Ohio tenants have rights, solving security deposit problems is your right...
Every day, tenants like you, turn to the RPA to quickly get deposits refunded & unfair charges dropped.Filing a Complaint with the RPA is the fastest and most effective way to get your deposit refunded and unfair deductions dropped. - even attorneys rely on the RPA to help solve dispute problems for their clients. As a tenant you have rights to fight for your every penny of your deposit. Yes, the RPA fight to get your deposit back.
What Ohio Security Deposit Problems Can the RPA solve?
Did you know... the RPA accepts all deposit complaints, but these are the most common complaints resolved by our organization:
Security Deposit Refunds
Getting your security deposit back promptly.
Charges to Security Deposit
Unfair, False, Unreasonable, or other types of deductions
TIP: On the complaint form you can request that your landlord reimburse you for the $35 complaint filing fee. (that's the only required fee to file a complaint)
Serious problems dismissed | Case#**-*396
LAKE OSWEGO,
OR -
97034 2860
I have been refused any kind of communication for two years in which time I have been exposed to mold and asbestos. I have lived without heat, hot water, faucets, bathtub, and dryer. Rent raised while I was in hospital. Putting an abusive man and his bipolar mother on my lease.
Landlord Refuses To Refund Holding Deposit | Case#**-*295
LA JOLLA,
CA -
92037 2575
Lease agent has refused to refund the holding deposit of $500 as he claims we are past 72 hours from the application. I disagree with his decision under several factors:
1. The application was acknowledged on September 16, 2022.
2. In the printout he sent me with his denial to refund the holding deposit, it states: If the application is not accepted by management within 72 hours within the date of receipt, said amount shall be returned in the mail to Applicant.”
3. Lease was not approved until September 20, 2022 at 5:52 pm. On September 21, 2022 at 3:53 pm I responded and advised them we will not proceed with the lease. I called several times, with no answer and left a detailed message that we did not intend to lease the apartment, and asked them to acknowledge the message. I emailed again the next day asking for an acknowledgment of the email. No response.
3. On September 22, 2022 at 10:30 am, we finally received a response from Andy indicating he will not refund our holding deposit as we were past 72 hours of the application process.
4. A leasing agent cannot delay their approval and expect tenants to wait while missing opportunities to secure other properties.
5. Holding Deposits were created in case the landlord incurs a loss for not renting out the unit while the tenant has time to secure it. There is no loss incurred with a move in date is October 8th.
Andy has acted in bad faith in withholding the refund of the holding deposit by delaying his response to our emails. He indicated we would be approved on Sunday, September 18th, but we did not hear on the approval until September 20th. He has not replied to my demands of an explanation as to why he is not refunding the holding deposit.
Lastly as a side note, which speaks to his character, when telephone screening a 23 year female potential tenant, his questions were condescending and unprofessional. The words of “I want to make sure you’re not earning money from a drug dealer” is completely out of line.
Landlord evicted me out as he found another person to pay better rent but unwilling to pay my rent b | Case#**-*198
Cordova,
Tennessee -
38016
I am staying in a house as a 'paying guest' accomodation. I have been paying $625 towards rent.
He didnt want to sign any lease agreeement or accpet payments in a cheks as he is claiming unemployment benefits and this rental income($1250 from two roommates) might disqualify him from claiming unemployment.
So I have no paper work.
He never gave me a key to the house and he always shouts and harrasses me when I come a bit late.
To avoid all this, I took the key from the other roommate and got a duplicate key done.
When found out that I got a duplicate key to the house, he shouted at me and asked me to vacate the house the next day. This happened the very next day I gave him the rent.
I decided to move to my friends house and asked him to deduct the money for 3 days and return the rest of the money that I paid towards house rent.
How can I complain on him to get my money back?
Repair/Tenant Account Issue | Case#**-*040
Rex,
Georgia -
30273
Upon receiving a water bill from the Clayton County Water Authority of $689 (due Nov. 24th), I immediately contacted Havenbrook Homes to report a leak issue with the maintenance department. I lived in the home alone, and my water bills were never more than $40/month.Throughout Nov. and Dec., Havenbrook Homes sent out 1 maintenance person and 2 separate plumbing companies. Each person reported that there was an underground leak where excavation and re-piping would need to occur to repair.
