Rent Problems Are Frustrating; but you're not alone: Thousands of tenants rely on RPA to solve problems
Plumbing Malfunction | Case#**-*422 There is an incredible loud, high-pitched noise coming from the plumbing in this building. The City of Winston-Salem mandated the repair of two leaks that was coming from both the light fixture in the hallway and the ceiling in the bathroom. The slack, rush job repair of these leaks caused this horrible, loud high-pitched ongoing noise, that occurs every time the people upstairs flush a toilet, run their washing machine or any plumbing in their apartment. This noise has affected my hearing in my right ear. I have reported this noise 3 times to the staff in the Management office and have only been ignored. I shouldn't have to blast my television or music to drown out a problem caused by the staff of this property, nor should I have to come out of pocket to purchase ear plugs to sleep at night.
Locked Out Of Storage Space Due To Notice To Vacate Expiration. | Case#**-*265
OAKLAND,
CA -
94612 4651
I received a notice to vacate a large storage space I was granted when I moved into my current place of residence on March 20, 2017. I did not actually open the letter until April 10, 2017. The notice was not certified and gave no reason for the notice other than to clear out the space in 30 days or face lock out and removal of items at my cost. I filled a petition of Decreased housing service with the city of Oakland and informed the Property Manager of the petition and informed them that 30 days would not be enough time for me to disperse with 18 years worth of items. I received a notice April 26 2017 that I was to drop off key locks into drop box on the property or face lock out. I communicated to property manager again regarding the petition in process. I have only been communicated to through mail and not through any personal contact and find the lockout harassing, as well as violation of my rights and access to my personnel property.
Uninhabitable Apartment | Case#**-*073
SAN JOSE,
0 -
95126 1515
Hot water tap in bathtub will not turn off. Water heater must be turned off and on in order to use hot water. Can not use hot water to shower, wash hands or dishes without turning on water heater. Water heater is very hot and I have burned myself many times while attempting to turn it on. Landlord got estimate for repair in mid-July but could not afford cost and asked if she could get it fixed on August 15. Have contacted landlord many times explaining the difficulty of situation and inquiring when plumbing will be fixed. Landlord promised to send a plumber on December 23 at 1:30 to look at plumbing. Neither landlord nor plumber showed up, however, a realtor and prospective buyers arrived at the time specified for the plumber.
Deposit Problems | Case#**-*297
Setauket,
New York -
11733
I was the tenant in #52 neal path, apt 52 in setauket NY. I moved out end of May this year as listed in the leasing agreement. It has been four months and I still have not received my security deposit as it should be legally I have made at least 20 phone calls to the deposit department, and every time different story regarding the status of my deposit, from \\\"it has been sent\\\", to \\\"we will need time to process first\\\", to\\\"we have sent again\\\", to \\\"there is a remaining balance due to the damage to the carpet\\\". I also have called to request for the break down of the damage through mail and email, and the only answer i received from Jessica is she will do it as soon as she finds the document on file, and I have never heard from her or anyone again.
I have made calls and left voicemails, and four months past there is no one in the entire company are in charge of deposit refund and help tenant with it. I am reaching Fairfield one last time before taking legal actions.
Bed Bug Infestations \\noise Complaint | Case#**-*165
Houston ,
Texas -
77075
I have been dealing with this bed bug situation since Christmas of 2015 this company has been out to my house several times concerning this problem the treat the did were not effective and poorly administered they heated up one room sprayed the others and I was given bad info at best I am out of a lot of money because of this company.and and my neighbor upstairs kids play basketball all day and some nights at least 3 neighbor complain I pay 1000 a month and being treated like this
Does Not Offer Proper Rental Payment Options | Case#**-*006
SAN JOSE,
CA -
95110 2103
Tenant portal only allows options for electronic funds transfer or cash drop off as rent payment which all incur some form of payment fees on top of the rent due. Property manager does not allow the option to drop off rent as a check through the front door. There is a way to do this safely without any person to person interaction through the office door slot however the property manager has now denied access to do this. This violates California civil code 1947.3. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1947.3.
