RPA Tenant Rights Blog » General Topics, Videos Post » What can a landlord do to a tenant who lied in the application?

What can a landlord do to a tenant who lied in the application?

By Tenant

Before a tenant moves in, the landlord may request for a comprehensive background check. The information needed for the background check will be based on the information the tenant has included in the application form. You will need the tenant’s consent especially if you need to pull a credit check because that is sensitive information.

I have read of some reports in San Francisco wherein the tenants who filled out the application process are not the same people who actually moved in. If you’re planning to take part in this fraud, don’t. You could get into serious trouble. Here are some details that you need to be aware of.

Steps that the landlord can take against you:

  1. Your landlord could evict you once he finds out that you are a fraud. If he does that, your security deposit could be in jeopardy.
  2. Your landlord cannot call the police against you because it’s a civil case. However, he can file a civil case against you in court. If that happens, you will have a negative record which could affect your succeeding background checks.

What to expect during tenant application:

Backed by the knowledge for fraud, landlords may be a bit more careful when they’re doing their background checks. So when applying, expect to go through these steps:

  • Your landlord will ask you to submit an application form. Please fill out the form honestly.
  • Once the results are in, your landlord will contact you for a walk through.
  • During the walk through, you will be given the chance to take pictures and document everything in the unit. After which, you will both sign the walk through document.
  • Both you and your landlord will go over all the clauses in the lease, including the addendum. You will be asked to sign all the clauses to make sure that you read through everything.
  • Then the deposit money will be handed over.,
  • The last step of the process would be the transfer over of keys.

Even if it’s an honest mistake, your landlord may still evict you so be very careful when you’re filling out the application form. If your landlord evicts you for no reason, you can file a complaint against him. You can do that with the RPA using their complaint center, accessible through this link: http://www.rentalprotectionagency.com/complaint_center.php

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Edited on: Saturday, March 2nd, 2013 1:09 am
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15 Responses to “What can a landlord do to a tenant who lied in the application?”

My response: (We welcome stories, examples, explanations, answers and a touch of your personality)
 

Mario

March 3rd, 2013 11:00 am

For landlords, it’s easy to know if a tenant is a fraud. This is if he or she is in such a hurry to get the keys to the apartment. A good tenant will wait and will follow the process that you have set in place.

Rita

March 3rd, 2013 10:00 pm

Ask for the previous tenant’s landlord so you can check what kind of tenant he or she was.


Pia

March 4th, 2013 9:20 am

Well, not all landlords take the time to do a background check and they end up having problems later on. That’s what happens when a landlord is blinded by huge deposits.

Jermaine

March 4th, 2013 8:20 pm

I think the police should be called because this is fraud.


Erwin

March 5th, 2013 7:20 am

The police doesn’t step in when it’s between landlord and tenant because it’s a civil case. If you want to, maybe you can try the Sheriff’s office.

Leena

March 5th, 2013 6:40 pm

Run credit check, criminal records, and background histories to know who you’re renting to.


Wanita

March 6th, 2013 5:40 am

A background check isn’t costly. In fact, RPA offers a standard check for $29.95. Wouldn’t it be logical to have that check run now than suffer from damages later on?

Sherilyn

March 6th, 2013 4:40 pm

Right. I agree with you completely. Besides, a credit check only takes a few seconds. You can even have your tenant wait in your office as you do the check.

Belen

March 7th, 2013 3:40 am

I had a slightly different experience. I didn’t intentionally falsify the information. I just forgot. I just got married then and you know how that goes?I still need to get used to my new status. So anyway, my landlord confronted me about it and I explained that it was an error on my part. I did the change and everything went smoothly.

Nick

March 7th, 2013 2:40 pm

Your experience is simple. It can be easily corrected but the problem here is huge. If you falsified all the information by letting another person fill out the application form even though you will be the one moving in, you are doing a fraudulent activity. That is a cause for a lawsuit to be filed against you.

Irish

March 8th, 2013 2:00 am

If you falsified your information because you’re afraid you couldn’t rent because of your history, then you are only making things worse. Any fraudulent activity can be included in your criminal history if a case has been won in court.

Wade

March 8th, 2013 1:00 pm

Not only that, the person who filled out the application form for you could also get into trouble. The landlord could file a case against him too and that could ruin his records.

Monte

March 9th, 2013 12:00 am

Why fake things and potentially make things worse? I just don’t see the logic in it.

Stefan

March 9th, 2013 11:20 am

The reason why a tenant would want to fake his tenancy is if he is planning to stash illegals in the apartment. This could not only jeopardize your business but could put the rest of your tenants in danger.

Richard

March 9th, 2013 10:40 pm

There are some states that would impose fines for falsified information. Be very careful.


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