Not even on the Lease

[leviathan860]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Illinois

I have a two-part question. I lived in an apartment until January of 2008 and just within the last week my former landlord put a negative action on my credit report. I received 1-2 letters 2 years ago asking for money but that was the only contact. The first part of my question is they also put a negative action on my dad's credit report and my dad did not even sign the lease. They ran both of our credits and he offered to sign the lease but my credit was good enough so he never SIGNED. Obviously he is not liable for this debt even if I owe it.

The second part is the money they want is for cleaning. It's not black and white like rent, it's more subjective. I believe I cleaned the apartment really well. They claim I didn't. I think they just want money. I'm wondering what me and my dad can do other than dispute this on my credit report. I've never had bad credit or disputed an item so I don't know how it all works or what kind of "proof" the landlord needs to show. All I know is a lot of people complain about how inaccurate their credit reports are so I don't have a lot of faith they will remove this negative item.

 

[AlmostALawyer]

You're on the hook for the cleaning. I'm guessing your lease contained a provision stating you would be charged for cleaning if it wasn't clean. I'm also guessing the discretion was given to the landlord, under the lease, to make that call. Let this be a lesson to all that you should take many pictures before and after you move into an apartment.

If I was your father, I would dispute the negative report. I'd contact the landlord and demand an explanation as to why he has had a report filed against him when he was not a party to the lease. If he can't talk them in to removing their negative report, then I would see a lawyer for a nasty letter.

 

[leviathan860]

You're on the hook for the cleaning. I'm guessing your lease contained a provision stating you would be charged for cleaning if it wasn't clean. I'm also guessing the discretion was given to the landlord, under the lease, to make that call. Let this be a lesson to all that you should take many pictures before and after you move into an apartment.

If I was your father, I would dispute the negative report. I'd contact the landlord and demand an explanation as to why he has had a report filed against him when he was not a party to the lease. If he can't talk them in to removing their negative report, then I would see a lawyer for a nasty letter.

My dad is contacting the landlord but this seems like a criminal issue of fraud. This isn't a good faith dispute, they knew he wasn't on the lease. I do have pictures proving the apartment was clean, but I'm guessing the credit bureaus don't care about that. So now you tell me what the lesson is.

 

[atomizer]

One lesson might be to do a better job of cleaning. Photos only show what you want them to. For instance, they don't show grease running up and down the kitchen cabinet doors. other dirt is often obscured by flash lighting. The landlord may also have pictures of his own like behind the refrigerator, the sides of the stove, inside of the dishwasher Even a bathtub may look clean, but soap scum is not acceptable to the LL or the next tenant.