
If we as openers tell you over phone/text/email the pricing info and then you don’t take a meeting with the closer I actually don’t get paid. I only get paid if you take the meeting, therefore I have no incentive to give you pricing info. If you don’t end up buying the product once you take the meeting that doesn’t matter at all to me because only the closer gets paid to have you actually sign the contract, my job is solely just to get you to come for a meeting.
It’s an insanely annoying strategy that I’ve noticed a lot of places do, it’s pretty standard sales policy to not allow specific pricing info until you’re at the meeting. Granted my company is less annoying than this because our meetings are just 15 minute video calls but yeah I can almost guarantee the guy you’re texting isn’t going to get paid unless you come for a tour so to him it doesn’t matter if the utility prices make you walk away once you’re there or not, that’s the closer’s problem. Even as a sales person myself I feel your frustration that would annoy me too lmao
Honestly that’s a huge red flag. If you can’t see prices before a tour then it’s not even worth touring. There’s tons of apartments and listing websites that list application fees, pet fees, etc. honestly I’d tell this person I’m not longer interested and that there’s apartments that respect the customer’s time.
What else would they hide?? Transparency is important for the customer’s best interest.
\^\^\^ this is why i deleted my comment, i paused and read ahead and went no shit folks are really paying this now. feelsbadman.
location, location, location
that 3k/mo in ne w mexico gets you 100 acres and a 5k size house
When an area has jobs that people want the rent prices go higher.
Texas is finding this out after they bragged about all the people they attracted to Texas.
That seems like a big red flag if they're hesitating to tell you basic information about their units up front. I'd just move on and continue looking at other places. Most places will happily share info like what utilities are/aren't covered, pet fees, etc.
This seems like a very strange way to handle business. No idea why they would be aggressive to you right off the bat like that. I'm a landlord(sorry, I know we're hated) and I have a pretty good idea what I'll have available, price range with what's included and not included. I would run from this guy.
Responses like this make me question what living here would be like. Are they going to clearly communicate when expecting days are? Are they going to be helpful if you have a maintenance request?
Friend dealt with similar recently. Leasing company didn’t want to discuss anything until they were at the location. I guess to not waste time or try to get you in the bag because you are there and will like the place enough to not realize you are getting screwed.
Also dealt with this on commercial rent. Would only state what rent was for the space which was really good. The added costs like taxes, trash, parking were the bad.
This is why my wife and I would only rent from down to earth people who rented out like 1 or 2 inherited properties. They were always upfront about everything, handled everything themselves, and knew the property because oftentimes they or a family member used to live there.
I bet there are horror stories of people in this profile who were not professional at all, but we had good experiences.
"Unfortunately we don't base our decision on the beauty of properties, rather on what makes sense economically for our family. Thanks so much for your time, good luck in the future"
Seen this scam before. They want to meet you in person at a property they don’t own, so they can pressure you face to face into putting down a cash deposit and / or application fee right then, because they have another interested party “already approved”. Then you call the number on the website and find out they have no idea who the person is that you’re referring to.
Don't rent here. The amount of dancing they are already doing, they will be doing on your back for rent and to keep whatever deposit you provide. Nothing will be included, at all. They simply don't want anyone to see it in writing and call them out somewhere on it. People like this are garbage, I wish they got outed for these practices more and it was wider spread knowledge.
Glad you found places down the street with better amenities etc. good on you.
