I would think that a corporation or diplomat could pay a year's rent upfront. I would insist on that.

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Hey that's profiling and premeditated thinking. This could blur your decision making and prevent a qualified tenant from finding a residence.

So - sounds like a consulate is a definite NO NO, but a corporation / company is/maybe ok?

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Agree - most NYC landlords don't want to deal with diplomats or consulates, precisely because they'll cry immunity the second something goes awry. A business acquaintance of mine who was attached to the Italian consulate had to ask his bosses to rescind his diplomatic passport and issue him a regular one because landlords were balking when he produced the diplomatic passport as ID. Took him forever to find an apartment, even though he was willing to put in extra for a security deposit.

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stop right there. consulates in NY are notorious for weaseling their officials out of financial/legal obligations, citing "diplomatic immunity." the unpaid parking tickets around the UN alone could fix the city's budget in perpetuity.

an Indian official was the latest to cry "but I'm a diplomat!"
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-26587333

a consulate is not a corporation.

A consulate is not a corporation, and in certain respects, a consulate can act like it is immune from the US legal system (and in ceartain regards, a consulate may actualy have immunity).

I had a corporation as a tenant. Had a very positive experience. The corporation was a household name and they were bringing employees from Europe to NYC. They agreed on the rent, then asked for the place to be spruced up (paint and new appliances) and then paid for the upgrades.
So I can't complain.

I did have initial hesitation - but they actually had someone at the company who handled the corporate tenancy department.

Rent was paid on time by a corporate check, they provided insurance certificates naming me and my wife as additional insureds. It was great, and I would not hesitate to do it again.

It was the consulate, and going thru all the levels of bureaucracy there would exhaust anyone without even doing anything else.

Again, I would trust one's own instinct regading the tenant.

Thanks for sharing. This is my fear - if anything goes wrong, there's no way I could go against a big corporation!!!

May I ask whose name was on the lease? Was it the consulate, or the individual tenants?

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Dont take my post as a hate post, it actually happened to me.

I rented my apt (in Queens) to the Indian Consultate of NY, for one of their officials. I thought I hit the jackpot. Government paying for the bill, diplomat tenant, when this official leaves they will surely replace him with a new official, no more rental worries I had figured.

WRONG!!

They stiffed me of like 2 months worth of rent during their trasitional period where the consulate wasn't sure if the tenant would stay or not, so I let them stay on a month to month basis. Then suddenly they told me they don't want the apt anymore. As you can imaginge I have lost weeks of time looking for a new tenant. So fine, I figured I would call them to get my rent money, no dice. So I emailed and sent via certified mail, no dice. I even went knocking on their door in the UES and met with them, no dice.

The person who signed the lease was not there anymore, and the new person in charge knows nothing about it and cannot be held responsible so I was told. So at this point, which is a few weeks of trying to get my money, I was like going postal and was ready to strangle somebody.

?
?

I almost got as far as taking them to the small claims court, but advices from all over presuaded me to not go that route, as the hassle and time needed will not be worth it. So I took it like a champ and went to clean out the apt.

Needless to say if you have had experiences renting to Indian people, (gain I am not being racist here, after all I live in Newport) but DAMN, that kitchen was worse than a crime scence. Grease all caked up and nasty on all surfaces, the smell of curry everywhere? It was a nightmare that's all I can say.

So the lesson here is, no, you cannot be certain that a corporate tenant will be better than an individual tenant or vise versa.

Trust your gut instincts.

Any lease to a corporation I'd have carefully drafted by a lawyer and no doubt the corporation will want their lawyer(s) to review as well, and even propose changes to. Any lease to individuals can probably be one of those fill-in-the-blank leases they sell at a stationary store.

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My best tenants were from a corporation who ran a downtown JC operation and had their employees living in a single family home we rented. We did keep a careful watch on how many tenants were in the house and made a stipulation in the lease that we needed copies of ID from every tenant that stayed in the home. We also capped occupancy.

We watched carefully so they did not exceed occupancy - and they never did.

They were neat, clean and had good rapport with our neighbors. Never had a late check or damage to the property.

If you have a question, I would consult an attorney and make sure your lease was buttoned up tight.

Good question. I'd be very careful because how would you collect money from a corporation, possibly foreign, in a case where they owed you for damage (more than the security deposit)? I'm not sure I'd rent to them.

I know there are quite a few landlords here, so I want to post this and ask for some opinion:

as a landlord, what's the difference between renting to individuals vs. renting out to a corporation (the company is paying the rent, and signing the lease for people they're relocating to this country).

On one hand, I feel it's less likely for big corporation to default / skip town, but if any issues come up, will it be more difficult to deal with the corporation (since they have a legal apartment) than individual renters?

Would appreciate any pros and cons, and/or stories!


Thanks!