tenants have rights, solving security deposit problems is your right...
Every day, tenants like you, turn to the RPA to quickly get deposits refunded & unfair charges dropped.Filing a Complaint with the RPA is the fastest and most effective way to get your deposit refunded and unfair deductions dropped. - even attorneys rely on the RPA to help solve dispute problems for their clients. As a tenant you have rights to fight for your every penny of your deposit. Yes, the RPA fight to get your deposit back.
What Security Deposit Problems Can the RPA solve?
Did you know... the RPA accepts all deposit complaints, but these are the most common complaints resolved by our organization:
Security Deposit Refunds
Getting your security deposit back promptly.
Charges to Security Deposit
Unfair, False, Unreasonable, or other types of deductions
TIP: On the complaint form you can request that your landlord reimburse you for the $35 complaint filing fee. (that's the only required fee to file a complaint)
Rent Problems Are Frustrating; but you're not alone: Thousands of tenants rely on RPA to solve problems
Repair Issue And Breach Of Contract Agreement | Case#**-*087
LOUISVILLE,
KY -
40203 2739
I\\\\\\\'ve been living in his apt almost 2 years and you have made minimum repairs my ceiling is leaking in at least 4 spots in the apt there is mold in the entire roof there are bed bugs in the building and I would like for my furniture to be replaced or an agreement worked out on the rent for all my things that have been ruined. I would like for fire extinguisher to be in apt and smoke detectors to be placed in building and to make a safe fire escape with steps to go down them
Non Working Septic | Case#**-*294
VERO BEACH,
FL -
32962 7033
Plumbing has been an issue from beginning of lease. Slow or no response for months. Septic company was to pump out tank, but did not. Coldwell lied repeatedly about delays. Now 6 months later, no working toilets, slow drain for shower, no laundry or dishes possible.
Gnats & Unsafe Living Conditions | Case#**-*815
CHICAGO RIDGE,
IL -
60415 1162
Starting in early november I had contacted the landlord Jim about a gnat issue in the unit. There were numerous text messages I still have where I expressed my concern about the bugs that were out of control, they were in the kitchen, on the walls, in the bedrooms, in the fridge it was horrendous and every time I spoke with Jim he would give me temporary fix resolutions such as buy a can of raid which was laughable and did nothing to solve the problem, and really why is it my responsibility to buy extermination items? I asked him numerous times to please resolve the issue and refused to call an exterminator and was basically sent off to handle it myself. The problem had gotten so bad after many failed attempts at getting rid of the bugs that I had no choice but to move it was very unsanitary. The building itself is falling apart, Jim has made no attempt to restore the building, old stained carpeting, the ceiling in the basement collapsing with water that ruined some of my property, the laundry appliances were old and outdated one dryer was not even working for the 2 years i lived there. When I asked for my security deposit back he had made a claim that we put holes in the wall in the hallway that was not even the correct hallway we had moved our property out of the building. The whole ordeal was ludacris and the building needs to be fumigated for bugs, there are so many issues in that building but I believe Jim is just out to collect a check and not make any neccissary improvements the building should be condemned and I believe I at least deserve my security deposit back for what I was put through for 3 months having bugs in my living space and being forced to move. Thank You
Black Mold And Falling Apart | Case#**-*114
WORTHINGTON,
OH -
43085 4748
Black Mold under kitchen sink, mirror in the bathroom fell off the wall and shattered for not being secured properly, staples and nails left all over the floor during move in, allowing neighbors to smoke marijuana which the smell from the smoke filled our apartment the property manager at the time never took care of it, tub leaking into the living room from not being caulked properly nor the toilets nor the sinks causing water damage, all the running boards and base boards around the doors and ground none of them were nailed in fell off hitting my children with nails sticking out of them not to mention both people in charge never really handled anything that was asked allowing drug dealers to move in, right before we finally got out of there I witnessed multiple cars in and out as well as multiple people shooting heroin in my parking space.