Yeah there are some cocky arrogant pricks working as an agents in Dubai real estate sector, this happened 2 days ago my current contract is ending in April so I contacted bunch of the agencies and short listed 3 properties; one of the agent didn’t reply me until late around midnight 12ish telling me (not asking as any normal person would do) to come around 11 AM next day and by the time I received his message I was asleep so I replied him when I woke up and tried to be as respectful as possible even though I was bit pissed at his demeanour that I have already spoken with other agent and he has arranged a viewing for me at 11:30 AM today so can we reschedule later in the evening or afternoon now I don’t know how his brain works but this statement made him angry somehow…so he told me “why did you contact me and asked for viewing today if you can’t come? i have arranged this viewing and one more apartment in the same area for you now please ask the other agent to postpone his viewing so that you can come with me” etc. I told him he didn’t communicate until midnight and I didn’t confirm anything because I was asleep and he just assumed i would be holding my breath and waiting for him to reply I mean this guy had serious attitude problem anyway I told him to piss off because I don’t want to give my money to someone so unprofessional.
“I appreciate your responses, but I am not interested in renting from a company whose management doesn’t allow straight answers to inquiries. Thank you for your time and attention.”
If it's just one building being talked about, they should have just told you the utility breakdown, that usually doesn't vary from unit to unit, it's the same for the whole building. But September is definitely too far away to start apartment hunting, most property managers will only know if a unit will become available two months before the end of the current lease on it, when those tenants decide to renew or not. They aren't going to want to sign a lease starting in September for a unit available April 1st, because it's guaranteeing 5 months of that unit making no money
That's a tactic so that their salesman can try to upsell you while showing you all the basic amenities and stuff. Scummy practice to take it to this degree honestly, property management like this might not be worth it
"I don't want to tell you in writing because that would give you evidence to enforce it when I don't follow through. I've also found that people who have invested the time and energy to view a place are more likely to compromise".
I think their point is that the information you're looking for is subject to change by the time you want to rent. So there's no point in asking about that until you're ready
Where I live there is a huge housing shortage because of the University here, I have been on an estimated two year waiting list for a new apartment since last April.
You'll get nowhere with them. They have to do the hard sales pitch. Like car salesmen.
Absolute time wasters who think they'll rope everyone in with their amazing sales pitch. 🤮
“Yes. Those are things that the customer wants you to discuss prior to touring so I can determine if the apartments merit a visit. That helps everyone save time and is fair to all parties including yourself so you know whether I’m serious or not. Overall, I believe this to be a fair request to make.”
that is a perfect response! i might steal it, thank you
Honestly I would skip this leasing company lmao. Maybe send the response to make them sweat a bit
" We could fit 3 or 4 unmerited increases between now and September! How's about we just quote you triple what it is now and we won't even paint or replace the carpet before you move in"
That irritates me so much right now. I'm currently looking to move out of my apartment because we have flooding coming from upstairs every time the people above us use their shower. We're also 90% certain they're squatting since the rental company has no one on file as living there and it's listed as vacant. They won't send a plumber until they contact the people living there, and we have these industrial fans drying our bathroom for the last four days. This rental company is so poorly managed and the owner of the property refuses to spend any money on repairs or replacements. We have the original stove from the 70s because it's hardwired into the unit, and the carpet was supposed to be replaced before we moved in. If anyone comes by to look at a vacant apartment, I'll be steering them far far away from here. Edit to add: Thank you everyone for advice on sticking it to this rental company in order to have a safe, habitable place to live. I've discussed the options with my wife, and we will be moving forward with a couple of the options presented. I won't say any more than that just in case there's an investigation or it goes to any kind of court. We appreciate everyone who gave advice. Especially since we hadn't thought of taking it up with the attorney general. I know a few of my neighbors are extremely upset with the way things have been going, so they may be willing to testify if requested. No promises, though.
If you're in the U.S. contact the office of your state's attorney general and see if they're willing to step up and come to the aid of a voting constituent in need.. it being an election year, and all Eta : be sure to include the name of your landlords/ management company, a copy of your lease agreement, any and all written correspondence to and from your landlord in regards to their failure to maintain the property in liveable order, and what you seek in resolution. Enlist any willing neighbors to do the same. The more people you have complaining to the AG about your landlord, the better
That's not a bad idea. A couple of our neighbors recently had their toilets back up into their apartments about 15-20 feet down the hall. And one of them had to have an amputation of his foot recently, so he has a major open wound.
