Rent Problems Are Frustrating; but you're not alone: Thousands of tenants rely on RPA to solve problems
Mismanagement of Rent | Case#**-*986
Suitland,
Maryland -
20746
The old management didn't properly handle the renters account. The new management came and stated that the renters had a balance in the thousands. The new management asked for all the proof to show that we didn't owe the balance. The proof was provided, receipts, bank ledgers, copy of checks, and rental ledger. The new management refused to accept the proof and fix the account.
Unsafe Living Conditions and Harassment | Case#**-*507
MURRAY,
UT -
84107 6268
When my husband and I were moving out of the property our next door neighbor and a neighbor in the complex told us that the previous tenants used to smoke and distribute methamphetamines in the house. I asked the landlord if the house had been tested and cleaned. She told me no and that she just hired a standard cleaner to come in and clean the property. She never disclosed this information or we would not have moved in. We have a 2 year old son. When I told her that I would be pursuing this further she called me "White trash." I have told her to stop contacting me numerous times and she still continues to.
bedbugs | Case#**-*194
RENTON,
WA -
98055 0012
i have been living at these apartments for 3 months, and withing the first week i was bitten by bedbugs. i was disclosed at the time of signing the lease that all apartments had been treated, but this did not seem true. After notifying the apartment manager, they attempted a two-phase spray treatment which were 1 week apart. in the meantime, all my belongings had to be placed in plastic bags. After the second treatment, i was still being bitten, when notifed the manager, they scheduled the same treatment one week away from the time of notice. when the exterminator came, he reported "no activity" and no treatment was done. For two weeks we did not notice any new bites, so we thought the infestation had subsided. on 6/16/12, i received another bite. 6/18/12 my girlfriend, Anna Krajscakova, went in to talk to the manager, and they neglected our claim. stating, they will schedule another spray treatment and call us back, none of our calls have ever been returned in our whole time with these apartments. They further stated that they will not pay for us to transfer due to the last scheduled appointment results of " no activity". Judy claimed to have never heard of the heat treatment...
Refusal to take care of a crack in window which has a wasps nest in it | Case#**-*695
Jeffersonville,
Indiana -
47130
This problem has been ongoing for about 3 months now and I've been paying for a two bedroom apartment but have only been able to use one bedroom. I have called several times with no response and I want the problem fixed immediately.
DEPOSIT REFUND + NON-COMPLIANT ELECTRICAL | Case#**-*024
S SAN FRAN,
CA -
94080 2632
LANDLORD TOOK OUT AN UNREASONABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY FROM DEPOSIT FOR CLEANING. LIVING ROOM AND KITCHEN FLOORS NOT CLEANED UPON EXIT. $240 SPECIFICALLY FOR 12 HOURS OF CLEANING
ADDITIONALLY, PROPERTY IS NOT UP TO ELECTRICAL CODE. SHOWER EMITS 12 VOLTS OF ELECTRICITY WHEN TURNED ON + NO SOCKET HAS ELECTRICAL BOXES
Vandalism, Neglect From Management, Unsafe, Financially Impaired. | Case#**-*549
LOS ANGELES,
CA -
90018 4504
We have resided here since November 2020. We\'re from Missouri, and moved to California all on our own with absolutely no help. We also are newly 21 years old. Since staying in this Tripalink building we\'ve experienced bad after bad after bad. Our weeds/plants outside grew to be taller than our cars to the point we couldn\'t exit or enter onto the passenger side of our car because of these overgrown plants. After a month of several maintenance requests and reaching out to my property manager \'Mateo\' about it multiple times while continuously being ignored by him, we called and showed that we were upset about this neglect (and proceeded to get yelled at by Mateo), and of course the next day it was taken care of. Our entire unit also had an ant infestation that they ignored us about for months until we told them it is against the law to not provide us with things to get rid of them. They finally brought in an exterminator who then proceeded to damage our front door that is still damaged to this day. We get no parking available when if we are paying $1,200 a month for co-living other people who don\'t live here shouldn\'t get a space over us. Our car has been vandalized and attempted to be stolen/broken into twice, as well as our roommate being robbed by 3 men with guns RIGHT outside of our front gate not even 2 months ago. I (Tamia Harris) have SEVERE anxiety & paranoia and DO NOT FEEL SAFE LIVING HERE. As well as that, we can not afford to stay here any longer. Please just help get us out of this terrible situation, covid has been hard enough on us with finding steady jobs and on top of that we now have to pay hundreds of dollars in damage because we can\'t get simple parking. I\'m highly positive the way this property management treats us is illegal. I have panic attacks walking in and out of my own apartment, I should feel safe. We almost feel tricked when looking into this place by our property manager by him telling us that we would be taken care of if we needed anything and it was a safe area (he knew we were here moving from Missouri and had NO IDEA about any areas in Los Angeles). We just want to get out of this lease, we don\'t care at this point to even get our security deposit back. We\'ve always paid rent on the exact dates it was due as well even if that meant we couldn\'t go get food or pay for other important bills. We are good tenants and always have been despite the way we\'ve been treated. All we want is to just be able to go back home and be safe.
Poor Maintenance And Fraud | Case#**-*038
0 -
To whom it may concern,
I am writing on behalf of my sister (Kimberly Birchland) and nephew (Michael Birchland) to help them with the problems they have had with Riverpark Apartments. They first entered into the agreement in July 2013. Michael reported mold problems
on three different instances as mentioned below. Please find pictures on the mold on the third attachment.
• November 23, 2013 mold on closest back wall,
• June 13, 2014 mold in closet corner
• June 30, 2014 moldy carpet
Michael had to deal with constant headaches and congestion until the problem was never resolved since the mold kept reoccurring.
In June, Michael decided to end his lease. Kimberly, in order to make sure that Michael received his entire deposit made not one, but two trips, to the apartment to insure that that the apartment was left in the same order they found it. She and Michael repainted the rooms, cleaned the carpets, and made sure that everyone was in working order.
Upon inspection Michael received a letter, with pictures, alleging that the carpet was frayed and that the smell was overwhelming and charged them $1283.10. I can assure you that this was not the case and unfortunately this inspection was not done in Michael’s presence. There is not any proof that there was any odor or that these pictures were from the apartment. Kimberly requested the pictures on July 30, 2014 and took almost two weeks for Riverpark to send the pictures.
The damages cannot be proved and the carpets do not even look the same. We are requesting your assistance in getting Michael’s full deposit returned and that this invoice reflect no charges. This has also been sent to collections and we would like the credit report cleared of any non-payment.
I will need to add the pictures later.Than k you for your assistance in this matter.
Regards,
Debbie Karcher
Debbiekarcher@gmail.com
Security Deposit Issue | Case#**-*017 Randall Torres deducted $250 from my security deposit for not repainting a room that I was told not to repaint, and $100 for cleaning fees because I failed to clean the interior of a self cleaning oven, that was replaced for the new tenants. The apartment was spotless when I left, my ex and I spent a week cleaning everything from the baseboards to the basement, fridge interior and exterior, cabinets, floors, walls, windows, everything. Our lease states nothing about cleaning guidelines or cleaning fees, so I feel this deduction is quite erroneous.
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.
