Rent Problems Are Frustrating; but you're not alone: Thousands of tenants rely on RPA to solve problems
Repair Issues | Case#**-*465
Richmond,
Virginia -
23220
Since I have lived at this property I have had numerous issues that have taken forever to be resolved and some issues were never resolved. My most recent issues with the management of this property is since I have moved into my new unit August 5, 2012 the corridor and parking area lights have not illuminated at night time this is a huge safety hazard as you cannot see, as well as in the past weeks there have been several armed robberies in the area 3 of which occurred in the vicinity of the property. Another issue I am facing is there is a constant leak directly outside my door from the roof whenever it rains I am weary of this as I am expecting the day when I step outside and slip or someone else slips and attempts to hold me responsible. These issues are compounding and I am growing tired of the situation. It seems management fixes things at their convenience but expects prompt payment of rent and this cannot continue.
Deposit Problems | Case#**-*679
Savannah,
Tennessee -
38372
Our lease was due for renewal on June 1, 2013. When I spoke to Mr. Cunningham he informed me he would not resign the lease as he had someone that was interested in possibly purchasing the home. We decided to start looking for another home as rentals in this area are very hard to come by in case the home did sell. We received no notice that Mr. Cunningham did not intend to renew our lease on the due date. We found another home and I informed Mr. Cunningham and he became angry and had no further communication with me until I returned the keys on August 1, 2013. 29 days after returning the keys I received our deposit. There was $225.00 missing from the total amount of $1100.00. There was nothing else with the personal check stating why I was not receiving my full deposit. It is my understanding that a renters deposit must be kept in a separate account used only for that purpose and that the renter is to be notified where such account is held, and if this information is not given, the Landlord loses all rights to the renters deposit. We received no such information and the check issued to us was from the Cunningham's personal checking account. We also did not receive a "damages" report for whatever he held our money for. This also forfeits any rights to our deposit. I would like the rest of our deposit returned immediately as Mr. Cunningham has broken laws pertaining to Tenn. Code Ann. 66-28-301 Thank you.
Deposit Problems | Case#**-*038
Flagstaff,
Arizona -
86001
Moved out the end of August, and paid my month-to-month through September. Never got deposit back. People moved into the property the last month of my lease. Went in to speak with the property manager multiple times asking to get deposit back. Was not notified of a walk through, even though I asked to be present in my termination of lease. I asked why I haven\'t received my security deposit back and the response was \"I am behind\". She has not responded to any email I sent and it has been months.
Deposit Problems | Case#**-*499
EWA BEACH,
HI -
96706 4954
My family and I were living in an apartment in Ewa Beach for 4 years, on Memorial Day weekend of this year our landlord told us the owner wanted to sell it and they wanted us out by July 15th. They offered us money to vacate early since our lease wasnt supposed to end until September of this year but reneged on that after we agreed to leave. Now, we have been out of there for almost a month, I have been trying to contact them for the deposit back (we left the property in the same condition it was left to us) and they have not responded until now. I would really like to shine light on this as they have constantly tried to rake advantage of my husband and I since we are very young.
Repair Issue | Case#**-*856
St. James,
Missouri -
65559
My toilet can not use do to holes and rotten floors.
Holes in the living room floor. Rotten Master bedroom ceiling fan and lights do not work. Ceiling fan in sons bedroom light works but not the fan. Daughter\\\'s room ceiling fan is about to come out of ceiling. Holes in walls and walls are not finished painted, did some work but was not taken off my rent. Because of holes electric bill was $400.00. Hot water last 5 minutes. Washer and dryer been broken for 6+ months. Now the landlord wants to sale and I have no place to go. Carpet has stains and holes since before I moved in, moved in May 23, 2015. Nothing\\\'s been fixed but the front door, looks like crap, was leaking water that has rott the door and the in front of the kitchen door that hole was fix. He told me that he wants more money to fix them and he told me that if I report him in that he will throw my stuff out when I am not here. Scared that I have no idea what is going to happen. Daughter closet has rotten area.
