When an apartment is treated like a used car lot
May 14, 2012 9:46 PM   Subscribe

How much is too much when it comes to a landlord showing your apartment?

I rent an apartment in a college town in California. I will be moving out in three months, and as such, the landlord has asked to show the apartment. Not sure if it matters, but the complex is owned by a company that also owns multiple apartment buildings in the area.

I have requested that they not show the apartment while I am home as I like my privacy (so, only show it between 9am to 5pm on weekdays). I'm very uncomfortable with them being in there while I'm gone, but I figure it's better than having them ruining my evenings by treating my home like a show room (I don't mean this in a snarky or disrespectful way, this is actually how I feel). So far, they have kept the viewings to times when I am not home as per my request.

My issue is that they have shown my apartment six times in two weeks. I personally feel this is excessive. I hate having people I don't know in my home at all, let alone frequently.

This evening I was asked if they could show my apartment again tomorrow at 8pm, and asked if they could have an openb house on Friday. I reminded them of my time rule and they told me "I know but Possible Renter can't get off work until 8pm." I told them that it "won't be possible" (AskMeFi 101 answer).

My questions:

1) Is it normal/acceptable to show an apartment this many times in such a short period of time?
2) Can I ask them to stop showing my apartment until I have moved out?
3) What are my rights in regard to this situation?
4) What would you say/do in this situation?

I am having a hard time figuring out what is considered acceptable in this situation. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
posted by Shouraku to Human Relations (19 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Do you have a written lease? Does it mention anything about showing the apartment?
posted by andoatnp at 9:58 PM on May 14, 2012


My general experience has been:

1) Generally yes. When I had a crappy apartment in a trendy neighborhood, they showed it probably a dozen times in two weeks until someone signed a lease.

2) Generally, no. They're probably required to give you notice, but it is within their rights to show it.

3) I'll let someone in CA speak to this.

4) What I did was say "sure, come show it while I'm home", didn't clean at all, and made sure the prospective tenant knew about the safety issues, poor insulation, frequently broken w/d, and barely functional bathroom. They got pretty good at scheduling around me.
posted by Oktober at 10:11 PM on May 14, 2012 [13 favorites]


6 times in 2 weeks does not seem at all surprising to me.

I also think being obstructionist about this is not actually to your advantage; you want the place rented ASAP so they stop invading your space.

An open house is great, because that's one showing that will cover multiple people; it's the least amount of time inconvenience for the greatest chance they'll rent it to someone and stop having to show it.

Many renters will not be able to come during your restricted hours; basically anyone with a regular job. People with regular jobs can pass credit checks. You want people who can pass credit checks to see the apartment, because then your landlord will be more likely to rent to them, and then you can have your privacy back.
posted by nat at 10:24 PM on May 14, 2012 [22 favorites]


Best answer: California renter's rights.

One practical point to keep in mind is that the sooner it's rented, the sooner they can stop showing it.
posted by J. Wilson at 10:28 PM on May 14, 2012


2) Can I ask them to stop showing my apartment until I have moved out?

This question just seems to show a kind of disconnect with how the whole thing works. They want to sign up a prospective renter before you move out, so that there is no period during which the apartment is sitting there unrented. In my experience, New Tenant will move in within 24 hours of you moving out. Unless you are willing to pay rent after you move out, there is no possible way for you to make this request and not look crazy.

As noted in the California renter's guide linked above, the landlord doesn't actually even need your permission to enter the apartment during working hours to show it, they just need to give you reasonable notice. They do need your permission to enter outside working hours, so you have the right to refuse the evening showing. If I had otherwise had good dealings with the landlord, I personally would probably allow them to do it anyway (one time, not as a regular thing) but if it bothered me as much as it seems to bother you OR if I already didn't like the landlord company, I would either refuse or I'd try and be out of the house at the time.
posted by jacalata at 11:38 PM on May 14, 2012


Response by poster: I have actually just agreed to the open house as much as I absolutely loath it.

Thank you all for your time and responses.
posted by Shouraku at 11:41 PM on May 14, 2012


Best answer: I empathize with not wanting anyone in my space; it's the kind of scenario where I'd start having crazy revenge strategies of out-embarrassing/shaming people who're already embarrassing me (like, just how naked can I be if/when they come). I don't think 'looking crazy' is a big concern with people you'll never see again, and since it's your home, it's your right to say you've got plans or you need your quiet that day or what have you. However, most people don't want to invade your privacy anymore than you'd like it invaded, and potential renters would easily get the wrong vibe if you're there but not cooperative (as someone mentioned). Forget cleanliness, it's easy to make people say they'll 'come back later'-- and never return-- just by being clearly uncomfortable with their presence. On some level, your landlord knows this.

