A couple months ago, I applied for my first apartment at a complex that has monthly payments based on income. It would be great. I'd be able to live by myself and live comfortably. After a couple weeks, they sent me a notice that an apartment had opened up and they began checking my background info. I was worried when a few weeks went by and I hadn't heard anything. Then I got something in the mail. It was a statement saying I was denied. As for the reason, there were a bunch of check boxes. The only one that was checked was "Other" and written next to it was Rental History.
Rental History? Remember, I was applying for my first apartment. I don't have any rental history. My mom got pissed and called them up. It turns out there was an Eviction Notice under my name from last year. I was told to wait until Thursday to go their office to see what they could do. When I got there, all the lady told me was to call the reporting agency they use. I don't know why I had to wait just for her to tell me that.
When I called, they starting giving me the info they had available about the Eviction. Then the name of my brother's girlfriend came up. I know that the two of them were living together in a rented house last year. Apparently my brother wanted a piece of my perfect credit so they could rent that house. The strange thing is they didn't get my birthday right, and I know they don't have any of my personal information. I guess the landlord is pretty lax when it comes to checking for fraud.
In attempt to get this eviction off of my name, many phone calls were made. Usually these calls led me around in circles. Getting a hold of the landlord seems impossible. Her number isn't listed in the phone book, there is someone else that has the same name, and she may have gotten divorced and changed her name. I got my brother to admit he used my name, although he made sound like an accident. Yeah right. He found the landlord's number through 411, but all we get is an answering machine with a preloaded message.
After some advice from a neighborly lawyer, my mom and I discover we need to file some forms with the local court house. "Motion and Motion for Expungement" is what it's called. The people at court house, after some confusing explanations of filing, told us we needed the address of the landlord's lawyer to put on the form so he can get copies and such. There was also a mentioning of a $250 filing fee. It was around that time I started getting depressed and despondent, luckily my mom was there keeping a handle on things.
Since we couldn't get a hold of the landlord's lawyer, he was on vacation or something, my mom simply got his address from a phone book. We were supposed to ask him what address he wanted to use, but nuts to him. The court date has been set for Sept. 9th. Hopefully after that this will all be settled, and I can finally reapply for an apartment. I wish I don't have to start at the bottom of the waiting list, since this wasn't my fault I'll have to ask them about it.
If you've made it this far, Blast Fax Kudos To You!!! This is definitely the most I've ever written in a single post. If I was asked to read this much, I would have skipped it. xd
[update: 9/3/08] I got some papers in the mail today. They were from lawyer who use to represent the landlord. We sent him a copy of the notice for the Epxpungement, and this is what he sent back. He claims that I am the one who rented that house, and offers proof with a copy of the rental forms. My name was written on the forms with my birth date off by a day and no social security number. My brother's girlfriend is also on there as well as her parents as co-signers.
The lawyer says he spent 2 hours looking up and going over the dead file, and sending copies of the notice we sent him to the landlord's last known address. Now I owe him $322 for time spent on doing that, and of course I wasn't given the choice for him not to waste his time.
6 days away from the court date, and things keep getting better and better. neutral
~EBB~