Repair Issues And Deposit | Case#**-*180 Landlord failed to make repairs n take care of the mold that was consuming most of house n hazardous to me my family we had to move immediately without any funds n now he is refusing to refund the deposit we moved because he fail to comply with section 8 request to do repairs on a timely fashion Mr Suaifan didn't get in touch with me nor section 8 til last of us being the house her trying to force me to pay rent or get out I sent my kids to my momma till we were able move I have picture of hives on me n my kids all three has asthma back n fourth to ER or pediatrician
Early Termination Fee And Rent Overcharge | Case#**-*130
WESTMINSTER,
CO -
80030 6172
On April 19 I emailed my landlord to say I would not be renewing when my lease ended on June 25 and I asked if I could terminate the lease early on May 15 . The response I got simply said \\\\\\\'I have your move out date set for May 15\\\\\\\". On April 25 I emailed again to inquire about ending the lease on May 30 instead of the 15th. I was told that\\\\\\\'s impossible because the apartment had been pre-leased. On May 15 when I tried to return the keys I was told that I had to pay rent through the end of the lease, so the remainder of May and all of June, plus an early termination charge. I ended up paying rent to these people for all of May and all of June just so I could be done with them and avoid any more charges from them. I paid June rent on the 1st and turned in the keys on June 2nd and thought it was over. Today I get an email telling me I will be charged for early termination of the lease.
Cockroaches, leaks and structural damage. | Case#**-*030
Westminster,
Colorado -
80030
My family has been living with cockroaches for over 6 months. We have found them in every room but they dominate our kitchen and the upstairs bathroom. We basically share the house with them. We have given notice of this several times to our landlord. Nothing is ever done. We are not the only ones in the building with a problem either. Leaks in our apartment were eventually fixed however so much damage has been done that the floors and walls are rotting away providing a wonderful environment for the roaches. The last leak reported was never fixed and is still rotting away the wall. The maintenance man said it was so bad the 2nd floor needed to be replaced in all 4 units. We still have a hole in our kitchen where the rotting floor can be seen. At the bottom of the stairs is another hole leading all the way way through to the crawlspace under the structure. The floor in the bathroom has a small hole and the wood beneath it can be removed with my fingers. Our ventilation for our heater is bad and it is expensive to maintain a 68° living environment. When it is off we can sometimes smell gas. The carpets are covered in pet waste stains from previous owner. We were told we would get new carpet and never did. Some of our floors are warped from water damage. I strongly think that if a skilled building inspector did a thorough look over on the building that he would find some problems. Maybe some really big ones.
Loud neighbors all night, wasn't able to sleep for days. Other safety issue | Case#**-*430
WALNUT CREEK,
CA -
94596 5661
I didn't sleep for four months and still payed my rent on time until I decided to leave because they were not willing to resolve the issue.
They were aware of the problem before I moved in and still let me spend moving fees and time. They moved me into a unlivable apartment which affected my health and ability to work, I have a letter from my doctor and my boss which I gave them. There were additional safety/sanitary issues which were not taken care of.
Multiple Issues: Overcharged For Utilities And Breach Of Agreement | Case#**-*370
CUPERTINO,
CA -
95014 3410
A) The owner/landlady has mental problems and is obsessed with finding a boyfriend. I have told her repeatedly that I do NOT want a relationship with her. She relentlessly pursues me and is also subjecting another (more recent) male tenant with unwanted attention.
B) Stalking/spying
She frequently lurks outside near my bedroom window in the evening for no justifiable reason: her excuse is watering a tree ONLY WHEN I am in my bedroom, be it 10PM or 8AM.
Since she is unemployed she has plenty of free time to always monitor my arrival time in the evening and departure time in the morning to make sure that I am not bringing a female to my bedroom (that will never happen!)
C) Illegal entry
I caught her trying to enter my bedroom without permission: this is true because I heard her trying to turn the locked door handle while I was inside my bedroom.
It\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s possible that she intends to steal personal items.
D) Bathroom sink:
I need to wash my face in the bathtub because the water pressure in the bathroom sink is insufficient. I told her during the first several days of my move-in date, yet she has done nothing to fix the problem.
E) Misrepresentation by owner:
I was told that I would have:
+ access to kitchen facilities
+ access to laundry facilities
+ storage space in the back yard
=> I have been denied ALL of the above.
F) Overcharging for utilities:
My estimated costs are as follows:
1) bedroom fan: $3/month (NON-PEAK evening hours)
2) cell phone: $0.50/month
3) laptop: $0.50/month
4) water/shower: $5/month
5) Internet access: $50/month
6) TOTAL: $63/month
=> I AM BEING CHARGED $90+ PER MONTH
G) Bogus \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"late fee\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\":
The first month I was contacted via text for utilities (which I paid), and for the second month the owner failed to contact me via text message for utilities: she posted an illegible sticky note on a door and then charged me a $50 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"late fee\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" (which I paid)
H) Miscellaneous:
+ The bedroom was NOT cleaned before I arrived, and I had to spray the bedroom carpet every day for 3 WEEKS to neutralize the smell (and the room STILL smells).
+ I was forced to move boxes from the backyard (see part E) above) into my bedroom and now I can barely move inside the bedroom (picture available)
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.
