Rent Problems Are Frustrating; but you're not alone: Thousands of tenants rely on RPA to solve problems
Repair And Safety Issues | Case#**-*141 i moved in this property on 10/30/14. i phoned the realtor agent about items that got approved to be done before i moved in . only thing got done is carpet professional cleaned. The maintenance man came by on friday 10/31/14, only to remove the lockbox from the front door. i told him about the light not working in the kitchen, the stove, the toliet, the wood gate that is falling over and other things that were not done. also, i let them know that i gas is on but stove is not working and also had already phone the office to let them know. The maintenance didnt come until monday to turn and light the power on the gas stove until monday, 11/3/14. He didnt check to see if all is okay. thirty minutes later i continue to smell gas and phone ENTEX to come out. ENTEX found a serious gas leak on the stove and tag it and the hot water heater in the attic. The realtor company had their appliance guys to come and check the stove. one of the gentle man told me that when the previous tenant lived there it was a driveby shooting happen at this house and one of the bullets hit the stove and caused the gas leak. Still waiting on the stove to be fixed it is getting very expensive eating out. the stove is very dirty and need cleaning. i also told them i saw a couple of snakes in the back yard. they suggested i get moth balls. i like to get out of this lease without penalties against me i dont feel safe knowing its been a shooting at this house and living in unsafe conditions. i have pictures. please can you come and inspect this house. I will like to get my $2000.00 back and move elsewhere.
repair issues | Case#**-*900
Austin ,
Texas -
78723
I have besn staying at my apartments and have never had any issues with rodents at all. At the beginning of April I discovered that there are mice in my apartm. I called the office and told Leanne about. The situation and she assured me she would go there and take a look at my apartment. I also informed her that two weeks before my apartment had flooded an no one came to soak up the water and therefore it has mold under the carpet and that I knew this because you could smell it. I call her back after an hour and she told me my apartment is dirty and thats why I have mice and that my apartment has no mold. I asked her if she lifted the carpet and she said no. I have a 3year old son as d i didn't feel comfortable with staying in an apartment with mice or mold so I went to an hotel for a few days. I had no choiceb ut to go back to ky apartment because the hotel was becoming expensive. So i went out an bought mouse traps myself and was able to catch 3 of them. She adcised me that she sent pest control out and they put down one or two traps. The hole that they are coming out of is still not sealed. Its been over 2weeks since she told me it would be. I lifted up the carpet in my bedroom and its filled with mold i refuse to live under these conditions. Nuthing is being done about the mold in my apartment or the hole the mice are coming threw.
Bed Bugs / Landlord Neglect To Investigate | Case#**-*460 For several months my husband and I have been receiving bug bites. This began in April 2013. We had moved in, in March 2013. We live on the bottom floor of an apartment complex, near a wooded area, and we assumed it was from common spider bites and other misc. insects. We had contacted the landlord to inform her, and asked if we could use home insect foggers in attempt to resolve the issue. Our landlord stated that was ok. In July 2013 my husband and I continued to receive bug bites. There were several spiders, worm like bugs, little red bugs, and bugs we could not identify in the apartment and had contacted the landlord a second time to resolve the issue. The landlord stated to use a home fogger again, because it may be because of the wooded area we live in. Our landlord stated that she has not had any past complaints concerning bug issues previously. My husband and I conducted a second fogger. The bites continued. October 5th, 2013, my husband was severely bitten on his legs and arms and I had taken photographic evidence. We fogged bombed the apartment one last time, assuming it was another wooded area insect problem. We were getting married on October 26th, 2013 in Las Vegas Nevada, and had agreed that if this persisted after our return, we would take further action to resolve the issue. Since returning from Las Vegas, the issues concerning the bugs in the apartment have continued.Tuesday December 3rd, 2013, my husband contacted the landlord. He said the foggers have not worked, and that an exterminator was required to handle the bug issue in the home. The landlord stated that she would call an exterminator to inspect the apartment. On Friday December 6th, 2013, and exterminator came to inspect the home. He confirmed it was bed bugs. The landlord then called my husband, and stated she felt she should not be responsible for the fee of the exterminator because we had traveled to Las Vegas in October. We asked for an investigation in the apt. building because of reports of bed bugs in the apt building in the past. There was no resolution. On 12/15/2013 we contacted the landlord for reimbursement because we are moving on 1/4/14. She refused. The landlord argued and stated that she needs to speak to her attorney and will not reimburse until, or if, an investigation is completed with the other apartments in the building. She stated she will file a claim with her insurance to investigate our unit, but will not guarantee any payment or reimbursement to us.
Balance | Case#**-*614
Lewisville ,
Texas -
75061
I received an email today on 3/8/18 from my old apartment complex requesting that I pay a balance of 392.30 by tomorrow or it will be placed on my rental credit history. I spoke to the manger who had an attitude when I asked her why wasn\'t I given a notice of the late fees I acquired on Feb 3. Why wasn\'t I given a notice of the past due balance she had no answer and stated that she would place on my if not paid tomorrow.
