RPA Tenant Rights Blog

Carpet & Paint

Tylee — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 13:13:41 +0000

I have lived in my apartment unit for 8 years. I feel that i need my carpet replaced, as well as my walls painted. I am disabled in a wheelchair, so there are some tire tracks & marks that wont come out of the carpet, although I have paid 2 have it cleaned several times. The professional who cleans my carpet said that tracks & marks will just keep coming back. I feel that the apartment unit needs painting because of water damage stains that were never repaired correctly and just because of "normal wear & tear" from residing in the unit for 8 years.

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Dispute on Appliance Ownership

Tenant — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 01:03:20 +0000

Because apartments have had a lot of previous owners, then nothing can ever be truly new once you move in – most of the time. Sometimes, the appliances could be broken and unusable. Who gets to fix or replace them would depend on what’s stated in your lease agreement.

Most of the time, your landlord will claim the responsibility because after all, it is an investment. The appliances would remain in the apartment even after the tenant has moved out and another tenant moves in. But there are a handful of cases wherein the lease agreement would say that the tenant can replace the appliances at his own expense and he can take them with him once he moves out. It’s clearly stated in the lease agreement but what if your landlord forgot and would insist on keeping the appliances that you have bought as replacement? What happens then?

Here are some tips to establish your ownership on the appliances that you have bought out-of-pocket.

Make sure to document every purchase. Keep the receipts and take photographs.
Take pictures of the old appliances and put them side by side the new ones. This may require a bit of editing. If you don’t know how to do this digitally, you can just glue the pictures next to each other in a sheet of paper.
When you move out, make sure to show your landlord a copy of the lease agreement saying that the appliances are yours to keep.
You would also need to note all the repairs that need to be done, if there are any, so you would have a general idea as to how much of the security deposit you would have left.
If you will be charged, ask for receipts as well as detailed explanation of the charges. You want to make sure that the landlord is not just charging you because of you took the appliances with you.

At all times, you must be well-aware of your rights. Naiveté will only hurt you. There are landlords who will do everything that they can to try to keep your security deposit or bend the lease agreement in their favor. Never allow that.

If that happens to you, know that there are companies that are willing to help you out. One of them would be the RPA, which accepts and processes complaints via their complaint center. Here’s the link http://www.rentalprotectionagency.com/complaint_center.php.

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bedbugs

missy — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 12:56:57 +0000

I moved into this apartment about 3 months ago. I have 2 daughters which one started getting these bites which doctor said was budbugs. I notified the landlord but they brushed it off. Now apartment next door complained so they sent in bug people and sure enough they are so bad that you can see them. They sprayed and wanted us to throw out all of our furniture. I can’t afford new furniture. we have so many bites that we are scared. I did not have them in my prev. apartment and I seeked medical advice and been treating bites. Now the landlord says they are comming back in 30 days and if bugs are still here they are kicking all tentants out and letting apartments stay empty to let bugs die. iI can’t afford another deposit on new apartment pus utility deposits. I have two kids and work part time and living pay check to pay check. Help what can I do?

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am i responsible or is the land lord?

Matthew — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 00:48:59 +0000

Are ac went out and we asked them to come fix it they put a new air filter in and said it should start working give it a few hours. We did so and told them it still wasnt working theyt had a guy come out and look at it but he worked on the wrong unit so we went back to the office and let them now it still wasnt working and they sent another guy out. This guy went all thought the system and got it working and we where very happy. We live in a all bills paied apartment with a cap of 100 dollers for electricty anything over we have to pay. 1 month after fixing the ac we went over 50 on are electrcity. This month 2 months from them fixing the ac we went over 100 on are electrict. Perior to them working on the ac we only went over 1 time each month it goes up now since they fixed the ac. After recieveing the 100 doller bill we shut everything done like we would not be home. Walked out to are meter and noticed it was just spinning very rapidely so we went to the office and asked them to have it checked so they sent one of there employees to check it and he said that the ac needed ferion in it and that is why are electricy would be high. Are question is are we responsible for this outradious electric bill or are they?

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can a new owner carge a deposit to tennants who alredy live in the appartments

allysonfraire1961 — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 12:42:36 +0000

We movwed in to an appartment and since then the appartments have changed owner now he wants to charge a deposit. Can he do this? Please help

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New Landlord

anonymous — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 00:40:03 +0000

Hello,

Recently our duplex was sold to a new owner. His property managment wants us to complete a new credit check sign a new lease. Is this allowed? Our previous lease was month to month and we do not want to get into a lease as we will be buying a home in the next few months.