Anyway, my home is one of the few things I'd stand up for and request/assert my emotional needs. Whatever is remotely reasonable that you think they can do, you should ask for. Only 2 showings a week? Ask for it, what's the harm? Though you probably don't want to actually tell them you get twitchy with more people and this becomes 'noticeable' unless someone pushes you. Avoiding 'crazy' territory isn't hard, just saying too many people in your private space makes you extremely uncomfortable and you'd like them to understand you need your space to remain totally private to the greatest extent possible. There's also compromises like taking photos to show for at least some of those visits.

In any case, generally my advice is not to do things you loathe willingly unless you know for sure it's unavoidable-- and you've tried to avoid it.
posted by reenka at 1:10 AM on May 15, 2012


Your 9-5/weekdays-only rule (with pre-agreed exceptions) is reasonable; what I DON'T see as reasonable is that this is all happening THREE MONTHS before the place is empty --- is the California rental market THAT competitive?!? Somehow I doubt it. (Six times in two weeks, BUT closer to the unit being available to move in, does sound reasonable.)

About the open house: make sure all personal information (anything with bank account info, SSN number, etc.) as well as any portable valuables are locked up, not merely stuffed in a drawer out of sight: the vast majority of attendees will be honest, but there are people who attend open houses simply to see what they can pocket --- and there's no way the landlord's representative will be able to keep an eye on everyone's hands all the time.
posted by easily confused at 4:49 AM on May 15, 2012 [1 favorite]


is the California rental market THAT competitive

Actually, yes, it is. Though the flip side is that the landlord could, if he wanted, post the place two weeks before the end of the lease and still rent it.

Your 9-5/weekdays-only rule (with pre-agreed exceptions) is reasonable;

As someone who used to be a prospective tenant, it's not reasonable to me, unless exceptions were relatively common. The weekend is "apartment hunting day" for a lot of people.

Also, I'd be a little more fearful about my space during an open house than during a single tenant visit.

Generally, I'd want the landlord to rent it as quickly as possible. The fact that it hasn't been rented by now would actually raise a lot of red flags, either regarding the price, condition of the apartment, danger of the neighborhood, etc., indicating there's probably some very good reasons the OP feels uncomfortable with the whole situation in general.

Landlords, in my experience, are kind of crazy. The reason for this is that they have to deal with a lot of different tenants, many of whom are big boundary pushers. So landlords become (or the ones that remain are) big boundary pushers themselves. The point I'm trying to make here is that the longer the rental process goes on, the more you will have to deal with your landlord, and the more personally violated you will feel.
posted by deanc at 5:43 AM on May 15, 2012 [1 favorite]


Best answer: what I DON'T see as reasonable is that this is all happening THREE MONTHS before the place is empty

Don't live in Madison WI, then; they are legally allowed to show places 1/3 of the way into a lease, and would regularly be showing places in December with August lease-starting dates.

It's totally normal to show a place that often--and agreed with the other posters that they will continue to show it that often until it's rented, so it's in your interest to have the place looking great, because then this phase will pass more quickly. The open house seems a little odd to me, though--are you the only apartment in the complex having an open house that day? Is your apartment in particularly nice condition compared to other units? If the answer to both of those questions is "yes" I'd wonder if he's using your place as a showpiece for ALL potential tenants. Maybe call the landlord in a week, posing as someone who previously viewed the place, and ask if your unit is still available.
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:06 AM on May 15, 2012


Yeah, when I was leaving my last apartment it was shown 5 times in 2 days, twice while I was home. It was exhausting - the place had to look perfect 100% of the time because I never knew when the landlady was going to knock. Had to wash dishes constantly.

It sucks, but it's just part of the deal when you live in rental accomodation, unfortunately.
posted by Cygnet at 6:11 AM on May 15, 2012


Yeah, this doesn't seem unreasonable to me. This was standard with the large Boston-area property company I rented with - our lease ran through July, we had to re-sign the lease in FEBRUARY, and when we chose not to they started showing the apartment immediately. It was rented by mid-March, IIRC. Just remind yourself: the sooner it's rented, the sooner they stop showing it.

Just to get a quick renter-rant in here, because I still cannot believe they did this, one of the realtors who showed that place passed my roommate's phone number on to one of the prospective tenants so she could call and ask for additional information. Which she did. Repeatedly! Fortunately my roommate took a hard line with the girl at the beginning. That wasn't the landlord's fault, though, that was the realtor, and we complained about it to the real estate agency and the management company.
posted by mskyle at 6:23 AM on May 15, 2012


I recently dealt with this too. I was at home each time they showed the house to potential tenants. It was usually awkward, but the whole process only lasted for 10 minutes and I only had to deal with them for a few minutes when they looked at my bedroom.

It's normal to show an apartment six times in just a few weeks. It's annoying, but at the same time it should be acceptable. The landlord owns the apartment and needs that unit filled in order to make money. One of the benefits too, is finding a tenant faster which means that this will all be over with soon!