Unsafe Living Conditons | Case#**-*855
Lewisville,
Texas -
75067
I am a resident of the Catalina apartment homes in Lewisville Texas, I have lived there since September 15th of 2017. I Moved in to escape an abusive situation and at times I thinks staying in the abusive situation is better than living at the Catalina. Yesterday 05/10 I came down stairs to see a man in a pest control uniform, I asked him if he was spraying my Apartment #1610 since the moment i have moved in I have had a roach infestation. He stated that he was not, he was heat treating the apartment below me for BED BUGS!. Now not only do I worry about the unhealthy conditions a roach infestation leads to but the diseases BED BUGS spread! I went to the office this morning (05/11/18) and asked the associate working named Alex, what they were going to do about my apartment as I am directly above the unit infested with bed bugs. Her response was \" oh sweetie you good the heat treat kills everything\". I asked if I could still have my apartment treated as I know that the bugs live in walls and move and infest un treated apartments. She then stated I would be on the list for treatment a week from now I would like them to come much sooner. Especially since the regular pest control guy has come to my apartment to help with the roach problem and this is on top of everything I do stop it and a good day is when I only kill one roach. I put down Borax, Diatomaceous earth, traps and use raid daily so please tell me that when I was asleep last night a roach crawled across my chest and woke me up.
I do not pay 872.00 per month to live in fear of catching bug borne diseases and unsanitary conditions that are out of my control. My apartment is not filled with trash and dirty dishes, clutter and other luxurious items for bugs to want live in. I am expecting for my apartment to be bug free is that too much to ask? The outlets in the kitchen are not up to GFI standards, the handicap spots are not actually handicap spots as they are not marked with a metal sign and there is no ramp for a wheel chair any where near them. The fence along the back is broken and partially missing. In my 2 room apartment there is physical evidence of roach feces in the ceilings, there is only one working smoke detector
Manager Refusal To Respond To Emails Regarding Payment | Case#**-*329
ANAHEIM,
CA -
92802 3503
I would be more than happy to send out the MOUNTAIN of emails that I have sent, along with my roommates email(s) that he has sent; all have been IGNORED. I have copied and pasted my most recent email that was sent on May 11th, 2021 to William below.
For transparency; We relinquished our lease early, back in October of 2020. During our stay, we were charged for electricity through the apartment that apparently was not received by the electric company (Please see attached, I can also ask Derrick to provide his statements if needed).
We were informed that apparently the paperwork was done \"incorrectly\" so we were asked to pay our full electric bill throughout the duration of our stay to the electric company, which we did, resolving that issue.
Derrick was told by William over the phone that we would be refunded the electric payments and they would be applied to the amount owed on the apartment, this never happened. The full bill was forwarded to Genesis for collections with the uncredited amount. Derrick sent William multiple emails regarding the incorrect amount asking for updates and nothing was ever done about it nor replied to. The last phone call William told Derrick that he would delete the amount due and email the accounting department to get it fixed, but yet again nothing happened.
This led to us being harassed by collections that still had the INCORRECT total amount. We have been waiting for a correct amount from Harbor Cliffs, but since we did not want this debt to escalate even further, and we were continuously receiving \"interest due\" emails; we paid Genesis the amount that was claimed. Genesis informed us that they can refund the discrepancy once we receive the correct documentation from HARBOR CLIFFS. We were being charged through Genesis for the full amount of $1,499 which included the INCORRECT electric fee even though it was promised through William that he would rectify the situation. I\'ve attached another image of the email conversation between my roommate and William; please note the date and the negligence on rectifying the situation.
All we are asking for is the correct amount so we can receive the money that is due to us. You may contact me at this email
Harassment, Racism,Disrespect | Case#**-*246 -i was issued a 5 day Right to Cure notice on 10/22/2014, I received a notice that I was a worker smelling of marijuana, I advised the manager that it was NOT me because I was NOT home and I was at the nail shop and had proof
-the manager of the building became very unprofessional, disrespectful, harassment and racism
-I contacted the Regional Manager on 10/22/14 at this time the Regional Manager stated that he would come into town to investigate the situation and we came to agreement that I would NOT have to pay rent for the month of November 2014,the Regional Manager also stated that we would give me a call back on 10/29/14 after speaking with the property manager NEVER received a call
-I called the Regional Manager back on 11/6/14,I left a message and NEVER received a call back
-After this I never received a call or anything else from the apartment manager
-On 12/01/14,my boyfriend walked thru the main entrance where he found an eviction notice hang on the bulletin board
-meanwhile my manager knows I don’t use the main door cause I park underground and use that back way
-my apartment is NOT my mail address so I don’t check the mail box
-and my apartment building usually put information under my apartment door for example the 5days to cure notice but NOT an eviction notice
Neighbors Have Bugs | Case#**-*282
DAYTON,
OH -
45420 2720
Tenants below claimed they have bed bugs by posting a note. Please solve this before they are spread
Breach Of Agreement | Case#**-*161
BERKELEY,
CA -
94707 1518
The landlord has breached the Studio Lease Agreement terms in Section 11 that state the landlord shall maintain premises in a decent and safe condition and shall comply with all laws, regulations, and ordinances concerning the condition of dwelling units.
Deposit Problems | Case#**-*468
Maricopa,
Arizona -
85138
I vacated the premises on 1/31/2020. The house was left in move-in condition (I have videos for proof). When i spoke with the manager (Pete Ashjian), he told me that the maintenance man had been inside the house and said there were no issues so he was sure that everything would be okay. Then Pete sent an invoice indicating several issues, none of which were valid. He stated that the house was filthy and there was a lot of junk left behind. Both of us had hired people to come out and haul junk away and the house was completely free of any junk except for a few large cans of paint and air filters that belonged to the landlord (refer to videos). Pete even sent us videos, taken by his agent, who indicated that the issues he found were not the responsibility of the tenants.I am filing this seeking a full refund of the $1300 deposit originally given to Ahwatukee Realty. They can keep the refundable $250 cleaning fee.
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.