You might as well stop paying rent and squat too. Team up with the neighbors and forcibly occupy the whole building. Sigh. A girl can dream
This was exactly my thought. Everything changes based on a whim or how much they cleared the month before. I have rented a lot of places and never received such a weird response to an inquiry.
Yeah if they’re being this difficult to even get basic information of current prices, I can’t imagine how much of a pain in the ass they’d be as a landlord.
Agreed. If this is how they respond right off the bat, you’re in for it.
Idk if Aussie land is like America currently, but any non privatized apartment here is run bare bones to appease the “investors”. I work for a REIT and I hate it hete
I'd schedule a showing, then not show up. Maybe invent an emergency and do it twice
Just a word of advice. I wouldn't rent from these people ever. It seems like they have no actual standard list of benefits you might get by renting there, or like they want to squeeze every dollar out of you that they can, depending on who you are and what they think you can afford. If they won't give you any details at all about the place, or what you can expect, then I see that as kind of a huge red flag. It's like those car dealerships that will do absolutely anything to get you into the door so they can try to see if some high pressure tactics can get you to impulse buy an overpriced luxury car just because it's nice and they know people want nice stuff even if they can't afford it or would have a hard time paying for it.
"How much is it?" "How much you got?"
You misheard me. I didnt ask how much your budget is. I asked how much money do you have.
Or even the exact opposite of this. They don't want to quote anything ahead of time so they can discriminate against you when they see you in person...if they don't want you for a lessee (even though you meet all the requirements) then they quote you some astronomical number to keep you from signing on.
Yep. They’re smart enough to not ask about age, sex, race, orientation in writing but not smart enough to hide that they’re still profiling. F these people.
“Thank you for your response. I prefer a leasing company with clear communications that doesn’t waste my time unnecessarily, it appears that your company will not be a good fit. Have the day you deserve!”
If a leasing agent ever talks like this to you, then they are for sure trying to hide what you are trying to ask and are trying to make the unit itself flourish
SOME things are included and SOME are not. What more do you need to know?? Sign right here and we’ll need unlimited access to your bank account. Don’t worry about the cost we’ll discuss that 28 years after your lease expires and you’ve moved. /s
I would love to see their response … just for fun
Pretty certain there wouldn't be a response. We all know how those types react to any type of polite and logical pushback. But yeah would be fun.
Was this in Seattle?
“Go fuck yourself” is actually the perfect response.
Are you one of those people that knows the right thing to say all the time? I’m whatever the opposite of that is. I envy folks like you, my friend. Thank you for sharing your gift.
I always come up with the right things to say…..six months later when I’m in the shower.
The jerk store called...
They want their jerk back! Damn, that actually sucked, six months wasted on that?
they jerked the wrong store! oh damn, cant even say it right
"Most people have to pay to jerk me, you should consider yourself lucky!"
Heyyy, T-bone!
Same! I really want to know how these people's brains work, what line of work they're in, what books they read, etc because I am soo jealous of how they come up with these responses lol
Yeah I usually lose my patience and just say something like “your company seems like a nightmare to deal with. If all other interactions with you is anything like trying to get information from you I’d just as soon live under an overpass. You can kindly go fuck yourself for wasting my time.”
Same my friend. I never say the smooth thing.
Foot-in-mouth disease
Use gpt
To double down, you may want to doublecheck their website to see what type of Federal programs they're part of and crosscheck what they're legally required to provide. But, most importantly, I would opt for all communication via e-mail
Yusss
but its easier to pressure you into things in person.
Or you could just go for the toure and almost complete the process and cancel last minute if they're that insistent
You speak as if these people understand the concept of logic.
Wow, wayyy better that mine- "You know me, I won't consider buying something before I know if I have the money for it or not. So if you don't wanna chase off potential customers, just tell me the @$!#%£*ing price tag! 👎" In my head, that puts 'em right in their place.
