Rent Problems Are Frustrating; but you're not alone: Thousands of tenants rely on RPA to solve problems
They Never Fix Anything. Even Things Are Related To Health. | Case#**-*885
SHERMAN OAKS,
CA -
91411 3428
The workers made mess who repaired bathroom, removed shower door and towel rack, without replacement. After slipping on wet floor, I purchased shower curtain, but no action yet by management to replace towel rack (reduction in service). At first they gave me hotel where prostitution happens, drug dealing happens, car can be stolen or parts can be stolen. I refused to stay in that hotel with my 14 year old. Than the gave me hotel closer to my apartment with the condition that I can use my kitchen for cooking. I agreed and I told them as long as my son and I can use bathroom if I am cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner in my apartment. Landlord agreed, but workers did not let me use the bathroom. Landlord provided me to use the bathroom in Apt # 1, which was vacant that time. But they never gave me the key and the apartment was unlocked 24 hrs. I was scared to use as any stranger could be sitting there. I called and emailed the landlord right away, but no action was taken. I managed to control my bathroom and stayed one day in my apartment and cooked despite of all the dust and smell from the bathroom. I had to cover my mouth/nose with a kitchen towel. I couldn’t do this for second day, so we decided to stay in the hotel and eat outside. I notified the landlord, but received no response. Also, they broke my shower caddy and curtain rod too. Since they removed the shower door, I had to purchase the curtain and rod as I did not want my son or I slip again and get injured. They agreed to pay $206.65 for all the expenses accord, but they did not follow up with that. I contacted couple of times to pay on what they agreed, but nothing has happened yet. It’s been more than a month now. I would like to get towel rack and like to get the money they agreed on.
Bed Bugs | Case#**-*888
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania -
19115
My husband and I moved into Ambassador 2 Apartments on September 1st, 2009. We recently discovered a bed bug problem when I started getting bed bug bites all over my arms and legs. We promptly reported the issue to management. They sent us a letter stating we had two options. We can either stay but must pay $1,782 for the extermination plus all additional fees for future visits. The other option is that we move within 2 weeks by Sept. 7th 2011. This issue was not caused by us and seems to be coming from other apartments in our complex. Our landlord is holding us responsible for the full fees which we cannot afford. They have sent us another letter stating if we do not pay, they will sue us for the extermination fees, as well as their attorney and legal fees. We need this issue resolved immediately and have agreed to have heat treatment done in our apartment. However, we feel it is not our responsibility to pay for the costs of extermination since these parasites are creating an uninhabitable and unsafe environment for us which should be fixed by the landlord.
Deposit Problems | Case#**-*258
SAUSALITO,
CA -
94965 1802
I asked for the landlord to inspect the property and he refused to come, providing no reason. Now he claims that his back problem doesn\'t allow him to climb the stairs to the property. When I vacated the premises, he asked a neighbor to perform the inspection. The neighbor commented on how clean the place looked, and that there were no damages. I also had a witness with me who can attest to this. The landlord claims that the apartment required extensive cleaning. The invoice provided was not detailed, only \"Deep cleaning\" was listed, with no official cleaning company, only a person\'s name. He claims there were cobwebs, dirty grout, and that the windows were not clean.
I cleaned everything I had access to. The outside windows were not accessible due to height. I cleaned the grout with bleach and other cleaners and it wouldn\'t get any cleaner. I cleaned the oven, swept the floors, cleaned the fridge, cleaned the bathroom. He claims that it took two days and 3 people to clean the tiny, 1 bedroom apartment. Dirty grout is normal wear and tear after 5 years of living there. He did nothing to prevent dry rot or sealing the apartment to prevent mold.
HIs invoice is not sufficient, and the cleaning lady refuses to provide me with an itemized receipt. He is holding over $1000 of deposit and claiming it as cleaning charges. He did not even inspect the property himself.
Deposit Problems, Failure To Deliver Unit In Habitual Environment | Case#**-*283
PHOENIX,
Arizona -
85007
I signed a lease on July 15th 2016 with Rosenbaum Realty. On July 16th 2016 I moved in a few boxes into this unit at 1811 West Tonto #2 Phoenix Arizona 85007. However that same day July 16th 2016 my husband my two kids and myself slept at this apartment and were bit by bed bugs during the night. I checked the mattress sure enough there were bedbugs on there then into the living room into the kids room there were bed bugs all over the place. I do not have bed bugs. 3 days later my bug bites got infected so I had to go to the doctor to get medicine. My daughters bug bites has gotten worse as the days go by. I went to the office the following Monday July 18th 2016 and was told the property manager was not in the office and the girl in the office Araceli said to come back on Wednesday morning. I went back on Wednesday morning July 20th 2016 and the front desk girl named Maddie said the property manager will not be in until Monday July 25th 2016. They sent Pest Control unil Thursday July 21st 2016 just to inspect the unit which he confirmed there were bedbugs. I recorded the pest control when he found the bedbug in the unit. The property manager has not contacted me at all. I have called the office I emailed the property manager. On July 22nd 2016 I received a phone call from another pest control person who did not disclose the company\\\\\\\'s name and guaranteed me the unit would be bedbug free in 4 days doing treaments; Friday Saturday Sunday and Monday. However I have spoke with other pest control companies about bedbugs and they all seem to agree that to get rid of bed bugs it is a treatment process that takes weeks to do and get rid of bed bugs. I have filed a complaint to Maricopa County housing. I have given them my 5 day notice to fix the situation. I will be giving them a five-day notice of termination due to delivering inadequate habitual unit to Valerie Cardenas , Paul Hernandez, Felipe Cardenas. I want to terminate the lease and get my prepaid rent $367.46 that I paid since I have not even been able to move in. I am currently still living at my old apartment where I renewed my lease. I want all my security deposit $967. I gave them 3 money orders totaling $1,335 and I want it all the money I paid to rosenbaum realty group back.
