Rent Problems Are Frustrating; but you're not alone: Thousands of tenants rely on RPA to solve problems
Breach Of Agreement, Won\'t Return First Month\'s Rent | Case#**-*983
ST PETERSBURG,
FL -
33714 4257
I found an ad for a furnished apartment with utilities included on craigslist. I responded to the ad and Zackary Jara responded saying that he would let me do a 3 month lease. I paid $40 for the rental application fee and background check. I signed the lease for the property at 4222 18th St. N, St. Petersburg, FL 33714 for 2/1/16-5/1/16. I electronically transferred the $750 deposit on 12/30/15 through my Bank of America checking account. I also electronically transferred $750 for first month\'s rent for the month of February on 1/29/16. Two hours before I was supposed to get to the address listed on my lease agreement, Zackary Jara texted me on my cellphone \"Let me make sure you have the correct address. Which one do you have?\" I responded with the address that was listed on my lease agreement \"4222 18th St. N, St. Petersburg, FL 33714.\" He then responded \"That\'s the other unit. I upgraded you to the one that\'s not an apt. 1643 22nd Ave N, St. Petersburg FL 33713.\" At this point, I texted him \"I don\'t understand why you keep switching things up on me. I signed a lease with one address and then you just assign me another one of your rentals. I even texted you the other day to confirm the address. I already gave you the money upfront and I don\'t know why things aren\'t fully set up yet.\" Zac then called me and said that he was doing my a favor by furnishing the place and he already furnished the address that he just texted me. He said the property listed on my lease agreement was not furnished and did not have electricity. He also told me that he didn\'t need to deal with this and that he had multiple properties and that if didn\'t want to stay there, he would give me back my deposit but only half of February\'s rent since he had saved me the place for the first 2 weeks of February. I drove to the new address that he sent me and it was a back garage that they had turned into a room and the only way to access it would be to park in an alleyway. Zac\'s handyman Ed let me into the place and it was not up to par with what I was paying for it. Ed told me that the address listed on my lease agreement was still being renovated and not ready yet. This is a breach of agreement because the address listed on my lease was not even ready to be moved into yet and he sent me to another different address. I never moved into any of his rentals. I received a check on Tuesday, March 8th and it was only for the $750 deposit. He failed to give me the $750 back for February\'s rent.
won't fix air conditioning | Case#**-*299
West Monroe,
Louisiana -
71292
Landlord refuses to fix air conditioning that was broken when moved in. Said a family member stole the copper off the unit and unit would get fixed or window units could be purchased. Now she is saying that she isn't paying for the air conditioning unit to be fixed or paying for window units.
Security Deposity Refund | Case#**-*874 The broker called on 9/5 stating my money was turned over to her and she would refund it that day by bank deposit. The next day she said she was too busy, the following day she had a flat tire. The day after she had a cold. I was in Las Vegas and she refused to allow me to pickup my money. She said she'd deposit it on Monday. She hasn't taken my call all day (I called her office and they asked me to hold for over 20 minutes, they asked who I was and finally I hung up) and now no deposit.
Breach of Agreement | Case#**-*386
wellman,
Iowa -
52356
Tenet stayed in home for the 30 days duration with no intent on paying rent owed to landlord.
Bed Bug Pest Control/ Paying the bill | Case#**-*245
Secane,
Pennsylvania -
19018
We filed a bed bug complaint with Laurel Manor approximately 3 weeks after finding one adult bedbugs. A few days after Laurel Manor sent The Pest Professionals to inspect our dwelling, upon inspection they found nothing but stated it would be in everyones best interest to treat the apartment. After the inspection I was never contacted by Laurel Manor until I called them (no answer) then found a letter under my door. The letter states that myself and husband are responsible for the $552.00 bill for treatment. I feel this is ludicrous to say the least. I know for a fact two other tenants that have had bedbugs right in our complex. I feel it incredibly unfair that I should be responsible for treatment costs when the sorce of the infestation could be any one of the apartments we are attached to. I have found 1 bedbug over a 3 week period. No infestation here, its coming elsewhere and until that is resolved do I continue to pay $522 a month for the remainder of my lease, I should think not. Bedbugs are a parasite and if not taken care of will render our apartment uninhabitable. I need this fixed in a timely matter and I refuse to pay for it from my own pockets when I am not the cause.
Gnats And Unsafe Living Conditions | Case#**-*814
CHICAGO RIDGE,
IL -
60415 1162
Starting in early november I had contacted the landlord 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 sink on the walls in the bedrooms in the refridgerator and every time i spoke with the landlord he would give me a temporary fix response such as buy a can of raid which did not work at all i asked him to please resolve the problem and was basically sent off to handle it myself. The problem had gotten so bad that i had no choice but to move. The building itself is falling apart the landlord has not made any attempt to restore the building, old stained carpeting the ceiling in the basement collapsed with water ruining some of my property. The laundry appliances were outdated and one dryer does not even work. When i asked for my security deposit back he had made a claim that we put holes in the wall in the hallway which wasnt even the correct hallway we moves items out of the building. The whole ordeal was ludacris and the building needs to be fumigated for bugs. The building itself should be condemned and i deserve my security deposit back for having to deal with bugs in my living space for 3 months and was forced to move
Unfair Business Practices | Case#**-*174
Denver,
Colorado -
80222
A addendum requiring me to pay any consulting fee for the above named property. Without a named reason for the consult or a limit to the fee. Essentially making me sign a blank check.
Repairs | Case#**-*675
Fayetteville,
North Carolina -
28303
Me and my Family have been living in this house for 11 years The carpet needs replacing. Vinyl needs replacing. Bathrooms need renovation. When i report repairs the bare minimum is done. They done a walk thru and seen how the house looks and took notes but nothing has been done. Electric bill is high due to draft in house due to leaky windows. I also am disabled and i think this house is making me sick because it appears to be mold in the house somewhere because when i turn on the a/c on i get sick.. I am on a fixed income and can\'t afford to pay high rent in a house that\'s falling apart and making me sick.
Charging extra fees | Case#**-*114
AURORA,
CO -
80012 5502
have had problems since move in. No heat all last year. Signed a new lease in Oct 2010, was to get Nov rent free ($659 per lease). received note on door saying owed money by 8am or going to attorney. When called, agent said manager gave a $149 concession day before signing lease (was not notified) and a $500 concession for signing new lease. (lease says nov rent $659 free) agent said that I had to pay the difference (around $220). Brought up what lease said, agent said I still owe for difference since manager gave concession. I told her that I knew nothing of concession and that's not what lease says. Then received utility bill ($180) for 5 occupants. There are 3 of us living here (husband, son, and I). No call back when left message. I am always receiving notices with threats of attorney on my door. When I question them, they don't respond. The city came out to do an inspection, before hand the landlord came and inspected (no 24hr notice given). I received a bill on my door for $95. When I asked what for they said for a carbon monoxide detector (never received at move in), damage to apartment (was here when I moved in and never got a checklist on move in or a walkthrough with manager, apartment was thrown together in 2 days). I was told they would look into it and get back to me. (they haven't) Utility bills have been EXTREMLY high. I had to pay for gas all last winter with no heat. When I question things I never get a response. Always, they will get back to me. I have pictures and documentation of all fees paid.
Deposit Problems | Case#**-*829
MONROE,
OR -
97456 9490
Mailed 2,000$ deposit on 5/24 decided the property was to far out, promised the property would be available on 6/16 wasn’t available on 6/22 (still being worked on) when I went to the property and spoke with him. Told him that I would split my deposit with him and he said no. I never moved into the property and never had a written agreement
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.