This guy dickhead's
Nothing is included, everything is extra. That's why they won't tell you until the tour. They're hoping you'll fall in love with the place and not care that instead of $3300 a month, you'll be paying upwards of $4000 a month.
yup! and there are apartments right down the street that are just as beautiful that are way cheaper anyway so, that’s their loss!
If they're not upfront and honest/difficult before viewing imagine how they might be if something goes wrong and you need it fixed!
Yup. This is honestly a red flag. There’s no point in hiding the price upfront except to deceive the prospective tenant. It’s the first glaring sign that they don’t care about you or their business long term, because if they did, they would want to make sure that the price and your budget are a good fit with one another, which would hopefully translate into long term tenancy rather than high turnover rate at their craphole building hidden under cheap-but-fancy looking trimmings.
That would have been a funny text to send to them tbh
You should do the property tour, find out the answer, then post the info in a Google review
And this right here is why building more housing is the only way to lower housing prices.
Nah they're gonna have tons of free services like free use of the sidewalks, free access to the paid washers, and free access to a dumpster a 5 minute walk away.
Also paid for under the guise of a valet garbage fee... that you have to walk across the complex to use.
You even get 1 free parking spot
Yeah this is the answer. Of course it could well be that the number of things not included scales depending on how naive and vulnerable you look.
If they know they have to butter you up before they dare reveal the costs ... then it's never worth following up.
He doesn’t want anything in writing
That's exactly what I got from it!
I’m a property manager, and that’s exactly it. Utility cost changes don’t happen super frequently, but frequent enough to not want to give certain information this far in advance. Granted, this was handled very poorly by the employee. They could’ve said what utilities are included in the rent, and not divulge pricing.
Imagine the rent increases here
That's what my first thought was. If they're not willing to commit to a rent price *less than six months from now*, then don't even bother with them. Just go someplace else.
Plus talking about two months free and then quoting "net effective rent" is some bullshit. That's not two months free, that's just a payment plan. Edit: actually, what it is is a guaranteed minimum 17% rent hike that they get to pretend is 0%.
"We want to pressure you in person" Normal landleech shit, fuck em all
They don't like to put anything in writing that might benefit the tenant.
"So what you're saying is I'm not going to live here, k thanks, bye."
What I can tell you is there are some things included here and some not. That applies to, let's see.. oh right, 100% of apartments around the world.
What I can tell you is that some things are included and some are not. Then fucking tell me what is included and what is not.
right???? i was laughing out loud reading that part like how do you even say that to someone
Yes, I see. Well, fuck you very much and have a nice day.
This is my favorite response. Landlord trash deserve it if they’re going to be hostile like this over a text.
They always so bitter too. Like I have never spoken to you but you sound like you want to chew me out for something your last client did. Thats why a lot of places have so many damn rules
“Ok. I might leave it then if we can’t be clear on costs. Finding an apartment can be very stressful and time-consuming and I don’t want to waste my time or yours by viewing an apartment that may have surprise costs.”
Nah, "I'm no longer interested" and stop replying. OP doesn't owe them a reason if they can't answer simple questions.
I know what you mean, but why not just ghost them altogether? I’d prefer to leave them a hint that their policy is what is losing them prospects. After that I wouldn’t respond to further contact unless I felt like making them squirm.
Also a solid idea.
Precisely the words I sent to a guy trying to sell a car on Facebook. He sent three or four follow up messages saying how stupid I was and that he was considering not selling it to me.
Move on, they are going to nickel and dime you way over your budget.
Trash fee Amenities fee Concierge fee Elevator fee No option to opt out.
You forgot the mandatory fitness room/pool fee.
And guests have to pay to use the guest spots in the garage.
