Rent Problems Are Frustrating; but you're not alone: Thousands of tenants rely on RPA to solve problems
Handicapped Apt Taken Away Unfairly/ New Apt Too Small | Case#**-*878 My homemakers agency went bankrupt. I was very sick in bed for 3months. CDA said I was not using exercise equipment in second room. Asked to have inspection done after staff was replaced. Asked to have request for accomodation changed to exercise, medical equipment,staff room so that when I am too sick to exercise the status wont be compromised and because my doctor said thai it is his professional opinion that it is medically necessary for Carolyn to remain in handicapped apt. The apt.has NOT been rented. The apt CDA moved me to is way way too small. Fire Chief is worried about reaching me in medical emergency or fire. My belongings dont fit..I have thrown thousands of $ worth of items away. Still, eviction coming on 4/14 because of "hoarder"appearance. I am homebound...apt too small to do any crafts etc and management says I have to do everything in my apt or pay $100. They want me to stay inside of this tiny apartment. I got riprimanded for singing to myself and police were called when I was sitting on couch in hall looking in a box of my items. Mgmt has been very rude to me even in front of my staff. Former home was perfect with my disabilities...new place has no grab bars or way for me to know if someone is at the door. Moving me was against the American's laws I truly believe. I am away from friends and family and my health is getting worse. It would cost CDA less for me to live at former res. I got badly hurt and had to go to er in ambulance. Way way too small to stay in here all of the time. Mgmt makes me cry they are so rude. No one else has rented my former home in three months and I have lived in horrible mess. I have tried and tried to explain how this apt is a bad fit. They don't care. I cry all of the time.
Thank you for reading this and for any help you can give. It might get better if you help and I pray!
Breach Of Agreement, Neighbor Problems, Discrimination | Case#**-*639 We have made numerous complaints to our apartment manager and the owners of the apartments as well. Our complaints have yet to be dealt with in a diligent manner. Our neighbors upstairs make constant noise, running around, stomping heavily, and constantly rolling around chairs and jumping. This noise has kept us awake late into the night(2am) and awaken us early in the mornings(5am). We have asked them politely to stop, we have asked management to take care of this matter, we have asked the owners and still it continues.
We feel our rights as tenants are being violated and we believe that since we fall into a lower economic status that we are being discriminated against. We also are amongst the minority here. We believe also that they are leading us to believe they will take care of this matter only to quiet us until our lease has expired next month. We even asked if we could renew and we're told, "no, that it had already been rented". However when we moved here, the current tenants of the original apartment we were leasing decided at the last minute to renew, so we had to wait on another one to become available.
We have grown very uncomfortable here, when we call they don't answer, we leave messages and even email and they go unnoticed. They fail to return our calls.
This matter has caused us a lot of extra stress, and we feel that this could've all been avoided. We had no intentions of bringing other parties into this matter, but their failure to satisfy our requests has left us no choice.
We would appreciate your rapid response thank you in advance.
Caleb and Amanda Purdy
Contract Problem | Case#**-*274
Houston,
Texas -
77025
Our previous contract will expire on Oct. 7th with WESTON. We signed a renewal contract on Aug. 1st with a rent of $945 per month. On Sep. 27th I was told our contract was expiring and the one we signed was not uploaded in their system so that we needed to sign a new one. The new contract they offered was $1069 per month. We could not agree and signed to another apartment complex on Oct. 1st. Then we were told our contract with WESTON was recovered on their system. They explained it was a problem of their new system and we needed to pay more than $1800 for breaking the contract.
I disagree to pay this money. We were given wrong information by their stuff and their system to make the decision to break the contract.
breach of agreement, intrusion | Case#**-*048
Joplin,
Missouri -
64015
last conversation
11/17/10
chuck texted me at 4:20:57 pm. one hour and 40 minutes before i got off work.
tara im coming over to inspect the house again, in a little
i texted him back at 4:26:42
we would appreciate 24 hours notice before you show up.
sandra and chuck showed up before 5:39, kelly called me and told me.
i told him that he did not have to let them in.
he let them look around the house and they left around 5:45 as kelly was leaving for work.
i texted sandra at 5:48:46
i asked chuck to give us 24 hours notice. next time i will be there with my lawyer bill fleischaker and the police.
she texted me back at 6:16:25
we can come by anytime 2 check on the property as long as we notify u. and u can talk to mine...
Genesio
i texted her back at 6:41:28 as i was driving home from work and could not reply quicker
that was not part of our verbal agreement. you did not have my permission.
she responded at 6:51:46
i dont have to have your permission. i just have to notify you we are coming to inspect/look the house over. that is even per my attorney.
i started recording the conversation at this point.
i texted at 7:18:56
you do need my permission. you did not come by to repair anything and you also did not let me know in a timely manner. i was at work and unavailable at the time. unless you have my explicit permission, you and chuck are not to be in the house without me present.
she responded at 7:24:38
i do not have to have your permission. it is my house. all i have to do i notify you. i am done with this conversation.
i did not respond. will be consulting with howie lindeman and alesha gilleland on 11/18/10.
