Why do they need this at this point?

@Barry2021,

They're just trying to cover their butts in case you pull a French leave on them. You've got to be down to months, drag your feet. What can they do: evict you? What grounds?

I get their point, they are just way too aggressive about it.

1 Reply

@bobsal u1553115,

I just got an email from the rental office and this is what they are saying:

"This information is used to verify whether you are an active service member. We are needing this form filled out and a copy of your ID.

There would not be a discount on rent as this is a government requirement."

Again, stop me if I'm wrong but why is it a government requirement to know if someone is an active service member for the purpose of a rental agreement? If this is a government requirement then do people with mortgages through banks and other financial institutions have to show they are active or non-active? They could just as easily be called up and shipped off over seas and skip on paying their mortgage. Yes, they are being way too aggressive with this. Yeah, I can see if they are afraid we might skip out on rent but that could be anyone. Signing the form is one thing but why do you need copies of our IDs?

Again, the 436-T form is for prospective tenants. We are not a prospective tenant as we have been here some 15+ years.

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@Seizan,

Seizan wrote:

1. Call for an appointment with the local branch of "Retired Military Affairs" office, or on the closest military base to you. Whether your wife is ex-military or retired, they may be able to guide you. Or point you in the right direction (perhaps another office on base that handles affairs for non-retired ex-military, if your wife has less than 20 years in service).

2. Bring all requests, forms, and documentation to them.

3. Be prepared to move really soon if the "management" gets "upset" with you for uncovering a privacy invasion scam...

In my experience (20 years and retired), the housing agency (or whoever owns the property) can only ask, through agreement with the military agency, for a valid identification card if you are active-duty. This is in case of rapid deployment and sudden evacuation of the house, but also to cover in case the lessee hightails it out with a few months back rent due, so they can track them easily his their ID card via their command. Used to happen with US Military in foreign countries.

There is no purpose to ask for your SSN card or number (which appears on your ID card anyway). To "verify who you are" it might be OK to ask for your driver's license with photo.

On the other hand, if the "management" has known you for years already and you are in good standing regarding payments, etc., I really can't see a valid reason why they would treat you like a stranger and first-time lessee at this time...

I could be wrong, but I smell some sort of scam here.

No, my wife did not do 20 years then retire. She was in for a total of about 8 and she has been out for 20+ years. Yes, we've been here some 15+ years and are in fairly good standing. Sure, there were times during unemployment for both of us that the rent was behind or late because of a big car repair or something like that but that still doesn't answer the question why they need this form now.

1 Reply

@Barry2021,

Did you ask why they needed this form now? And then just tell them it is not applicable for you.

1 Reply

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

Did you ask why they needed this form now? And then just tell them it is not applicable for you.

Yes, I've asked, but the only thing they are saying is that it is a government requirement. One would think they would just say something like, "we need to form in case either of you are called up for military service and need to cancel your lease." That would make more sense than just giving the generic answer "it's a government requirement." Again, the form is for prospective tenants. We've been here 15 years. Funny thing is that I contacted an agency who just looked into this form and they are saying that it doesn't appear to be a governmental form or requirement but some form created by a rental association.

2 Replies

@Barry2021,

It is C-O-M-P-L-I-A-N-C-E to FEDERAL laws called the SCRA and FHA. It is MANDATORY to have tenants complete it it.

How is this SO DIFFICULT for you to understand???

Just SHUT UP and FILL IT OUT.
SMDH.

0 Replies

@Barry2021,

Benefit and Protection No. 5 – Residential (apartment) lease terminations – 50 U.S.C. § 3955.
Section 3955 of the SCRA, 50 U.S.C. § 3955, addresses the topic of lease terminations. With respect to residential apartment leases, the SCRA requires that the premises be occupied (or are intended to be occupied) by a servicemember or a servicemember’s dependent(s). 50 U.S.C. § 3955(b)(1). Additionally, the lease must either be executed by a person who later enters military service, or is in military service and later receives permanent change of station (“PCS”) orders or deployment orders for a period of at least 90 days. Id. at § 3955(a)(1). To terminate a residential lease, the servicemember must submit a written notice and a copy of his or her military orders – or a letter from a commanding officer – by certain methods to the landlord or landlord’s agent. Id. at § 3955(c) & (i)(1). If a servicemember pays rent on a monthly basis, once he or she gives proper notice and a copy of his or her military orders, then the lease will terminate 30 days after the next rent payment is due. 50 U.S.C. § 3955(d)(1). If a servicemember lessee dies while in military service, the spouse of a lessee may terminate the lease within one year of the death. Id. at § 3955(a)(3).