I highly doubt you would be able to ask them to stop showing your apartment until you moved out. It might make it more difficult for the landlord to find a new tenant if they have less time. Plus, it seems like they are already being accommodating...
posted by livinglearning at 6:46 AM on May 15, 2012


This was totally normal for me. I live in a collegetown and rental apartments get shown in January for leases beginning in August. Don't worry, it's not going to be like this for the whole rest of the three months. There will be a period of high intensity like now, and then someone will sign a lease and you'll have your privacy again. I actually think your landlord is being quite reasonable. The worst I've had to put up with was when my absentee landlord was trying to sell the apartment and was scheduling showings all the time. That was hell. This you might just have to put up with for a short while.
posted by peacheater at 7:41 AM on May 15, 2012


Response by poster: I realize now that I should have mentioned this sooner but:

If the answer to both of those questions is "yes" I'd wonder if he's using your place as a showpiece for ALL potential tenants.


Is the case, which is part of my discontent. They have already used my very well kept and clean apartment to show as an "example" to people who would be renting similar apartments, but not mine specifically.

Either way, I have ingested the "suck it up and suffer" consensus, and will be doing so.

The advice has been very helpful. Thank you.
posted by Shouraku at 9:41 AM on May 15, 2012


I would encourage you to suck it up, but not suffer. You do have to keep it neat and presentable; you do NOT have to make sure there is never a dirty dish in the sink. As for your privacy, you will literally never see these people and they will never know who you are. I know it feels gross, but it is perfectly normal, and I think the more you dwell on feeling bad about it, the worse you're going to feel. You're very fortunate that your landlord has been willing to go with your reduction in the hours when it can be shown.

People seeing your apartment are not there to judge what books you own or how dusty your furniture is or isn't. They're focused entirely on the apartment, and they're probably seeing ten that day. This is sort of an extension of the general principle that in most cases, people are too busy thinking about their own problems to care about you. They're not looking at your stuff; they're looking at how many outlets there are and whether there's a dishwasher.

I know it might not sound like it, but I'm actually EXTREMELY sensitive about having my space invaded (heh) also, so I know how you feel. I've sort of learned to live with it (when the electrician or the plumber or whoever has to come) based on these very principles. Hang in there. It feels awful, but I promise, nobody cares.
posted by Linda_Holmes at 11:46 AM on May 15, 2012


Best answer: I do think there's a significant difference between having the landlord show your apartment in the hopes of renting it out and showing your apartment as a showpiece. First of all, it's in your interest to have the landlord rent out your apartment, if that's what they're doing, because then the visits will stop, so you want to accommodate the potential renters as much as possible (all of you are on the same side, and your interests align-- you want the apartment rented out so this issue ends, your landlord wants to ensure that the apartment is occupied with a rent-payer, and the renter wants a place to live!). In this case, you're making everyone's life unpleasant (including your own) by being ornery about rental visits. It was your choice to move out, after all.

On the other hand, if your apartment is being used as a showroom for what identical apartments for rent look like, then you're being "used"-- the landlord has plenty of options, and he's burdening you, and you don't derive any benefit from it, so feel free to be as strict as possible about it, if at all (the landlord can just show any number of other apartments, including the one that's actually for rent).

That said, I write this as someone with very little emotional investment in the place I live as a "home"/"personal space." Your own emotional mileage may vary.
posted by deanc at 1:23 PM on May 15, 2012 [1 favorite]


talk to the landlord and tell him you are aware of his using your flat as a model for other flats. Tell him he can either stop, or pay you.

I would personally be extremely pissed off at this.
posted by Tarumba at 7:36 AM on May 16, 2012


Response by poster: Update:

"You are on the same team, your landlord wants the same thing as you" was actually not very good advice in my specific case. Turns out the may landlord was on the "get as many people through the apartment as possible to increase the chance of someone agreeing to pay the OUTRAGEOUSLY high rent I'm asking" team. After politely allowing just under 50 people to come through my apartment over the course of a month (from early morning to late night and all weekend), I called the landlord posing as a potential renter and found out that he was trying to rent it for double what I was paying (already pretty expensive). I guess he figured that since he had three months before I moved out, he mine as well use the time to see if he could bag a sucker.

Also, my apartment was being used as an "example" for all the other available apartments of similar size in the building.


What did work:

Telling him that I will only allow my apartment to be shown during working hours as guaranteed in the California renter's rights.

Demanding that my apartment not be used as a showplace.


TL;DR: Had I just listened to my gut and continued to insist that my right be upheld, I would have been a much happier person. They still haven't found a renter.
posted by Shouraku at 12:21 PM on June 18, 2012


« Older Should I include the names of my friends when I...   |   What does my dryer's rotary iron mode do? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.