Last month I paid a $689 water bill in full. The CCWA came to read my meter on Dec. 2nd, and rang my doorbell to once again alert me of the excessive usage. I explained to him that I knew about the issue, but my hands are tied because I could get my property management company to resolve. The new bill is $761 that is due on 12/23/20. Not to mention--another billing cycle has started where the January bill would also be outrageous. The rep from the water company stated that my meter is averaging over 100 gallons/day. Since October, I could not get in touch with anyone with Havenbrook Homes to resolve the property issue.
I called and emailed Havenbrook Homes and my property manager for weeks now to no availl. I took off of work Dec. 3rd and drove an hour to find a closed office.I have not received any sort of credit on my rent payment this month to offset the water bill that is due to a property issue. I have reached out to my property manager, Michelle Bohannon, several times to request information on any potential rent credits, but she keeps saying that she is waiting for upper management to get back to her.
I decided that I would have turn the water off myself (Dec. 4) and begin to vacate the home immediately. I had to pay for a pod to house my furniture and belongings until I can find another home. The property has been vacant since Dec. 11--the same day they finally hired plumbers to resolve the issue--as I was cleaning the home to vacate--far too late. I am essentially homeless right now. I am a teacher, days away from Christmas, during a pandemic. As a tenant who has lived at this property for nearly three years and has paid my rent early or on the 1st of each month, every month, I am incredibly disappointed in the response that I have received from Havenbrook Homes regarding this matter. On 12/17, I received an email from Zillow showing that the home is already up on the market for rent, yet they have not rectified this horrid situation with their previous tenant.
bed bug problem | Case#**-*131
raleigh,
North Carolina -
27603
my landlord has tried very hard to deal with the situation, but it has gotten worse. They are now in all rooms of my apartment unit.
Snow Removal Car Burnt Up In Parking Lot | Case#**-*172
WATERFORD,
MI -
48328 2438
I called the office to see when the parking lot might be plowed and they told me there\\\\\\\'s too much snow to do the parking lot right now and I had to go to work my car will not move now.
Deposit Refund | Case#**-*327
Tonawanda,
New York -
14454
The deposit should be returned in full. There were no additional tenants living in the apartment. Air mattresses were for guests who were attending the University at Buffalo Law School commencement ceremony on Saturday May 21, 2016 (see attached program). Additionally the apartment was thoroughly cleaned at the end of the lease and was returned to move-in condition (see attached photos from 6/14/16).
Landlord Charged Me For Removal Of Satellite Dish. | Case#**-*708
Las Vegas,
New Mexico -
87701
The landlord gave me permission to have DirecTV install a satellite dish. At the time of installation, the landlord did not say I would have to pay to have the dish removed. When I moved out, the landlord keep part of my security deposit to pay for the removal of the dish.
Harassment And Threats Against Family | Case#**-*520
MT PLEASANT,
WI -
53406 5733
I moved out of the unit and was texted and called numerous times with explicit language, discriminatory language, false accusations and threats against my family. He made “you people” remarks and would constantly disrespect me and my family.
Price Gouging, Dishonest Practices | Case#**-*433
Concord,
North Carolina -
28027
Start to finish, they were a complete disaster to deal with. They will accept your application (that takes at least 2 weeks to “process”) when they have accepted an applicant already and you have to pay ANOTHER application fee even though yours has been processed and accepted for a rental. Their website also stated when I put in my first application that “pets are like family, we don’t charge a monthly pet rent”… …just to be told that they are going to charge us $50 for our 2 small dogs. I 1000% guarantee that my dogs are more well behaved and more clean than people’s children. Maybe landlords should start charging children rent instead of pet rent. False advertising and SCAM ARTISTS. I was basically told to screw off after I complained.