Deposit Problems, Repair Issue, Lockout Rule, Denial Of POA, Charges,fraud | Case#**-*652
El Paso,
Texas -
79924
I moved into Castner Palms May of 2021. When moving to a bigger unit apt 172 I was charged full rent for the month of May 2022 for both apartments but given 48 hours to move and return the key to apt 211 causing me to lose my job. The leasing office withheld my mail key for 20 days when moving to apt 172. They attempted to file a claim with my fidelity bond for move out repairs and were denied because i was charged for paint and light cleaning which is wear and tear. Repairs that were needed to be made for apt 172 did not get resolved till Aug 2022. I went to jail for forgery nov2022 and upon my return home. There was a notice to vacate for me going to jail for carrying an handgun on the premise which is defamation of character. I went back to jail 1-30-23 and the locks were changed 2-20-23 at apt 172. My POA was never provided access to my home to recover personal property violating the lock out rule. The POA was denied by the leasing office, but we were never provided a denial letter as stated in the estate code. My home was burglarized and my POA requested to secure the property and was ignored leaving the apt unhabitable for my children to return home. During eviction court Judge requested Briana Luna of Castner Palms to give my POA access for personal property and the office closed the blinds did not answer the phone and left messages on the door to make an appointment. I was charged $10,000 for damages to the apt that I did not do. The leasing office never reported to Housing Department of the eviction in March 2023 so housing paid their portion of the rent up until May 2023. Then I was hit with a $10,000 move out statement for damages we know I didn\'t do because I was in jail. I am now a victim of identity theft and my credit has taken a big hit due to the fine that was assessed.
Negligence repair issues | Case#**-*471
Indianapolis,
Indiana -
46201
Upon moving in I was told by Todd Johnson that railing would be added along the steps. When I was in the process of my move Todd told me that he would paint and put my entertainment center together. I told him that was fine. The entertainment center came in 3 large boxes that were aprrox 90 lbs each. I came home from work and my front room was a work in progress or so I thought. Todd soon told me that he was not going to finish and left everything scattered in my front room. It was there over a week before he came and put things back in the boxes. After that he sent me a rude email. Today the power on the right side of my kitchen went out, which controls refrigerator. When I called he and told him my food was going bad and I needed his help he stated he just got home and that it's probley nothing. He gave me intructions on hitting reset switches and nothing worked. I asked him to please just come over here and he hung up. I left him a voice mail and he called back saying something was the matter with his phone but letting me know he listened to the voice mail. He hung up on me again when I started to talk. They are not rails in the stairway and I have 2 year old. He has not done anything he said upon me moving into his property. This is all accompanied by the mouse problem the neighbor has that brought mice into my house. I called him and he let me know it was ongoing and he had done nothing to fix the rodent problem. He spoke rudely to me when I told him the Orki
Man was coming. I just want to be treated with respect and for my landlord to disregard the issues at hand.
Repair Issuses, Wild Animals In Vents, Pool Is Green And Padlocked | Case#**-*469 I have made several request to have the raccoons removed from vent, repair the vent, clean up animal residue, repair the roof so no other animals can get into the walls; we cannot live in conditions like this, I have a four year son who is terrified to sleep much less be in the apt? The whole situation is extremely unsanitary, feces and urine cover the vent and surrounding floor area, this had=s been an issue for over three weeks, calls and complaints go unanswered, and continually get hung up on? If the mess cannot be fixed I would like to be moved to another unit as soon as possible. The pool is green and disgusting with a padlocked gate, this is not what we were expecting we we moved in.
Harassment | Case#**-*277 I am being harassed by the neighbors that live under me for making noise. It is as I they do not want to hear any noise at all. The noise I make is normal living noise and no excessive noise. I have two small children but they do not make excessive noise. They were not even here on two occasions where the neighbors reacted ie. banging on ceiling, called the cops. I made the choice to call the cops the initial time because I felt their actions were irrational.