Unsanitary Living Conditions | Case#**-*754
CHICO,
CA -
95973 0947
I\'m having a manor ant problem, not sure where they\'re coming from; mold is starting to grow on the shower walls. This is very unsanitary. Pest control has been called before but they can\'t find the cause they said, and just put down some bait which just lured more of the ants out.
Does Not Repair Properties, Does Not Hold Rental Certificates On Property, | Case#**-*187
URBANDALE,
Iowa -
50322
Quit working for these guys and 3 days later I received a 30 day of non renwal of lease, when our original lease ended in September of 2020. I quit due to the fact they did not want me to repair the properties with the correct materials and way of do the repairs the correct way. We filed work order requests to have issues at the property we rented and he insisted there was nothing wrong with the property. I have photos and video of what needs repair and what is not up to code. I have phone conversations with Mukesh and I about needing the repairs done and Mukesh telling me it\\\'s basically all in my head and that we were just unhappy with the property. This is how he talks to all his tenants. This guy tells me to put tape over holes in doors, walls, ect. Instead of laying new sheet lanolin down he insured that I take cut out from under appliances ect. To glue in place of torn flooring. Will not hire a mold removal company that will remove black .old from his properties, instead he will just tell contractor to paint over the mold. Which does not take care of the problem. He will not fix a holes in the roof because he sais it costs too much. Renting proposes out with having certificates to do so. Why does one person need to have 6-7 different company to rent property?? All the businesses are SIP investment partners. Shanti, Shiv, Systematic just to name a few. These guys retaliated against me when I asked for the rental certification from the city of Urbandale for my insurance agent. And it\\\'s listed on the cities website as to not even having the inspections completed. I had my fiance call the city and they said it has one but I know for a fact it don\\\'t because last yr we were informed by the city by mail that the landlord was in violation to city codes and conducts and it stated that it did not have one and there has not been any inspections since. They rent newmourous properties with out the certifications in hope that they done get caught.
Gross Negligence | Case#**-*408
COLUMBUS,
OH -
43219 3189
I called in a work order to have my garage door looked at. It has been painted shut due to a recent paint job done by the property management. The work order was completed however a large amount of my personal belongings were stolen when the maintenance tech serviced my garage. I called the office and they quickly turned me away and said there was nothing they could do. The maintenance technician name is Jay Jay I had a friend of mine speak to him he claimed he did not even complete the work order and it was not him who stole my property. I spoke with one of the property managers named Jackie she advised that Jay Jay was the one who completed the work order. I called the corporate office to try to get help with this matter and after 36 hours I still have not received a call back. I made a post on their Facebook page voicing my dislike of being stolen from and with the apartment in general and they have now threatened to take me to court if I don’t remove the post from Facebook. They did not call me back when I tried to reach out to them for help but they want to hush me on what happened. There is no forced entry into my garage in which you have to unlock with a key so I know for a fact that someone in the office opened my garage and stole my property. Sentimental items that can not be replaced were stolen. This has caused me a lot of emotional distress, lost of sleep, and anxiety. I had to take an unpaid day off of work due to this matter and the amount of stress it has caused me. The individual who stole my property is still employed with this company and still has access to my garage and my apartment. I do not feel safe as he knows I complained on him he can come into my apartment at any moment and harm me. My daughter has lost sleep and also does not feel safe here. We just do not know if he will come and try to hurt us because I complained about him. The office is not trying to help in any way. I just want to move and get out of this lease without penalty. I am a single mother who works two jobs to support my child and I do not feel safe here. My daughter has to see the accused maintenance technician in the morning when she is walking to her bus stop and is uncomfortable with the way he stares at her. I want my daughter to feel safe in her home
and that is no longer a possibility where we currently reside.
Repair Issues | Case#**-*445 My apartment has water damage to a pervious and recent flood that my apartment had and now one of the rooms is effecting my children health. No one has slept in that room for about two months now. I have tried to contact the landlord and have sent a letter regard his recent rent increase and the water damage and I still have not heard anything from them. Due to the water damage my carpet is also coming apart the restroom also has water damage.