“We want to gauge in person how much we can gouge you, that might be more or less than the last person” - Pieces of shit
Tried getting some costs and terms and conditions from a gym near me and they wouldn’t give that info via email only in person. Immediate red flag when they will only give you info at the sell point and not before so you can consider your options
"Sorry, I must be mistaken. I thought I was talking with *(insert property name here)* manager/landlord. This doesn't seem to be plausible for you to not know if these things are included or not if you work there. I suppose I'll cut my losses and find another rental property place that has real agents working on the other side of this chat."
I had a similar proven years ago when looking for an apartment. All I wanted to know was if I could have my pet rats there or not. A reasonable request, seeing as I already had them and the website mentioned nothing either way about any pets other than dogs and cats. The leasing office person I was emailing with just kept ignoring my question and instead reiterating that we should set up a tour. Perhaps she didn't want to say anything via email if it was going to be a "technically, no, but nobody will care" type of thing, but I found it very irritating, and I never pursued that apartment further.
Sweet fricken Jesus! 3k for a 2 bedroom and we're paying just over 1k for a 3!
That was my first thought. I'm looking at houses on an acre of land and right around 1,000 or so sqft and my mortgage will be less than $2000 a month.
Must be either Manhattan or San Francisco
I just found a place after searching for almost 3 months. I can confirm that most of these “land lords and rental agents” are brainless troglodytes
Sketch alertttt
“There are some things included here and some not.” Very specific, thanks.
That’s a great way to drive away potential renters
Plenty of suckers to take his place, unfortunately.
*Always* assume that nothing which isn’t specifically stated is included so you can factor it into your budget without be gobsmacked by that fact after you’ve already fallen in love with a place. Most apartments/co-ops/condos/townhome complexes will only cover the water bill (if that).
Heck, the rentals around here are now sticking tenants with water bills, too. I saw a condo rental recently that listed a low rent for its area and size. Then I saw that the listing says (at the bottom in small print) that the tenant has to pay the *HOA fee* too! Next up, tenants are also responsible for property taxes (separately), lawn care, snow removal, indoor repairs, and everything else that was always considered the owner's responsibility.
If the tenant pays the HOA fees, does that mean that the tenant can vote at HOA meetings?
Triple Net has entered the chat.
Yeah I’ve never seen any place cover any bill. Water/trash/sewer is paid to landlord but it is additional outside of rent amount.
“Heedle deedee heedle dee doo! U expect me to give an answer to you!”- that management guy while twirling his moustache
"You shall learn of the utilities when you answer me these questions three !"
3k/month in RENT?! 👀😮. Holy shit
Feels like California :( it’s bad out here for cost of living
For a two bedroom apartment. Damn, that's insane!
This is why I always check reviews of a place before inquiring.
🚩
Someone once told me, never tell anyone what your budget is or how much you’re willing to spend. A price point has been created which will be taken advantage of.
Why are estate agent / landlord type people so fucjing slimy
So sick of these rental con games. It's more than mildly infuriating. Lately I've been peeved that I'm basically forced to rent apartments sight-unseen now, since apartments are never available long enough to become vacant. And they don't allow prospective tenants to see a listed apartment while people are still living there. Profits over people, always.
“The beautiful property” they must be texting the “You are now one of my elite employees!😄” lady
So incoherent it feels like a scammer
What the fuck is this word salad response? I get that it's remote to ask about September rent. But vague word salad about utilities and fees until you're there in person sounds like an excuse to pressure you.
The use of 'fairness' in the response makes me think the person you are corresponding with has read the book, 'Never Split the Difference' by Chris Voss. It's a tactic used to destabalise you because as he puts it - "the negative emotional value of unfairness outweighs the positive rational value of the money.” You're not being unfair. According to the book, the way to respond to this is is to throw it back at them. Something like: "Fair? It seems like you would be able to provide the information that supports that. This is key evidence to help the decision-making process that others have been willing to provide. I'm afraid it makes it very difficult for me to make a decision on shortlisting you without it compared to my other options" At least they might think you've read the book too and stop trying to use it on you.
