Unusual Request Causes Landlord To Refuse Renter’s Application
It can be very difficult to find an apartment when you're in need of a new place to live.
One man was close to finding a place to live until he asked the landlord for one thing.
Tom Needs An Apartment
Tom Cashman lives in Australia and was in need of a new apartment to rent.
He had seen multiple units and was even approved for one, but it wasn't his favorite so he decided to keep looking.
Asked For A Landlord Review
As he continued his search, he thought of a unique request and contacted the real estate agent.
He asked if the landlord would provide him with a reference from one of the previous tenants.
Is He A Good Person?
He realized that he had never known or heard of anyone asking of a reference from a landlord before.
He felt that it was a fair request because they asked him for 3 references with his application!
Seeking Clarification
It was radio silence from the real estate agent for nearly 5 days.
It was not until he followed up that the woman asked him for clarification on the request.
Are They Good To Their Tenants?
Tom was happy to further clarify what he was looking for from the owner.
He was simply looking for a letter written by a previous tenant of the apartment that would tell him that the owner is a good landlord.
No Longer In Contact
Things were not looking good after Tom sent the clarification email.
The real estate agent told him that the owner is not in contact with the previous tenant. This meant he would not be getting a reference letter.
No Positive References?
This seemed a little strange to Tom, so he thought that he would again clarify what that response meant.
Were none of the previous people who had lived in the apartment able to say anything nice about the owner?
Not Going To Contact
That's when things went south for Tom.
The agent said that the owner did not want to reach out to any previous tenants and it is also not a requirement for him to do so. They wished him the best in his search.
His Application Was Withdrawn!
Just minutes after that response, he received another email telling him that his rental application had been withdrawn.
The reason is because of "advice" from him. He had not asked for his application to be withdrawn?
Why Was It Withdrawn?
He was a little confused with why it was withdrawn.
He knew that his request was not a requirement but just wanted to ask. He thought that this might be why his application was withdrawn.
Looking For A Long Term Lease
The last response that he received was because the owner was looking for more of a long-term lease.
This was not adding up as he was told that wouldn't have been a problem when he was applying. He is convinced it's because of his landlord review request.
Normalize Landlord References
After going through the whole process, Tom still thinks that asking for a landlord reference is a good idea.
He did suggest that if they are not able to give you one, not to rub it in their face like he did.