Bed Bugs | Case#**-*274
SLC,
UT -
84124 1176
Moved into the Aspen Hill Apartments ant the end of September of 2011. We were told that before we could move into our apartment the carpets had to be replaced. This was due because of the heavy soil from the previous tenants and their pets. The apartment was so messy that they were hesitant to let us do a walk thru before we they removed the carpets. Once in the apartment the carpets had been replaced and everything appeared to look ok. After about 4-6 weeks I started to notice an intense itch around my feet and legs resulting in what looked like a small rash. Not aware or familiar of the possibility of bed bugs I discounted the sensation as being dry skin. As time progressed the attack increased and I was more aware of the symptoms. Once things got so bad I was determined to find out what was going on. Eventually I located the infestation in my room and determined that bed bugs had infected my mattress. I immediately I contacted the property manager and made them aware of the situation. The next day they arranged for pest control to walk thru my apartment. I had asked to be present at the time but they entered (with out my consent) when I was not home. I was then contacted by the property manager Brook so that she could go over with me the process to eliminate the bugs. I was informed that they determined that I was the source and had to pay for the apartment bug treatment. I informed them that I was not comfortable with staying in a apartment with bugs and chemicals from the treatment. I was told that I would be required to pay $300 for pest treatment and $1520.00 to break our lease.
This is completely unacceptable, because of the apartment being infested and the chemical that are sprayed all over to treat it. Not only have I lost my bed, sheets, spread, pillows but I now have to clean up the mess they didn't get rid of in the first place. This is a nightmare I just want to leave the bug infested apartment and break my lease with out having to pay. I was forced to contact RPA because of the apartment management is not working with me.
Never Signed A Lease But Will Not Return Deposit | Case#**-*380 Landlord refuses to return $1200 deposit even though she said she would BC she spent the money already. A lease was never signed.
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 Resolve Rental Problems?
Once you file a complaint, the RPA will contact your landlord or property manager to mediate a prompt resolution. The RPA online mediation system provides an effective complaint resolution process that helps solve problems quickly. Complaints filed through the RPA are documented and help protect tenants' rights by providing a program that protects against landlord retaliation and unfair practices. Agreements reached through the RPA Apartment Complaint Center are legally binding and enforceable. When required the complaint can be used as evidence in court.
The RPA requires a $35 one-time processing fee to cover the cost associated with contacting the landlord, online mediation, paperwork, and public record filing. Prior to 2006 the RPA complaint program had no fee. However, due to abuse by tenants that were filing bogus complaints; the RPA found it necessary to charge of fee to eliminate fake complaints and to cover costs associated with complaint handling. If you are looking to report the problem only and not seeking a resolution, you can use our free Report Landlord option. (The report landlord option will only document the problem and will not provide any assistance in resolving disputes.)
Tip: On your complaint form you can request that management reimburse you for RPA filing fees.
How long does the process take?
The RPA is able to resolve complaints fairly quickly, unlike court or other legal options. Cases are normally assigned in the order received; however, you can upgrade your case to be rushed if you need your case escalated. (option available immediately after filing)For fastest processing try to submit your complaint before the next processing deadline. (Count down shown next to "File Complaint" button.) Once the mediation process begins, your landlord will have 3 business days to respond to the mailed notice. If a landlord email address is provided the RPA will send out both a written notice and email notice which can provide an immediate resolution. Many times cases are resolved immediately after receiving the RPA® notice, however depending on the complaint, it can take longer if both parties are unable to reach an agreement quickly.
Tip: To speed up the process... On the complaint form request reasonable and fair solutions.
Does the RPA Guarantee to Resolve Every Complaint?
Each complaint is guaranteed to be worked by the RPA complaint system. The RPA mediation system will work to resolve every complaint regardless of how big or small the complaint. However, the RPA can't guarantee the end results of any complaint. While we work to solve each complaint, the guarantee is limited to our processing of your complaint. All fees associated with the complaint are non-refundable dispute the outcome of the complaint. Each complaint is Guaranteed to be worked by our complaint system and will be documented against the landlord should they fail to cooperate.
Tip: To get positive resolutions to your complaint; try providing resolutions that are fair.
What Happens After I file a Complaint?
Upon filing your landlord / property manager complaint you will instantly receive a case number. Your complaint case number can be used to immediately access your complaint status page. The RPA will process your complaint and contact your landlord for an immediate resolution. On your status page you can view case status, upload files or images, respond to the complaint, update/ change resolutions, accept or close complaint. The RPA complaint center updates your case status in real time and provides you with tracking to see exactly what is happening with your complaint. Once the case is closed, the complaint will be attached to your landlords public record which is quickly indexed by all major search engines. (Your information is never made public)
Tip: Check your case status at least every 3 days. (Respond / update your case as required)
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.
Tip: Check your case status at least every 3 days. (Respond / update your case as required)
Who Can File a Complaint with the RPA?
Any renter located in the United States of America has the right to file a complaint with the RPA. The RPA does not accept complaints outside of the USA. In general, the RPA will accept every complaint regardless of how big or small the problem may be.
Tip: When possible, try resolving your problem with your landlord before filing a complaint.