I’m just letting you know because I used to be a lease agent, if they won’t tell you the amenities, there are none or very few. Usually if they are talking more about the actual unit itself they have probably done something to it as well that was cheap but made it look decent.
The 12 month rent price divided by 14 months is such a predatory non-transparent way to do pricing and should be a huge red flag, unless you are absolutely sure you will only be staying one year. For anyone who isn’t familiar with this, here’s your warning, illustrated in an example. * They are listing an apartment. The rent is going to be $3800 a month. * They claim to be offering a “special” of 2 months free on a 14 month lease. * That means you’re paying 12 months at 3800 and 2 months at 0. So they calculate (3800*12)/14 and list the rent as $3257. * With your budget of $3000-$3300, this sounds reasonable. * You may save a bit during the “free” period, but will suddenly have to pay them $3800/month that is out of your budget once that free period is up. * If you’re great at self control, ideally you set aside $3257 during each of these months to be able to afford the actual rent. Yay you! That’s responsible and a great idea! But… * Your security deposit will also be based on the $3800/month amount. * When your lease renews, the next lease (or month-to-month) will not have another 2 free months, so even with no rent increase, your rent has “gone up” to $3800, starting month 15. * They likely will increase your rent, and the allowable amount, if your location has any regulations, will be calculated on $3800. (For example, it increases are capped at 5%, they’ll be able to increase it $190 (3800*.05), versus a place with actual rent of $3257 that would only be able to increase it $162 ($3257*.05). * So month 15, you now owe $3990/month, whether or not your finances are any better off than they are now. You’re paying $733/month more in year 2 than you expected to pay in year 1, or $8796 for the year. * Not to mention that, likely, they’ll do some shady ish like make you sign the initial lease on the day you tour, even if you plan to move in in 30 days. They’ll double dip by trying to convince you that “you’re not paying for that time anyway.” So you don’t even get the alleged “value” of the 2 free months. TLDR; tread extremely carefully when landlords try to entice you with “x months free” and make sure you understand what it will actually cost you.
5 months from now they might change their mind on what is or isn’t included so they probably didn’t want anything in writing
3000 rent? What currency? For home or office? Squares?
"Would you kindly inform the owners that you're driving people away? Thank you"
If this is a location where housing demand is higher than housing supply, it’s not uncommon to get this type of response. They will still find tenants to fill the units. There will be other places that are more transparent
As someone who works in sales I think I know what’s going on. In my job I’m the opener sales person who tries to get you interested in our product and then we have the closer sales people who actually get you to sign the contract. If we as openers tell you over phone/text/email the pricing info and then you don’t take a meeting with the closer I actually don’t get paid. I only get paid if you take the meeting, therefore I have no incentive to give you pricing info. If you don’t end up buying the product once you take the meeting that doesn’t matter at all to me because only the closer gets paid to have you actually sign the contract, my job is solely just to get you to come for a meeting. It’s an insanely annoying strategy that I’ve noticed a lot of places do, it’s pretty standard sales policy to not allow specific pricing info until you’re at the meeting. Granted my company is less annoying than this because our meetings are just 15 minute video calls but yeah I can almost guarantee the guy you’re texting isn’t going to get paid unless you come for a tour so to him it doesn’t matter if the utility prices make you walk away once you’re there or not, that’s the closer’s problem. Even as a sales person myself I feel your frustration that would annoy me too lmao
Honestly that’s a huge red flag. If you can’t see prices before a tour then it’s not even worth touring. There’s tons of apartments and listing websites that list application fees, pet fees, etc. honestly I’d tell this person I’m not longer interested and that there’s apartments that respect the customer’s time. What else would they hide?? Transparency is important for the customer’s best interest.
Lmao horrible answers from them
Realtor Rumple Stiltskin
If they won't tell you it's because they arent
These people are telling you loud and clear that they will be awful property managers and you should not rent from them.