Security Deposit Refund | Case#**-*096
Colu,
Ohio -
43212
I vacated the residence on 2/29/2012. After several attempts to contact the rental agency, I have not received any notice regarding the status of my security deposit refund. I gave the appropriate 45 days notice before vacating the residence as outlined in the rental agreement. Ohio law states that rental companies have 30 days to provide the tenant with a status of their security deposit refund. I have not received any notification. I sent two email and a certified letter, all of which have gone unanswered.
Repair And Mold Issues | Case#**-*115
ORLANDO,
FL -
32818 3376
Good evening,
I have called my apartment complex to report mildew in my daughter’s bedroom ceiling they came out and painted over it I called them three weeks later to let them know that every time it rains there is a spot in the ceiling. I sent them a picture and nothing was done. Now the ceiling is full of mildew. I’m moving out early I told them I will turn in the keys on the 26th of September but I will pay my September rent and move out by the 4th. This living conditions are not healthy.
Deposit Dispute Complaint Process in 3 Simple Steps:
File Apartment Complaint: Fill out complaint form with your proposed resolution. Instantly recieve your case number.
Check Status: See the current status, respond, upload files or images, accept fair solution or purpose alternative solutions.
Landlord Public Record: Positive or Negative record is attached to landlord based upon their responses. Your (tenant) information is not made public.
Complaints Tips:
Uploading pictures / files is helpful
Try to request fair solutions
Focus on major issue, not on many
Check your status every 3 days
Avoid accusations or hostile tones
Be willing to accept alternate solution
How Does the RPA Help Me Get My Deposit Back?
As a tenant you have the right to get every penny of your deposit back. When you file a complaint through the Rental Protection Agency this starts a formal dispute resolution process in which the RPA will do everything in our power to see that your landlord promptly resolves your complaint. Landlords know that if they fail to cooperate with the RPA it can result in a negative public record that can make it hard for them to fill vacancies in the future.
Why is there a Filing Fee of $35
The $35 filing fee is the only required fee to process a complaint. The fee is required to help offset the cost of representing your complaint. The RPA complaint center is designed as a low cost legal solution for tenants and in most cases is more affordable than other legal options. Many tenants will compare the cost of filing a complaint to the cost of not filing a complaint. If you file a complaint and the problem is resolved will the solution be worth the cost of filing the complaint?
TIP: Don't forget, on the complaint form you can request that your landlord reimburse you for filing fee.
Most tenants file a complaint with the RPA to solve the problem such as getting a deposit refunded, or to get an unfair charge or deduction removed. However, some tenants file a complaint to report the landlord publicly as a warning to other tenants. When a complaint is filed against a landlord it will show up on their public record which is indexed by all major search engines. Filing a complaint is one way for tenants to stand up against bad landlords to warn future tenants about deposit problems they've had.
Does the RPA Guarantee to Solve My Deposit Refund Complaint?
We do guarantee to do everything in our power to solve each complaint that is filed. However, there are some situations where bad landlords fail to cooperate. The RPA can't force a landlord to comply if they refuse; but we can impact their public record which can make it difficult for them to find new tenants. We guarantee to represent the complaint and to create a public record against landlords that fail to resolve complaints.
Will My Name Show up Publicly?
No. After the complaint is closed and made public; your information (tenant name) is removed. During the complaint process your complaint can only be accessed through your case number and pin number. Both the landlord and tenant are assigned a pin number that is unique. The RPA protects tenant's privacy by blocking your name from the public record database. However, the record does show the landlord name.
Protection Against Landlord Retaliation
Its unlawful for your landlord to retaliate against you because you filed a complaint. Your landlord cannot evict, harass, limit access, raise rent, or treat you unfairly because you filed a complaint. As a tenant, you must still pay rent and comply with rent terms stated within your contract. Filing a complaint does not eliminate your responsibilities.
All 50 States have regulations that protect security deposits. In most cases the landlord is required to provide a refund within 30 days and must provide proof cost associated with charges or deductions against your deposit. Many states require the landlord to furnish copies of receipts for work completed. If you have a deposit refund dispute or feel your landlord is being unfair with your security deposit; you have rights. Filing a complaint is one of those rights.
