All Forum Posts by: Jason Wen

Thanks! So glad to hear it. I was really worried about some sort of lawsuit from it. I don't want to bail on the guy, but the quick move and a matching eviction to his name just make me nervous, aside from the unfortunate heater issue I've got now too. Money, it was nice knowing ya! 

That's really a relief. 

I had visions of lawsuits in my head, literally had a nightmare about him living here and having to evict last night.

I should have had him fill out a printed application in the first place; he had listed his job and said his rental history had no evictions, but I shouldn't have taken him at his word. 

I suppose there could be an unfortunate mismatch of an eviction of his reasonably common name on his side of town (3 miles from his job in a large city), but he also wasn't on his roommates lease now and his explanation of why he and his roommate were moving just sounded off.

It seemed too good to be true- admirable charitable job, nice car, same week move in, easy going, polite, flattering. 

The same week move in seemed curious to me, most people don't wait to start e-mailing potential roommates until a week before moving if the know they have to be out of their apartment within a week, but I figured maybe that last minute routine was more normal in roommate situations. I should have known better. The same week inquiry/move was enough to make me reluctant. 

I'm sure there's a chance that I'm missing out on a good tenant here who had an unfortunate name mismatch, but the combo of eviction so near his work in court records plus such a quick move just make me nervous.

And next time I will definitely get an application first, and make sure I don't say "lease signing" not "filling out application."

Can landlord cancel lease signing appointment?

Tenant has signed nothing, no lease. Not completed a rental application, not provided anything in writing, not a signed lease, no personal info exchanged, no key given, no money exchanged.

Landlord had invited tenant to a schedule a "lease signing" meeting.

I meant to say "lease application" in the email but my phrasing was off.

(More details: I'm the landlord/roommate here in a houseshare. I discovered an eviction the tenant when tenant had stated they did not have any in their inquiry email, and also lack of proper rental reference as tenant's name wasn't on their lease at current property while waiting to hear back from tenant/roommate to see if they wanted to sign a lease or not. Additionally, my heater has started shrieking after tenant/roommate first visited property within the past week. It had not been cold enough to use the heater until this point, and I would not have shown property was I expecting a shrieking heater system in my house. I don't want to allow a tenant/roommate to move into a porentially cold property with heater fix repair date/duration of repair unknown. My repairman has not yet come for the heater. I also don't want to accept a tenant with no valid rental reference whose name appears on an eviction court listing too. This is a roommate/landlord situation.)

What do I do here? 

I plan to explain the unexpected heater situation to the potential roommate. My plan here is to now leave the place empty, not to find with another tenant at this time this month.

What else am I obligated to do, with no rental application ever filled out and no lease completed?

Since it's a roommate/landlord situation, can I change my mind up to the point of a tenant physically signing a lease and/or money being exchanged?

What should I do? No signed lease/no money exchanged/no key given/no move-date promised/no personal data exchanged in this potential roommate situation.

Am I obligated in any way to allow the lease to actually be signed since I slipped my phrasing and said "would you like to come over for a lease signing" via e-mail?

 
Thanks. A month of not being able to drive would be very rough in my area and would mean Uber trips, there's not even one store or restaurant that even I could walk to from here healthy. A week back to driving/not needing people's help and I wouldn't really have to think about this at all; his recovery becoming more long-term is my fear. I can't imagine being unable to drive for a month, poor guy.

I wish I could just ask him, "hey, what kind of downtime are you looking at, and are you expecting any help in getting around/daily tasks from your roommates?" 

 I had an application, though I've told folks I don't do a credit check (just background & rental history).

Good to know it wouldn't be a huge issue for you. I've never seen someone right after a knee surgery, and googling knee surgery recovery times had me worried about wobbliness, homeboundness, and extended recovery times. I don't want to have a wobbly knee patient fall and sue me just as much as I don't want to have a homebound person with a failed surgery recovery to take care of.