A lease termination hypothetical under Section 3955 of the SCRA, 50 U.S.C. § 3955: Jane Servicemember receives PCS orders to transfer from Iowa to Texas. She gives her landlord written notice of her intent to terminate her apartment lease and a copy of her PCS orders on September 18th. Her next rent payment is due on October 1st. The effective date of the lease termination will be Halloween – October 31st. See, generally, 50 U.S.C. § 3955.

https://www.justice.gov/servicemembers/servicemembers-civil-relief-act-scra

1 Reply

@neptuneblue,

neptuneblue wrote:

Benefit and Protection No. 5 – Residential (apartment) lease terminations – 50 U.S.C. § 3955.
Section 3955 of the SCRA, 50 U.S.C. § 3955, addresses the topic of lease terminations. With respect to residential apartment leases, the SCRA requires that the premises be occupied (or are intended to be occupied) by a servicemember or a servicemember’s dependent(s). 50 U.S.C. § 3955(b)(1). Additionally, the lease must either be executed by a person who later enters military service, or is in military service and later receives permanent change of station (“PCS”) orders or deployment orders for a period of at least 90 days. Id. at § 3955(a)(1). To terminate a residential lease, the servicemember must submit a written notice and a copy of his or her military orders – or a letter from a commanding officer – by certain methods to the landlord or landlord’s agent. Id. at § 3955(c) & (i)(1). If a servicemember pays rent on a monthly basis, once he or she gives proper notice and a copy of his or her military orders, then the lease will terminate 30 days after the next rent payment is due. 50 U.S.C. § 3955(d)(1). If a servicemember lessee dies while in military service, the spouse of a lessee may terminate the lease within one year of the death. Id. at § 3955(a)(3).

A lease termination hypothetical under Section 3955 of the SCRA, 50 U.S.C. § 3955: Jane Servicemember receives PCS orders to transfer from Iowa to Texas. She gives her landlord written notice of her intent to terminate her apartment lease and a copy of her PCS orders on September 18th. Her next rent payment is due on October 1st. The effective date of the lease termination will be Halloween – October 31st. See, generally, 50 U.S.C. § 3955.

https://www.justice.gov/servicemembers/servicemembers-civil-relief-act-scra

And I guess you just completely missed the part where I said we're both in our 50s and neither of us are military, active or reserves. She is no longer in the military and hasn't been for 20+ years. What's next, they want us to sign a form stating that we will not turn the AC down too low or they want to know what's exactly in our fridge. How long will it be before they want to know how much we drink or go out so they can assure that we won't come home drunk and destroy the place? Sure, I can easily tell them neither of us are active service members but I refuse to send in a form with copies of our ID.

Yeah, I'm being snarky right now. Say you sign papers for an auto loan and then a year or two into the loan after you have been making your payments regularly your finance company wants you to sign papers about if you are active military or not? Would you just sign them AFTER you have already signed the papers and the contract to get the car? At this point if you make those papers a condition of resigning our lease then I will have no problem signing them at that time. But we're locked in for a few more months. Let's discuss this when we're ready to sign for another year.

2 Replies

@Barry2021,

You are being EXTREMELY hard to get along with,

How in the hell would an apartment manager KNOW that you or your wife are not in the military unless they ASK??? FDCPA, FHA and SCRA all have reporting elements to them and you're acting poorly, as usual.

Please stop turning a speck of dirt into a mountain of disdain and encumberance.

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Just do what every other tenant must do - answer the question.

Stop overthinking everything.

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@Barry2021,

You do whatever you want Barry. I don't care either way, if you get taken to court it's no skin off my nose.

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My wife just called the property management company to discuss our account and i heard her on the phone complaining with them because they are trying to nickel and dime us for everything. We pay our rent with money orders every month for the agreed upon price and haven't been late. However they want to still charge us $10 for a technology fee, which we're not using their technology if we're going to get money out of the bank, driving to a check cashing place or grocery store and getting a money order then dropping it off in the rental agency's drop box. How is that using their technology? Then I heard her get loud on the phone because they want to charge us $9.95 for paying with a money order. I've never in my life dealt with a business that charged you for how you pay them. A few for writing an actual check. A fee for paying with a money order. A fee for paying them on their portal. And even if you set up an automatic bank draft that's still using their technology so again, a fee.

0 Replies

Why do they need this at this point?

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