Slum Lording | Case#**-*715
Bellevue,
Nebraska -
68123
Their idea of "repairing" a rotted out primary support for the deck above mine was expanding foam pumped in on top of a two years worth of bird's nest.
It also takes 5-10 minutes running my water non-stop before it starts turning hot. The first time I complained, they blamed it on "air bubbles", and the second time they said it was because the water heater was on another floor and that we should just wait until someone else has used it first if we don't want to wait that long.
Last year, I went more than a month without a usable shower because of holes in the plastic surround, when they finally got around to responding to the repair ticket, they left the new surround unsealed, a haven for mold and rot. It took several complaints to get that fixed as well.
refuseing to give deposit back | Case#**-*810
indpls,
Indiana -
46226
landlord new i was not renewing my lease in novmber 2013 landlord stop fixing any repairs when i told her i would be moving in feb 2014, i was told by landlord i had til feb 15th to move without oweing any rent i have recite sign lw from landlord so on 15th we moved i called landlord to see when we can walk threw home to get my deposit back she never rent calls or texts so i cleaned house and took pictures of back yard front yard aii rooms in the house cabnets bathrooms toliets tub sinks closetsdoors so few days later i text and ask when we can walk threw house to get deposit back she said because i had keys i was not getting deposit back so i said she lives in chicago who give keys to,so icame back to house to give keys fromnoo to4pm i waited at house no one came,,i went home icalled and text landlord no answer til feb 27th at 2;36pm saying to call mike at 3176707348 to get my curtains we left,,still no respond on my deposit so i mailed the keys to her p.o. box thendays later i got letter with all lies about thing that were broken i lost deposit cause of repairs she had to do ,,all lies im really hurt i trusted her we had a lot of verbal agreements puls i have pictures of everything and texts from landlord saying we can stay til 15th feb...please help anyone if you can im handycap fix income i need my $850.00 back please help us..
Garage Door/ Property Manintanance/neighbor Complain | Case#**-*177 the garage door fall half ways in the garage and I call the landlord and let him know in the morning that's when I found out when I was going to work he came to look at it and when I came home from work he told me that he was not going to replace the garage door. I have some property in the garage that has been stolen and I don't have money to put my staff in a storage like my landlord victor recommended. so i just have my kids bikes in my oldest son's room and other things unfortunately..
I mention to him that the property look really duty that people will dump sofas tables and other things and he said ok ill take care of that.. the property still look s duty..
I call him and ask if I could paint my apartment because is been almost 3 years and i wanted to maintain my house and he said i will ask my mother who is the owner of the property he call back and said NO we decided to leave everything as it is... my neighbor downstairs complain about noises and victor and Manuela talk to me about it however no one is home at the time of the complain victor call me yesterday 11/17/2014 and wants to meet with me and the and Manuela too the property owner tomorrow 11/19/2014 at one and i said yes we could me tomorrow at my house i will take my lunch at the time for meeting purpose.
Residential Noise Control | Case#**-*791
Austin,
Texas -
78750
The upstairs neighbors have been causing noise dating back to the beginning of 2018. There have been several official noise complaints filed. The apartment complex has not penalized the residences who have had noise complaints filed against them.
Heat Problems | Case#**-*821
COTTONWD HTS,
UT -
84121 2608
Stephanie did not provide heat for the house during the month of December 2016. She finally attempted to get it fixed but it still is not efficient and
is causing tremendous power bills for us. Our power bill was 600.00 for this past month. When we told her she didn\'t care. She also ran her sprinklers until the
end of November. Our water bill was close to 500 dollars.
Extra Fees That Ate Not In My Lease | Case#**-*705
Indpls,
Indiana -
46229
For the last 3 months I have been trying to pay my rent on line, the account is blocked Then when I spoke with Brooke last month she said I had to pay for eviction filing which I have never seen & isn\\\'t in my lease, last month it was 120. This month is is 211. and she refuses to except the rent because I refuse to keep paying all these fees. So why would you sit in that office & add up more fees when rent id high enough on this regedy roof leaking house. They refuse to fix anything. I am just trying to live out my lease so I can get out of here. The basement has flooded twice, We had to get the water up ourself, they justverase maintenance requests & act like they completed them. My husband had to fix pipes in the basement, the kitchen sink cabinet is soaked from something leaking under there. I have paid my rent faithfully since being here Sept 2014, all of sudden they change hands & I have to deal with Brook with her unprofessionlism, she has a attitude problem & doesn\\\'t like me which is very unbusiness like. Where is she coming up with all these fees which are not in my lease? And how do you pay for a eviction that you never seen. Just last month Brook told me evictions are filed on the 17th, but this month she wants eviction fees on the 14th.
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.
