D2
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$100 seems really high. I heard $30-$50 max
I know that friends who owned apts building, routinely pocketed the money and didn't do the check. They decided who they wanted to rent to visually..
to avoid fees I suggest you go to craigslist.com and post like I did, I wanted to rent a house in x-neighborhood and I had dogs. The key is to said positive things about yourselves like: I am medical professional (I am), your age and your employment status (worked at Bank of America for 5 years etc) positive things like that
I avoided a background check fee and found what I was looking for from a local independent landlord with his mom's house to lease. |
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Rick
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Yep Its legal .Why should a landlord pay to have back ground check done and the person not be fit to rent to and the normal cost is 50.00 per person ie 100 for both you and your girlfriend This is what a detective service /background checks cost if done professionally |
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TaxGurl
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An application fee to cover a credit check and background check is pretty typical. Not all landlords run a background check. It probably depends on what type of problems they have had with residents in the past or you could be trying to move into a high end place.
When I was a manager for a retail place, we ran background checks on promising applicants and it cost us about $10/person.
Are you dealing with a private landlord with very few tenants? My experience has been that the private landlords have higher standards and are pickier than the corporate owned apartment complexes. |
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Drea Z
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I have had to pay for a background check before moving into an apartment and when my husband and I managed apartments for my father we required a background check when the people applied for one of our units. Its usually about $100, and usually NON refundable. Its not a big deal really and pretty common. |
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shamus_jack
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$100 is steep for this, it's usually about $40/person, but, YES
this is a common pracitce by landlords. it is meant to scare off unwanted tenants. The landlord probably doesn't want somebody running a meth lab in his(the landlords) basement! |
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Brian G
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I used to do some bookkeeping work for a property management company. They would do a background/credit check on applicants. The applicant had to pay an application fee up front to cover the cost, which is very common. $100 is pretty high. I haven't rented in several years, but the application fees back then ran around $25-$35. |
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melaniecampbell
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YEah some places charge that but they usually say it's an application fee or something. I know in Ontario, Canada, where I live, it's illegal for them to charge you for them to do a credit/background check, BUT they CAN charge an application for rental fee that they have to credit back to you plus interest either when you move in, or move out... My fiance had to rent a place in New Mexico for work a year ago, and they charged him a $200 application fee, non refundable, so I don't know about in the US what they laws are regarding this... try contacting someone at the city offices where you live to ask, they might be able to tell you, or refer you to someone who knows more... |
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mikeb721
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it's standard as far as I know. I've always done it and the cost varies according to the state, but $100 is about right. |
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2003bf
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of course due to the fact there are so many liars that they make it hard for the honest people. a background check is for you as a person whether a criminal or not it is for the safety of the surrounding neighbors it is the duty of a property owner to make it safe for his tenants. a credit check is dependability if you get something first will you pay for it later |
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tonalc1
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It's common to charge for the credit check, but $100 seems high. In California, owners and managers are allowed to charge actual costs plus an administrative fee, not to exceed $35.88 per applicant. |
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oh no!!!
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It is standard also...But 100.00 is a lot i think...i could see 50.00 or 75.00....but you may want to check around...good luck! |
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ersof59
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I don't know where you live, but in Franklin county (Columbus, Ohio/State Capital) it costs five cents per page to obtain a background check not including the cost to park (say $5.00). So in order for your background check to cost 100.00 the report would have to be 2,000 pages long. If your rap sheet was that long you wouldn't need an apartment, you'd probably already have a place to live. |
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maddog
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Background check ... yes. Charge for doing it ... absolutely not! Call your local Office of Consumer Affairs and report it. If your smart, you'll live somewhere else. If they try to charge for their clerical work, who knows what add-on charges will be included in your rental lease? |
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open4one
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Background checks are common enough, but $100 is not.
If there's nothing for them to find and it will be applied to the rent or deposit, no problem. If you're next on Dog The Bounty Hunter's list or they keep it either way, I think I'd tell them to pound sand. |
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bettyboopgirl
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What! You should have said, no thanks but can I get your business card while we think it through and we will get back.
Then report that landlord. The landlord pays a fee for the background check to the agency to protect themselves from bad renters. But as far as I know they cover that fee and I don't think it's $100. Maybe in your state such law applies, but when in doubt do find out.
Kate |
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arcaneuniverse
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rent somewhere else..ure getting ripped off theres no such thing as a fee for a background chk..or another way to go around it..get someone else to do ur background chk, pay tht person a $100 and send the invoice to the landlord see if he likes tht.. |
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