Potential landlord ups lease price immediately after paying application fee

[mhuggins]

My girlfriend is trying to lease a house with 2 others such that all 3 of their names would be on the lease. The house was being advertised as $1495/mo., and almost immediately after submitting the application form and application fee, the guy says he's going to charge them $1600/mo. instead if they sign the lease.

Firstly, is this legal, or should the price be locked at $1495/mo? They were under the impression that that would be the price, and the price was certainly a significant factor as to why they paid to submit an application in the first place.

Secondly, they were all planning to sign their names on the lease. The guy ended up being pushy about only one of them signing their name to the lease, and finally gave in that two of them can sign and not the third. What's the deal with him being so shady? Is he trying to skim money from the government with taxes or something?

I recommended my girlfriend back out of trying to rent the house since she's really uncomfortable with all this sudden shadiness, but I wanted to see if she's at least entitled to get her application fee back since he upped the lease rate after the fact.

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

When your girlfriend initially spoke with the landlord, did she notify him that there would be three living there? Perhaps if he didn't know this and learned later that the others were added, he increased the monthly rent for additional wear and tear on the rental unit?

Did she ask him why the change in rent?

The application fees should go to screening each potential tenant. If your girlfriend wants to back out of this deal she needs to let him know as soon as possible before he runs the credit, criminal check, etc.. She should be able to get this back.

I have no idea why he wanted only one person signing the lease. Again, did your girlfriend ask him why?

Gail