I need a bit of advice...
By MPFountain
@MPFountain (33)
United States
June 11, 2008 9:57am CST
This doesn't quite fit in this category because it's renting, not buying...but I didn't know where to put it. But I need a little bit of advice. As some may know from previous posts, my boyfriend and I have been staying with his sister for the past couple of months. Didn't plan on staying that long, but for reasons, we did. So I finally found a place that we could rent. It's a 2 bedroom mobile home directly across the street from where I work. It's in a little housing area, it's not really a trailer park...there's only like 5 other mobile homes down in there and it's back into the woods a bit, off the street and every home is spread out, it's very peaceful out there. So anyway, I finally got a hold of someone that was renting it, they told me they left the door unlocked so anyone can go look at it. I immediately went to look at the inside and loved it. Mainly because I'm so eager to have a place of our own again and not an apartment. It's not the best, but it's nowhere near the worst I've seen.
I'm meeting the owner today to fill out and turn in our application. There was a filled out one in the home and I had looked at it to see all that was on it and I didn't see anything about a credit check, but then I thought.."it could be another paper later." I have a thing from the first apartment I lived in about 2 years ago on my credit and plus, just bad credit all around. The most recent thing being an unpaid student loan. My boyfriend now has unpaid medical bills because we're trying to sort out something with his insurance and we had to bail on the last apartment we were in because of money issues and being just flat broke. We're trying to pay on everything now, but I know how horrible it would look on a credit report. Soooo...my question is, should I just be honest from the get go and tell him everything and how we both have great jobs now and we're working on paying everything, plus I work directly across the street...so if we bail on anything, he knows where to find me. Or if they don't do a check, should I just put down our parents houses as previous addresses and say it's our first time living together?
I've been going back and forth on it, I don't really want to lie to them...but I also really want that mobile home. So I want to make sure we get it. I'm leaving work to meet the guy in about 4 hours, I need some advice! :)
4 people like this
6 responses
@MPFountain (33)
• United States
11 Jun 08
Thank you! That made me feel a lot better. I'm so nervous about it. I really want to rent it, but I'm trying not to get toooo excited about it though. Probably about a month ago I had found a nice rent to own house and loved it and ended up not being able to get it because of my student loan. He said he could get around everything but that because it was a current thing and I was devastated, I started bawling the second I told my boyfriend why we couldn't get it. But I'm a "think aheader" ...I'm already envisioning us living there and where to put everything and how I'm gonna decorate. :) I'm gonna be disappointed if I can't get it, but everything happens for a reason, I guess. I we don't get it, we just weren't meant to live there.
2 people like this
@lonewolfnan (4366)
• Canada
11 Jun 08
Lies have a way of coming back on you when you can least handle them.My thought would be since you currently have a place to stay(although strained),this allows you to come clean with the potential new landlords and explain you have a plan for the next few years and are not just fly-by-nighters.Either way,good luck with your choice.
@MPFountain (33)
• United States
11 Jun 08
That's what I was thinking too, I want to be on good graces with this guy so I didn't want to lie to them about previous rental situations. I just hope he can have a little faith in us, enough to give us a shot anyway. I have a feeling they base it more on pay and other expenses for if you can afford it, rather than credit history. On the application it asked how much your monthly pay was and how much were all other expenses...and I don't remember that being on my other applications for apartments. I don't know who all has also looked at and is applying for it, but the application that was in there, the woman only made liek $650/month and had quite a few other expenses, so I don't get how she could afford it. Also, the for rent sign has been out for a few weeks...so I'm hoping we can get it by elimination, if nothing else. My boyfriend and I could definitely afford the rent, our other bills, and have money for gas and food and whatnot. So paying the rent is no problem, it's getting past the credit check, if there is one.
Thank you for your input! :)
2 people like this
@lonewolfnan (4366)
• Canada
12 Jun 08
Well,your meeting by now with the potential landlord has taken place.This means I can uncross my fingers(yes,it has been dificult driving with my fingers crossed) and hope you give us an update as to how it went.Many people)myslef included) wonder how things turn out for a fellow-member of MyLot plus we can take a little pride(or share the sorrow)if you took a piece of the advice and it helps in any way.
