Q: A property management company is refusing to show me the terms of a lease until AFTER I sign it. Is this legal?
I’m looking to rent a property with a property management group. However, they have refused to show me the lease before I sign it and pay them my non-refundable security deposit and first month’s rent. Can they legally force me to sign a lease before sharing the details of the contract with me?
A:
No, landlords or property management companies cannot "force you to sign a lease." However, that is not what they are trying to do here.
FYI: Landlords may lawfully refuse to rent to you unless you agree to do certain things--such as agreeing to put down a reasonable security deposit and agree to pay the first month's rent. The only way you can make these promises is by signing the lease--because all of these promises MUST be made in writing in accordance with the law. If after signing the lease you are unhappy you should be given an opportunity to back out of the deal, without penalty; if that does not happen, come back here for some revised legal advice.
1 user found this answer helpful
A: First of all- you are doing the right thing. You should never sign a contract (a lease is a contract for an interest in real estate) without reading the contract and understanding the terms. At the same time, unless there is some type of discriminatory reason they will not share the lease- if the Landlord doesn't want to share the lease they don't have to. So you end up with an impasse- You won't sign if they won't show- and they won't show if you won't sign. I am not understanding why they won't show you the lease as I can't see how anyone would do what they are suggesting- blindly signing a document.
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