Great place, but the landlord is giving me pause. Would you walk away?
I found a studio through a friend for $3,000/month near Castro, and I'm trying to figure out whether this is a good deal or if the landlord's behavior is too much of a red flag.
The place itself is a standalone house. The first floor has a garage, laundry room, a small storage room, and a large storage room. The second floor is the studio with a large closet, full kitchen, and small bathroom. I pay garbage, water, electric. There are old laundry machines there and if they break, I will buy my own.
The issue is the landlord. She initially refused to give me a copy of the lease to review on my own. She wanted me to read it with her and sign it on the spot. When I told her it's standard practice to review a lease beforehand on my own, she launched into a speech about how she's doing me a huge favor by renting to me, letting my cat stay for free (an ESA), and trusting that I'll pay rent every month. For context, I make less than 3x the rent, but I showed her I have enough savings to cover it.
After some back and forth, she finally agreed to let me review the lease ahead of time. But the whole interaction left me uneasy. I don't love being told that I'm being done a huge favor by someone I'm paying $3,000 a month. It also makes me wonder if she'll guilt-trip me anytime I need repairs or have issues with the property.
Another thing: she wants me to drive the signed lease out to her in the East Bay and won't accept a scanned copy. She is elderly, so I understand she may prefer doing things a certain way, but the person acting as her intermediary is also emphasizing what a huge favor they're doing for me.
Am I overthinking this, or are these legitimate red flags? Would you pass on an otherwise good apartment because of this?