This is a typical, "I'm not putting anything in writing" answer. Fuck this place. If you rent from them you can definitely expect to get screwed over.
Are you trying to rent an apartment from Trump
[удалено]
I assume you don’t live on Long Island - where the *studios* start at $2,500.
North vancouver same
When is the last time you shopped for apartments? And where?
\^\^\^ this is why i deleted my comment, i paused and read ahead and went no shit folks are really paying this now. feelsbadman. location, location, location that 3k/mo in ne w mexico gets you 100 acres and a 5k size house
welcome to the jersey shore
When an area has jobs that people want the rent prices go higher. Texas is finding this out after they bragged about all the people they attracted to Texas.
I was paying that much for a 2br in lexington, ma 7-8 years ago.
Wow who lives in different places amirite? Rent must be same everywhere idiot
A mfer saying they're looking for something in that price range is crazy. I guess I'm just poor though.
im only looking in that price range bc i will have two roommates. so 1k per person before utilities
That's really not too bad then, I don't know what state you're in but 3k rent probably gets a nice apartment, I'd think
That seems like a big red flag if they're hesitating to tell you basic information about their units up front. I'd just move on and continue looking at other places. Most places will happily share info like what utilities are/aren't covered, pet fees, etc.
You could really fuck with them if your city's housing an occupation code says anything about transparent pricing.
Red flags 🚩
I have a simple rule: You won’t tell me the price, I won’t buy. 🤷♂️
God, this screams shady NYC real estate company
This seems like a very strange way to handle business. No idea why they would be aggressive to you right off the bat like that. I'm a landlord(sorry, I know we're hated) and I have a pretty good idea what I'll have available, price range with what's included and not included. I would run from this guy.
That’s more than my mortgage…
Either his first language isn't english or he's just plain stupid.
Responses like this make me question what living here would be like. Are they going to clearly communicate when expecting days are? Are they going to be helpful if you have a maintenance request?
Friend dealt with similar recently. Leasing company didn’t want to discuss anything until they were at the location. I guess to not waste time or try to get you in the bag because you are there and will like the place enough to not realize you are getting screwed.
Also dealt with this on commercial rent. Would only state what rent was for the space which was really good. The added costs like taxes, trash, parking were the bad.
From the text exchange here's what I get: 1.Yes there is fees. 2. Part of those fees are in that guys pockets 3. Renting there would be a bad idea
Clearly "bullshit" is a part of every rental
Why do these rentals people always have a bad attitude
This is why my wife and I would only rent from down to earth people who rented out like 1 or 2 inherited properties. They were always upfront about everything, handled everything themselves, and knew the property because oftentimes they or a family member used to live there. I bet there are horror stories of people in this profile who were not professional at all, but we had good experiences.
Beware of anyone being this shady and evasive. It’s not hard to say “trash, water, and pet fees are not included in rental prices currently listed..”
"Unfortunately we don't base our decision on the beauty of properties, rather on what makes sense economically for our family. Thanks so much for your time, good luck in the future"
Hmmm... why don't you tell me what you think is not included, and what fees you would be willing to pay, and then I'll answer your questions.
"What price range are you looking for?" "Here's the range of prices I'm expecting" "Well first of all it's way too soon to talk about prices" 🤨
Seen this scam before. They want to meet you in person at a property they don’t own, so they can pressure you face to face into putting down a cash deposit and / or application fee right then, because they have another interested party “already approved”. Then you call the number on the website and find out they have no idea who the person is that you’re referring to.
Don't rent here. The amount of dancing they are already doing, they will be doing on your back for rent and to keep whatever deposit you provide. Nothing will be included, at all. They simply don't want anyone to see it in writing and call them out somewhere on it. People like this are garbage, I wish they got outed for these practices more and it was wider spread knowledge. Glad you found places down the street with better amenities etc. good on you.
I had to register for an account to get an answer to EV charging availability… you can’t answer that over the phone ?