@MPFountain (33)
• United States
25 Jun 08
Weeeell, I didn't lie about anything...I wrote him a letter and faxed it in with my application, explaining all the bad marks on my credit history and how both my boyfriend and I both have great jobs and we could definitely afford the monthly rent. I told him how I worked directly across the street from the place, so if we did ever bail on him, he would know where to find me. He called me the same day I faxed it in and left me a voicemail and I called him back after work and he said that since we couldn't have the money until the 7th of July at the latest and we couldn't put down the deposit, he couldn't hold it for us for that long. So if someone could rent it immediately he would give it to them, but if it's still vacant then, we can have it. And if someone does rent it before we can, he said he had another one next to it that was almost identical that should be ready to be rented by then. So yay. :) And it's looking like we'll have the deposit and 1st months rent by the 4th of July, so hopefully we can do the paperwork on the 4th and move in that weekend. The "for rent" sign is still out there, so I'm assuming no one has rented it out from under us. But it doesn't really matter, I suppose, because we'll get the one next to it.
@guss2000 (2232)
• United States
28 Jun 08
Lastly, I wanted to share this credit webste with you which has helped me a lot with things. Maybe in some way, it can help you too. Good luck:
http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/?p=ba8f418d0c62dac3da2a1a6dd69f1eef
They also have a forum section and everyone in there is VERY helpful!
@guss2000 (2232)
• United States
28 Jun 08
I think you should be honest and open, and if anything he might just make the security deposit a bit higher, but I don't think he would totally keep you out of the mobile home, especially if there is a chance he may not havea nother renter. Good luck and I hope you get in!
@Winter08 (441)
• Canada
11 Jun 08
You could try the "if they don' ask, don't tell" approach.
If the applications has no questions regarding credit history, and the landlord does not ask, you might be best off not to volunteer you personal situation just yet.
If his criteria is income and expenses, leave it at that.
He doesn't know you. If you introduce information that puts you in a bad light, that may influence his decision.
It sounds as though your positives are:
2 good jobs with good income
family in the area
your proximity to work if you live in his trailer.
your personality.
I haven't read your other posts but another issue to consider is gossip. If you are new to this area, providing this stranger with such personal information has the potential to affect your relationship with the community. You don't yet know if your future landlord is a gossiper. If he is, and you share your financial issues with him, will he keep that information to himself?
I'm not advocating lying. I'm suggesting discretion based on a situation friends of mine ended up in. They had been trying to renegotiate their mortgage to consolidate other bills and reduce their monthly outlay by aprx 200.00. Unfortunately, their previous poor credit became a deciding factor in their loan application and they have been declined for the debt consolidation. And unfortunately, some of this came about because they volunteered some information that was not listed in their credit history. Without the volunteered information, they likely would have got their consolidation and been in a better financial situation today.
Good luck with your application.
@Winter08 (441)
• Canada
11 Jun 08
You just gave yourself the best answer: trust your own judgement.
I do hope you get this trailer. It would be wonderful to live so close to your work. Not having to drive somewhere everday ... what a bonus for saving time and money. (At least I assume when you said the trailer was across the street that it was walking distance.)
1 person likes this
@MPFountain (33)
• United States
11 Jun 08
Thanks a lot. I understand that I shouldn't just offer up bad history, the main thing I was worried about was what to put as our previous address. If it is just based on income and affordability rather than credit, I had thought about just putting down our parent's addresses as previous, so they wouldn't ask about the apartments...but if they do a credit check, they're gonna know about them and there's no point in lying. I didn't want to ask the guy's wife yesterday if there's a credit check, because to me that seems like something someone would ask if they didn't want one, you know? I don't want to look bad before I even put in the application.
I think I'll just have to wait and see when I talk to the guy the afternoon. I'll feel him out a bit about the credit check and use my best judgment on what to do about the previous address.
I like your advice though, I don't want to ruin myself. Thank you very much.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
19 Jun 08
dont lie just do not open up that can of worms if you do'
not have to. instead just fill in the blanks as truthfully
as posssible and do not give any info that is not asked'
for. you can give your parents as references and that should
be just fine. you have positivesgoing for you so relax. you
will get the mobile home.
