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Hi, I'm currently applying to rent/sublease an apartment in a co-op building. It is through the apartment's owner so there is not agent involved to help me with this process. I need three personal reference letters. So far I am getting one from a boss and from a current roommate (since I am not on my lease, I pay my rent to this roommate). For my third letter, I am debating getting one from my best friend for whom I was just maid of honor at her wedding and have known for over ten years OR from my landlord although that would be very impersonal since I live in a HUGE rental building currently and the landlord is one of the largest companies out there. I see pros and cons to both though (best friend knows me well, but landlord is more of an authority on how I am as a tenant--although maybe that's covered with the roommate?). Opinions?
Thanks!
You already have a personal reference from your roommate.
You have a reference from your boss.
The third letter should be from your landlord.
(some co-op sale applications ask for a reference letter from current landlord. That's for the first time buyers.)
The personal reference should be from someone who knows you personally. That'd be your best friend, not your landlord.
O.K.,another letter from a friend.
But that friend can't write about how the OP is as a tenant. Which is why the co-op sales applications want a letter from the current landlord.
The OP can add a letter from her best friend with the other letters.
I've written more than 20 "personal" reference letters. Some were for friends but they already had LL. reference letter. Others were for people I had worked with and I have personal knowledge about their honesty and integrity in business dealings. I also know them, not so much about their personal life.
I've never been contacted to confirm my identity or the info in my letter.
A landlord would possibly be contacted.
Most boards will ask specifically for a landlord ref in addition to the personal refs. It sounds like this is not the case here. I would go with the BF letter since it will show you in a personal light.
Remember, co-op boards want to know any potential subtenant is someone that they will be comfortable having living in their building. The tenant shareholder (from whom you will be subleasing) is responsible for paying the monthly maintenance to the building, not you. So the board will be less interested in what your landlord has to say and more interested in how well you 'play' with others.
and they want to know if you are noisy and keep your neighbors up at night. things like that.
of course you play well with your best friend. That's why she's your bff.
My friends' kids have enclosed LL letters in the personal letter category. None have been asked to get an additional letter from their best friend. It's usually friend/roommate,boss, landlord.
The OP can ask the LL to contact the managing agent to find out which letter the co-op would prefer.
although my friend works for her bff who is also her boss and lives in an apt in the boss' 3-family house so the bff is also her boss and her landlord.
Dear co-op board:
I have been krichellety's friend for 10 years. We met in high school.
She is my best friend forever. So much so, that she was recently my maid of honor at my wedding.
krichellrty never complained about the dresses I picked out for my bridal party. Some of my other friends did not like the color so they complained to me. But they are not my bff.
She threw me a great wedding shower. The male strippers were fun. Some of our friends got drunk and rowdy and started grabbing the strippers' private parts. But not krichellrty. She remained her usual well mannered self.
15 minutes before I walked down the aisle I ripped the seam of my wedding dress. krichellrty was right there with the little sewing kit she had in her evening bag.
She is the kind of responsible person who will find a way to fit a sewing kit into even the smallest evening bag!
Sincerely, krichellrty's bff
Dear bramstar:
It has come to our attention that your sister-in-law has been visiting you in your apt. Although you own it and are not a renter, other shareholders are concerned about the odor of Lysol emanating from your apt.
Furthermore, your sister-in-law has been spraying everything in sight in the building as she goes up to your apt.:
The doorman, the chairs in the lobby before she would allow her kids to sit in them, the elevator buttons,and the hallway on your floor. She has also sprayed several shareholders who entered the elevator while she was in it.
Since you submitted a letter of personal reference from her with your co-op application package -- we never thought that she would be an annoyance to building residents.
Speaking of which: those kids of hers are noisy! They run around on your terrace and there have been complaints that they are riding scooters up there.
Further complaints will result in fines for breaking co-op rules.
Sincerely, Your managing agent.
so I'm willing to change the word "should" to "could" in my first comment.
If they want 3 personal reference letters I would include LL.
If my family ever moves, we will get a reference from Truth.
Will you be submitting that letter as a business reference or as your se bff letter?
haha, thanks everyone. leaning toward ll now, but will call just to get a better sense of what's more important.
Good luck,krichellrty.
>>Dear bramstar:
It has come to our attention that your sister-in-law has been visiting you in your apt. Although you own it and are not a renter, other shareholders are concerned about the odor of Lysol emanating from your apt.<<
Truth, you're killing me but you crack me up, as always :-D
re: the LL vs BFF scenario--while your point is well taken, please don't forget that landlords of large buildings often don't have the foggiest notion of how well- or ill-behaved a particular tenant is unless that person has required late-night police visits or runs through the halls naked and swinging an empty bourbon bottle while shrieking at an errant boyfriend.
As long as said tenant pays on time and keeps relatively off the radar the landlord probably won't care/know much about his/her particular stinky lysol habit and co-op boards understand this.
So I still vote for the BFF, and extra credit if she happens to be someone 'respectable' like a doctor, a social worker, or head of fundraising for Save the Children.
>So I still vote for the BFF, and extra credit if she happens to be someone 'respectable' like a doctor, a social worker, or head of fundraising for Save the Children.
what about someone from Columbia County?
It probably wouldn't hurt to get both, and just give them 4 letters. Or get both, hand in the BFF letter, but have the LL letter handy in case the board asks for more info.
Post87deflation: that's a good nom de se.
bramstar: just an example with your Lysol- loving sister-in-law.
If your tenant, you or any of your houseguests have a late party,make noise that leads to complaints that are reported to the managing agent it goes into your building/apt file. the managing agent will send you a letter which stays in your file. Same for odors that annoy other shareholders because many co-op and condo rules prohibit stinky odors.
Not just for running through the halls naked.
Sure a renter can send in 4 letters. Why not cover it all.
If the person running through the halls naked is also emanating a stinky odor, extra credit for complaints.
or let bramstar's sister-in-law take care of it. She has Lysoled Santa!