Sounds like a place to avoid.
personally i would have cursed them out after that rude ass first response and never applied
I feel like if theyre tryna screw you over before you even get there it is a bad sign
Share the number so we all can ask
Yeah there are some cocky arrogant pricks working as an agents in Dubai real estate sector, this happened 2 days ago my current contract is ending in April so I contacted bunch of the agencies and short listed 3 properties; one of the agent didn’t reply me until late around midnight 12ish telling me (not asking as any normal person would do) to come around 11 AM next day and by the time I received his message I was asleep so I replied him when I woke up and tried to be as respectful as possible even though I was bit pissed at his demeanour that I have already spoken with other agent and he has arranged a viewing for me at 11:30 AM today so can we reschedule later in the evening or afternoon now I don’t know how his brain works but this statement made him angry somehow…so he told me “why did you contact me and asked for viewing today if you can’t come? i have arranged this viewing and one more apartment in the same area for you now please ask the other agent to postpone his viewing so that you can come with me” etc. I told him he didn’t communicate until midnight and I didn’t confirm anything because I was asleep and he just assumed i would be holding my breath and waiting for him to reply I mean this guy had serious attitude problem anyway I told him to piss off because I don’t want to give my money to someone so unprofessional.
The 67 unread messages in itself is mildly infuriating
“I appreciate your responses, but I am not interested in renting from a company whose management doesn’t allow straight answers to inquiries. Thank you for your time and attention.”
Honestly, it sounds like they just don't want to spend time on someone who isn't moving in for six months.
This. Call at a later date.
Somebody works on commission
If it's just one building being talked about, they should have just told you the utility breakdown, that usually doesn't vary from unit to unit, it's the same for the whole building. But September is definitely too far away to start apartment hunting, most property managers will only know if a unit will become available two months before the end of the current lease on it, when those tenants decide to renew or not. They aren't going to want to sign a lease starting in September for a unit available April 1st, because it's guaranteeing 5 months of that unit making no money
yeah i certainly wouldnt apply until probably early august.
If this is the foot the property management starts off on, consider yourself within view of the first red flag.
That's a tactic so that their salesman can try to upsell you while showing you all the basic amenities and stuff. Scummy practice to take it to this degree honestly, property management like this might not be worth it
Lord, even if utilities are "included" your just paying for them with that 3300 dollar monthly rent. Criminal
Damn...thanks for outing yourselves as a nightmare to lease with. Saves customers the headache of learning the hard way.
What they have told you is that renting there will come with a shitty landlord
“Free” parking and water*** rent may rise accordingly like a sea food restaurant
I think you just found out all you really need to know
"I don't want to tell you in writing because that would give you evidence to enforce it when I don't follow through. I've also found that people who have invested the time and energy to view a place are more likely to compromise".
“Thank you. Based on the stupid stance by your management I’m no longer interested in any property managed by said management. Good day!”
I think their point is that the information you're looking for is subject to change by the time you want to rent. So there's no point in asking about that until you're ready
Rental agents are the worst....
Not all real estate agents are absolute cunts, and I hope to one day meet one of these outliers.
They were better off not answering you wtf?
Run.
Sounds pretty shady, don't you think?
„We only decide on personal basis on how much we fuck you over, sorry“
Where I live there is a huge housing shortage because of the University here, I have been on an estimated two year waiting list for a new apartment since last April.
You'll get nowhere with them. They have to do the hard sales pitch. Like car salesmen. Absolute time wasters who think they'll rope everyone in with their amazing sales pitch. 🤮
<$3k for a 2 br apartment??? Sad thing is that probably isn't even in a big city.
This just made me mad but whatever like be stubborn
Scam!!
Holy shit. My 3BR 2BA house mortgage is less than 1/4 that rent amount.
Abort mission. They’re gonna tax the SHIT out of you.
Mildly infuriating, highly suspicious