Renting a house...

[oakraiderz2]

So some friends and i are renting a house for school this year and yesterday we started to move in some stuff. To keep it short, the place was a MESS!! Dirty carpets and walls, cob webs, food in the cabinets, leftover stuff in the garage such as a container with cig butts, a cooler with god knows what in it and the smell of dog lingering throughout the house. I called the landlord and let him know and he said he was gonna get a cleaning crew to come up. He never called me back that day so i dont really know what to expect. Isnt he obligated to fix whatever the hell is wrong? There are also holes in the wall and the place is pretty much a hell hole. I also noticed we the lease we signed had the address of another property (i forgot to ask him about it), so are we still entitled to abide by said lease?

 

[penkitten]

you didn't look at the place before you signed the lease?
once you sign it, he is not really obligated to clean it, because you agreed to rent it anyhow.
however, if he did put the wrong address on it, then because of his mistake, you can get out of it if you want.

if you really still want the place, call him and say "we noticed when we went to turn utilities on in our name that the address on the lease is not correct, could you come by and take a look at it ?"
then when he comes by, show him the places in the walls and what needs to be cleaned and see what can be done.

 

[backbreaker]

pawned

 

[oakraiderz2]

you didn't look at the place before you signed the lease?
once you sign it, he is not really obligated to clean it, because you agreed to rent it anyhow.
however, if he did put the wrong address on it, then because of his mistake, you can get out of it if you want.

if you really still want the place, call him and say "we noticed when we went to turn utilities on in our name that the address on the lease is not correct, could you come by and take a look at it ?"
then when he comes by, show him the places in the walls and what needs to be cleaned and see what can be done.

This was AFTER the people living there had moved out. They even left food in the cupboards and other sh*t scattered throughout the house. Clearly i shouldn't assume that the former occupants are some how obligated to clean a little bit. He said he's gonna get some people to clean it, i don't think he's gonna pull anything. He did put the wrong address and we all noticed it. One of the other guys called him and told him the same stuff i did and he said the guy sounded empathetic, but i'm still a little sketched out. It's quite the task to find another place to rent a week before school starts. He lives an hour away from the house and didn't know what condition it was in. If i could find another place to live i would, but the doesn't seem plausible.

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

This was AFTER the people living there had moved out. They even left food in the cupboards and other sh*t scattered throughout the house. Clearly i shouldn't assume that the former occupants are some how obligated to clean a little bit. He said he's gonna get some people to clean it, i don't think he's gonna pull anything. He did put the wrong address and we all noticed it. One of the other guys called him and told him the same stuff i did and he said the guy sounded empathetic, but i'm still a little sketched out. It's quite the task to find another place to rent a week before school starts. He lives an hour away from the house and didn't know what condition it was in. If i could find another place to live i would, but the doesn't seem plausible.

Something tells me that you're going to have a long year...

 

[Bible_Belt]

You guys fvcked up by putting yourself in this situation. The best thing to do is just clean the house and learn your lesson about landlords.

If the place is still a mess, take some pictures before you do anything.

Here's some cleaning tips. I'd buy a gallon of a cleaner called "Simple Green" and a couple scrub brushes and sponges. Virtually anything will come clean when scrubbed by a stiff brush and simple green. Work on rooms top to bottom. Do the floors last. To clean a floor, use a scrub brush with a screw-in broom handle. If the house has the older type of hardwood or wood anything, "Murphy's Oil Soap" works great on that. For the carpets, you will probably need to rent a steamer. This can cost $60-100, and the landlord should reimburse you for this cost. But get his verbal consent over the phone first; ask him after you tell him that you just cleaned up after his last tenants to save him the cost of a cleaning crew. He will agree. Have one of your co-tenants standing next to you when you talk to him on the phone to about paying for the carpet cleaner, as a witness to the conversation.

 

[oakraiderz2]

Something tells me that you're going to have a long year...

You're telling me. :rockon:

 

[penkitten]

oak, i only said what i did, because i have a job as an apartment manager.

if the lease has the incorrect address, or transfers into a different apartment, i am responsible for correcting it and they have to initial it with me and each of us date it. if it isn't correct, i don't think it would hold water in court if i tried to evict them later for a nonpayment.

as far as the condition to the place, when someone moves out, it is the landlord's job to see what needs to be done before they sign a lease with someone new.
when i was young i rented a real cheap place that was a $hithole. i had to clean it myself because it was so cheap.
however at my apartments, the people that employee me, expect all the maintenance, paint, cleaning, and cleaning or replacement of flooring to be done before hand.
if we choose not to replace the carpet because it is not wore out but it has a cigarette burn in it, i have to note it on their move in inspection so they aren't responsible for it later.
once they sign it, its saying that they agree to the conditions of the apartment being suitable and sanitary.

any damages not noted on their move in inspection, they are responsible for.
example: no holes in the walls during move in, and two months later there is a hole in the wall. we will repair it and bill them for it.

 

[Desdinova]

So some friends and i are renting a house for school this year and yesterday we started to move in some stuff. To keep it short, the place was a MESS!!

Just wait until AFTER you guys move in and have lived together for a while. The cleanliness of the house will be the least of your concerns.

 

[oakraiderz2]

oak, i only said what i did, because i have a job as an apartment manager.

if the lease has the incorrect address, or transfers into a different apartment, i am responsible for correcting it and they have to initial it with me and each of us date it. if it isn't correct, i don't think it would hold water in court if i tried to evict them later for a nonpayment.

as far as the condition to the place, when someone moves out, it is the landlord's job to see what needs to be done before they sign a lease with someone new.
when i was young i rented a real cheap place that was a $hithole. i had to clean it myself because it was so cheap.
however at my apartments, the people that employee me, expect all the maintenance, paint, cleaning, and cleaning or replacement of flooring to be done before hand.
if we choose not to replace the carpet because it is not wore out but it has a cigarette burn in it, i have to note it on their move in inspection so they aren't responsible for it later.
once they sign it, its saying that they agree to the conditions of the apartment being suitable and sanitary.

any damages not noted on their move in inspection, they are responsible for.
example: no holes in the walls during move in, and two months later there is a hole in the wall. we will repair it and bill them for it.

I understand. What doesnt make sense is why he needed a security deposit when it eveident he doesnt check the condition of the house. I also plan on taking pictures and recording video of the condition of the house in case there is any dispute.

 

[penkitten]

I understand. What doesnt make sense is why he needed a security deposit when it eveident he doesnt check the condition of the house. I also plan on taking pictures and recording video of the condition of the house in case there is any dispute.

im glad you are taking pics just to be safe.