Move in day… our code didn’t work for the lockbox… I had to be on hold for OVER TWO HOURS to speak to someone. This is after I even drove to their “office” in Charlotte while I was on hold just to find out NO ONE WORKS IN THE OFFICE. It’s a front.
We had a tree fall on our fence that was also on top of our neighbors house. It took a month for them to even address the issue, period. It took my NEIGHBORS property manager complaining to get anything done. Between the request from us, the neighbors landlord, and the follow ups on the request, there were TWENTY TICKETS created. They cannot assess if there is any damage done if there’s still a tree on their home.
Now, when our lease renewal is available… they let us know that they are upping our rent by almost $300/month! I checked… they are not being charged more for taxes as these are public record. I can only assume the reason our rent is being increased is because we needed a tree removed and our over-stove microwave replaced after it stopped working. However, it is illegal for a landlord to increase rent due to requesting repairs so (guess what!? I bet you guessed correctly…) when I sent in an inquiry to question the rent increase so I can have a paper trail… I receive the following reply:
“You will need to contact renewals at 844.258.1334” Okay… so I can talk to your outsourced help line with no answers besides “we can because we can”?
Mind you, we pay rent EVERY MONTH and are amazing tenants. I shampoo my carpets, power wash the house, and keep an amazing home.
They are covering theirselves because how they conduct business is not only immoral, but illegal. The government needs to do their job, step in, and stop these parasites from taking citizens hostage.
We had no option but to renew our lease for a year, but we will be buying a home again to escape the prison that is home rental in the state of North Carolina.
Save yourselves the trouble and steer clear of these scammers. They list Marietta, GA as their “headquarters”, but they are an out-of-country company shaking up the American economy. They are listed as a Foreign Limited Liability Company with the state of Georgia. They do not care and they are only here to drain tenants of their money. DO SOMETHING!!!
Deposit Dispute 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 Me Get My Deposit Back?
As a tenant you have the right to get every penny of your deposit back. When you file a complaint through the Rental Protection Agency this starts a formal dispute resolution process in which the RPA will do everything in our power to see that your landlord promptly resolves your complaint. Landlords know that if they fail to cooperate with the RPA it can result in a negative public record that can make it hard for them to fill vacancies in the future.
Why is there a Filing Fee of $35
The $35 filing fee is the only required fee to process a complaint. The fee is required to help offset the cost of representing your complaint. The RPA complaint center is designed as a low cost legal solution for tenants and in most cases is more affordable than other legal options. Many tenants will compare the cost of filing a complaint to the cost of not filing a complaint. If you file a complaint and the problem is resolved will the solution be worth the cost of filing the complaint?
TIP: Don't forget, on the complaint form you can request that your landlord reimburse you for filing fee.
Most tenants file a complaint with the RPA to solve the problem such as getting a deposit refunded, or to get an unfair charge or deduction removed. However, some tenants file a complaint to report the landlord publicly as a warning to other tenants. When a complaint is filed against a landlord it will show up on their public record which is indexed by all major search engines. Filing a complaint is one way for tenants to stand up against bad landlords to warn future tenants about deposit problems they've had.
Does the RPA Guarantee to Solve My Deposit Refund Complaint?
We do guarantee to do everything in our power to solve each complaint that is filed. However, there are some situations where bad landlords fail to cooperate. The RPA can't force a landlord to comply if they refuse; but we can impact their public record which can make it difficult for them to find new tenants. We guarantee to represent the complaint and to create a public record against landlords that fail to resolve complaints.
Will My Name Show up Publicly?
No. After the complaint is closed and made public; your information (tenant name) is removed. During the complaint process your complaint can only be accessed through your case number and pin number. Both the landlord and tenant are assigned a pin number that is unique. The RPA protects tenant's privacy by blocking your name from the public record database. However, the record does show the landlord name.
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.
All 50 States have regulations that protect security deposits. In most cases the landlord is required to provide a refund within 30 days and must provide proof cost associated with charges or deductions against your deposit. Many states require the landlord to furnish copies of receipts for work completed. If you have a deposit refund dispute or feel your landlord is being unfair with your security deposit; you have rights. Filing a complaint is one of those rights.