Unjustified Charges To Security Deposit | Case#**-*337
Raleigh,
North Carolina -
27617
Overall we have had a pleasant experience with Phoenix Property Management, however, we received our disposition of our security deposit a month after move out and we were charged for maintenance issues which were reported initially after move in and never addressed by Phoenix Property management. Instead we were charged for these items after move out. An email was send to address this issue with documented prof that these maintenance items (i.e. yard work) were never address during the 12 months we remained at the property. Instead Jewel Coats acknowledge that she read the email and chose not to respond or follow up regarding the concern. Further more, after a phone call to Jewel 60 days after move out she stated that it was my responsibility to ensure that Phoenix Property Management followed through on work orders, otherwise I was liable for the cost after move out. Below is the information which was emailed and ignored by Jewel Coats 30 days after move out.
The yard related charges are not justified because we left the back yard, back porch, gutters, and front yard in a much better condition which we received it as documented in the maintenance request submitted within a week of move in. We did this despite all the construction material and trash left from the siding repair which spanned throughout our entire 12 months lease.
We also addressed the child safety issue with the back deck railing out of our own expense due to Phoenix\\\\\\\'s inability to the safety issue in a timely fashion (30+ days).
Lastly the lawn moving charge is unjustified as we mowed the yard within a week of moving out.
We provided the maintenance request regarding the poor condition of the yard/gutters which we submitted immediately upon move in (February 8th) documenting the poor condition of the yard, abundance of leaves, gutters, and dead tree branches left over at the house by the previous tenant and not cleaned up by Phoenix prior to our move it. In addition, this maintenance yard request was never addressed by Phoenix after submitted nor was the one which documented how the carpets were not professionally cleaned prior to our move it (which we also had to pay for ourselves after move it).
We requested that the remaining of our security deposit be refunded to us for the reasons mentioned above.
The information above was sent in an email and Jewel Coats acknowledge that it was ignored and did not see the need to follow up with either an email or a phone call.
Non Repair Of HVAC In A Heat Advisory Time Period | Case#**-*102
Mesa,
Arizona -
85201
I found it work order on the 9th of June stating that my air conditioner was out. The temperature in my apartment was 90-plus degrees and we were entering into a heat advisory time or the temperature would be over 110 degrees for 3 to 4 days. The auto generated message came acknowledging the work order in progress they received the order on the 9th. I received no response on the 9th while the office was open comedy show at 6:30 p.m. I requested an urgent after-hours visit to my apartment to resolve the issue. After three hours and no response or call I called again and initiated another urgent request at 9:30 p.m. still no one called. The next morning I initiated another call to speak with a maintenance person urgently and I received a call back at 7:30 a.m. from Joe. I explain to Joe what the issue was and he said he would get dressed and come right over. 3 hours passed and I had to call back again and after 30 more minutes he finally came. He checked the airflow with a temperature unit and saw that it was over 87 in my apartment. And that my thermostat was not turning off. Can you change the thermostat and said that it was starting to get cool but that my air conditioning coil needed a replacement. He left saying that he would write up the coil unit replacement and he closed out the work order. The thermostat made it to where the unit wouldn\\\\\\\'t turn on at all so I had to put it on the setting that just blew air from the fan . I reopen the work order. Joe showed up the next day in the afternoon with a portable air conditioning unit he told me his boss said that when they change the main air conditioning unit on the roof the last maintenance crew cut Corners not fixing the air conditioning unit coils and basically cut corners. He said that he and his boss knew that that would happen and now we\\\\\\\'re dealing with this issue. Joe was very helpful did everything that you could do but again the issue is not resolved and he said that his boss is out of town until Monday. Monday I went back online and he had closed the work order again so I reinitiated the work order and contacted the office directly and talk to Yolanda.
I told Yolanda about the issue and then no response and that I needed it fixed immediately. I also told her how much it was costing me to maintain the electricity in this unit to keep the fan on and that I would hope that they would provide reimbursement for the cost to me based on a broken unit. Yolanda stated that there was no guarantees
Maintnance Non Compliant | Case#**-*582 I've been waiting 2 weeks for the filter in my AC unit to be changed. I have called 4 times on this matter already. Really?
Landlord making noisy repairs during night hours and weekends | Case#**-*985
SAN JOSE,
CA -
95112 2330
For the last several weeks the landlord has been making repairs in the units right below the one I rent.
These repairs include knocking on the walls , drilling , ...
Often the repairs take place during nights and weekends and cause severe noise disturbances which prevent me and my little children from sleeping and resting on nights and weekends.
I asked him not to do the repairs during these unusual hours - but nothing has changed,
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.