Thanks!

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wrong full eviction reporting

juliet ireland — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 12:36:31 +0000

I rented out a house with room mated that did not pay there portion, I went to court and paid owner my portion. He was happy and excepted the 2,579.00 check to owner. and said if i clean up home real good he would not put eviction on my credit . i did recieve half of my dedposit back, and left home clean. How ever he is garnishing the trwo ex room mates checks and well dedserved . i have a 0 balance on this report but still reporting eviction please take this off.

Juliet ireland

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Is the landlord responsible for thse repairs?

John Reyes — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 00:30:41 +0000

Hi, i live in Lowell,ma. I was wondering, my kitchen counter is falling apart its splitting has a bow in it from water damage he never sealed around the sink.

Is my landlord req by law to fix this issue?

I call and call he tells me we will get to it tells me a day he will send someone in and then nothing.

Also i know if he provides a fridge he has to repair it if it breaks but, is it the same with an a/c? The a/c is built in to the wall and mine broke

i ask him to repair it and gives me the run around and the paint job is horrible he did not repaint after the last tenant left.

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Bedbug infestion

zackman101 — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 12:29:18 +0000

My 62 year old brother moved in with my 60 year old brother 2 years ago wheb my dad passed away. He has no stomach, has to cath (because of a bad bladder surgery) and last December he fell and tore tendons in his shoulder. The apartment they lived in has cockroaches, waterbugs and the worst bedbug infestion you could imagine. He had surgery on his shoulder so he has to sleep sitting up. He also has a pin in his hip(he has soft bones becuse of no stomach and after the surgery the doctor told him it probably would not heal. Anyway he was afraid to say anything about the bedbugs and he had a right to be. He finally told the landlord and they were evicted. The building is from the 70’s and he remodels all the other places when the tenents leave. He has never done anything to the place my brothers lived in. They hd to leave most of there stuff and even now in the new place he has had 4 bugs on him. Please help because he also suffers from depression and this whole situation is affecting him physically, as well as mentally.

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Can Landlords Charge Non-Refundable Pet Deposits?

Tenant — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 00:18:53 +0000

For the pet lovers like myself, let me ask you this: would you agree with me when I say that it is becoming very difficult to actually care for pets without getting punished by all those fees? The apartment I’m renting has agreeable terms when it comes to pet deposits. But because of work, I have to move to another state and thus, I am looking for an apartment to rent. Of course, I will be bringing my pets with me. I have a dog and two cats. The problem is, in landlord is asking for $250 pet deposit, $300 Non-Refundable pet fees and a $25 pet rent per month. I didn’t think this was fair or even legal.

To cut the long story short, I filed a complaint against that apartment even if I did not really continue renting there. The complaint was mainly to warn other pet lovers like myself about that apartment complex.

For your guidance, I thought of sharing the following facts about pet deposits.

Is pet rent legal?

In all states, pet rent is legal as long as there are no discriminatory reasons why you are being charged this additional rent. Example of a discriminatory reason is that you are being charged pet fees because of your race, color, age, and sex and so on.

Is it legal to charge pet rent and pet deposit?

A pet deposit pertains to the money that you pay up front to ensure your landlord that there is coverage in case your pet damages the property. So just like your security deposit, the pet deposit is a one-time fee.

On the other hand, the pet rent is paid on a monthly basis and it covers the mere presence of your pet in the apartment complex. In some states, that rent is required because by law, pets are not allowed in an apartment complex. The only exception to this is if the pet is necessary for your functioning or if they are service pets. In some areas, pets are even considered as privileges.

Are non-refundable pet fees legal?

The answer would depend on your state. So you’d have to check your local tenant laws. Do not just believe everything on the lease because sometimes landlords would have their attorneys draft the lease to their advantage, with or without consideration of the existing tenant laws in your state.

However, know that in Massachusetts that fees are illegal.

If you don’t want the many pet fees and still keep your pet, then that is also possible. This is because there are apartment complexes that are built to be pet-friendly. In these apartments, there is a wide lawn for pets as well as a pet playground. The only catch is that these places are usually more expensive than the regular apartments.

Another option would be to rent a home or a private townhouse. These places are usually more agreeable when it comes to pet fees.

Of course, it may take some time before you would find that perfect place for you and your pet. Again, if you feel discriminated when looking for an apartment or if there is something in the lease that is contradicting your state and local laws, feel free to file a complaint and let others know about it. Here is the link that I used when I did that: http://www.rentalprotectionagency.com/complaint_center.php.

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