The landlord thinks I said something in casual conversation that contradicts what I put on my application. I put that I was living with my mom at her apartment, which I am. Here’s where I think the confusion is - At some point I mentioned I had lived at other apartments (implying that they were also with my mom, but didnt say that). I guess they thought it was other than what I had put down, and now they’re like “wait, first you said you lived with your mom, now you say you live in an apartment?”
The info on the app is accurate, anything left out was because it wasn’t asked for.
This is after the lease is signed, and the rest of the security will be paid. Can they still void it, or are they as bound to it now as I am (barring typical eviction for unpaid rent or general unruliness)?
I imagine it depends what’s in the contract. If the lease has some stipulation about the landlord being able to void it for some variety of reasons that your situation falls under, I imagine he’s allowed to void it.
There are a few ways a contract/lease can be invalidated, regardless of what’s written on it. The question here is whether it was “induced by a material misrepresentation.” I.e., did you say something false/misleading about something really important? The answer seems to be, no. <i>Even if</i> you lied outright about living in an apt. vs. living with your mom (not that I think you did), it probably wouldn’t matter: why is it “material” whether you previously lived in an apt. or with your mom? Maybe it’s a financial stability thing. It would help if you could show you weren’t going to run out of money midway through the year. He might have counted on your mom paying your rent, and hence being more reliable. In any event, this is a losing argument for the landlord.
I recommend you call the landlord, tell him, “Look, the lease is signed. I have more than enough money to pay you reliably. I don’t think it matters whether I lived with my mom. I didn’t mean to deceive you about anything, but I apologize if I did.” If he pushes it, then mention that the lease is probably enforceable in court.
just explain the misunderstanding … unless they’ve threatened to pull the lease they probably aren’t planning to. If they seem upset, offer to have your mom co-sign it, that usually makes landlords feel better.