So I was applying to rent an apartment in a large Toronto building (run by a somewhat mysterious company). I was told the landlord wanted first and last month's rent as a certified cheque before processing the application, to be cashed as soon as the application was accepted.
It occurred to me that if the application was accepted, they would have a huge chunk of my money and I would be forced to sign the lease no matter what was on it. I'd basically be blindly agreeing to sign a contract. So I asked the landlord to see a copy of their lease agreement before giving her the deposit cheque, just to see what conditions etc. it had...
The landlord got really angry at this request, saying "it's just a normal lease," but refusing to let me see it. She acted like I was being completely unreasonable to ask about this.
I did NOT give her the cheque (her attitude alone made me not want to rent from her). But since I plan to continue looking for an apartment, I'm wondering... was my request unreasonable? Would a landlord normally expect deposit money without showing you a lease? Or was her behavior a huge red flag?
It occurred to me that if the application was accepted, they would have a huge chunk of my money and I would be forced to sign the lease no matter what was on it. I'd basically be blindly agreeing to sign a contract. So I asked the landlord to see a copy of their lease agreement before giving her the deposit cheque, just to see what conditions etc. it had...
The landlord got really angry at this request, saying "it's just a normal lease," but refusing to let me see it. She acted like I was being completely unreasonable to ask about this.
I did NOT give her the cheque (her attitude alone made me not want to rent from her). But since I plan to continue looking for an apartment, I'm wondering... was my request unreasonable? Would a landlord normally expect deposit money without showing you a lease? Or was her behavior a huge red flag?