You can still file a complaint against your landlord regardless of their RPA Approval status. I read statistics somewhere showing that less than 1% of tenant filed complaints are against RPA Approved landlords. The majority of landlord complaints are filed against non- RPA Approved landlords.

I had the same question when I first found the RPA. My landlord wouldn’t refund my deposit, I wanted to file a complaint but noticed that my lousy landlord was not registered or approved. I contacted chat support and they explained that I still could file a complaint, so I did. Eventually, with the help of the Agent assigned to my case, I got most of my rent deposit back.

The above advice is good. (from Shara) I make it a common practice to ask about landlords approval status before renting from them. My current landlord didn’t know about it and quickly registered with the RPA after I asked him. I already had a good feeling about the landlord, but the willingness to be approved was the cherry on top. I was looking at 3 places and picked the RPA Approved landlord over the other 2, primarily because I would rather rent from a good landlord than a questionable one, even if that meant that I picked a unit that wasn’t my top choice. (I’ve been here for over a year now, and have been absolutely happy)

Since I’m an RPA Approved Landlord, I thought I could better explain what it means when a landlord is registered and approved by the RPA:

The Rental Protection Agency (RPA) allows landlords to register to become approved landlords. The program is open to any landlord in the United States and is optional. When a landlord registers with the RPA they must agree to pass a complete background check and identity trace. To be approved the landlord must have a clean criminal record, good rental practices, and no unresolved complaints with the RPA. The approval process is makes it so only the best of landlords are accepted.

Only a relatively small number of landlords are RPA Approved. (The most trustworthy and ethical landlords will register with the RPA) Unfortunetly, a lot of landlords are unwilling to accept and comply with the RPA Fair Rental Practices requirements, or are plain too cheap to pay for the verification.

If your landlords not RPA Approved, you can ask them why not. When looking for a new rental, you should ALWAYS ask the question: Why aren’t you RPA Approved? When renting, there are so many variables that can make your renting experience a nightmare… at least with RPA Approved Landlords you know they have a clean rental history and are committed to fair rent practices; the basis to start with a good renting experience. Its too bad landlords aren’t required to register. In a way, the RPA Approval Program is better because now only the best of landlords qualify and are accepted.

I hope that helps you understand better.