I do have to think about the utilities here too since it's a "bills paid flat rate room" if someone will be home 24/7 for weeks, since now I leave the heating off 10+ hours a day since no one's home during the business day now. I think I could get along with him, though I do worry about us getting sick of seeing each other if he's literally home 24/7 for a month. Roommates really can get on each other's nerves if they're home a lot, but the annoyance worry is less than my liability fears and utility costs run 24/7 negating the profit altogether worry. (Our utilities run high here, and it's an old heater/house.) 

I really, really should rethink the "bills paid flat rate room" thing altogether; I'd have the same potential cost issue if it was a college student home 24/7 for a month during winter break as a middle-aged knee patient home 24/7 during recovery. I've always had busy rarely home roommates, so the flat fee made it easy for us before- but it would be for anyone home 24/7 to wipe out my profits here. 

Thanks, that's helpful to know, and I'm glad I don't sound heartless for being worried about it. Glad she was able to recovery so quick at at 80 too. Googling knee surgery recovery times really had me worried it would be a nightmare for him (and me). I'm not sure if someone homebound 24/7 as a roommate for many weeks unable to drive himself anywhere would be something I'm ready to deal with for a stranger during the holiday season since it's my busiest season. 

Is driving after a week or two after surgery unheard of for people? 

I'm a 28 year old male, and had a 60 year old male roommate who works in a school apply to live with me (roommate situation, private bedrooms with shared common areas). 

He hasn't been evicted from his current place per court records, has a job at a school, seems like a good person who helps his family which I admire, and lives with a roommate now so he's used to having roommates-- his name wasn't on his current apartment as it was in his roommate's name. He had a week to move out of his current place since his former roommate decided to move. That seems fishy, but... he seemed honest/upfront and it wouldn't be the first roommate to bail on someone last minute.

I'm wondering... would you accept a middle-aged new roommate who has an upcoming knee surgery this month, the same month as his moving in, as a new roommate? 

Am I crazy for considering him, or a jerk for not considering him?

He said his friend would come for a week and a half to take care of him after his surgery. That sounded ok, until I started googling knee surgery recovery times. I don't know what specific surgery he's having, but at 60, I'm imagining it's more major than minor. He's active, into camping and running. But, is it realistic to think he'll be up/around/independent after a week or two?

I really don't want to get into a situation where I'm going to get groceries for someone I just met or doing their laundry or checking to make sure they haven't fallen or whatever. Maybe I should, but I just have a lot going on. I don't want to exclude a roommate for their health or age, if it wasn't for a surgery the same month, I wouldn't have any worries about our age difference. It's the surgery plus walking unsteady (= falling and worries of liability), and worries of how long it'll take him to be up and going again independently.

Is a knee surgery at 60 something where a person can really be up/around and back at a work a week later?

I just keep thinking ... knee surgery = unsteady walking = liability.

I haven't had many inquiries, even though my price and property is very competitive--- it's winter. 

This person seems perfectly nice, has a job working in a school.... but I can't help but think
1) who has under a week to find a new place to live, what went south with the former roommate? and
2) is knee surgery something that takes only a week or two off work? Is it something that means no driving for weeks, and him then asking me to do him favors?

Am I a jerk for thinking knee surgery = fall hazard (and/or potentially weeks/months off of work and running the utilities up all day/night home 24/7)? 

Am I realistic in thinking his friend will be here more than a week and a half to help him post-surgery (more people than I want to live with if the friend stays weeks, more utilities in general), and that I'll get stuck helping him for at least a few weeks if he needs groceries/etc.? 

I'm not home much so I can turn off the house heat during the business day into the evening hours. If someone has surgery and it takes weeks of recovery, that's another 10+ hours a day of home heating.

What would you do if you were me? I feel rather "un-nice" for thinking about the liability and potential hassle on my end of a new roommate who has surgery this month, but I don't want to let my "niceness" and thinking he's "nice" or "had a rough time" make me pick a bad business decision of a roommate.

I've never had a roommate have surgery, though I've lived with people from age 18 to 52 before. 

I keep talking myself into it, then out of it-- and I really don't know what to do here. Ethics vs. kindness vs. business, I keep debating the risks vs. trying to be a kind person.

Can someone please talk some sense into me? :)

I really don't know what to do here, my liability worries are equal to me "give the guy a break"/be open-mindedness.