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)
Rent Problems Are Frustrating; but you're not alone: Thousands of tenants rely on RPA to solve problems
Bed Bug Infestation Problem Since Before I Moved In . And Still Ongoing | Case#**-*975 Prior to moving in the apartment at Canoan village , i saw apt. and it at first appeared ok. No sign of bugs. Or pest's. also place appeared clean and habitable.. I unfortunately was seriously mistaken.. Once i began to move stuff into apt, i slowly but surely started to see redflags. In master Bedroom. Bath noticed on floor and counter and sink dead bed bugs started to appear before my family and i had ever used the bathroom or put any belongings in there.i then figured maybe it was ok and only just dead pest's due to the new carpet being installed before i moved in. Also Figured maybe apartments had sprayed for bugs before i moved in and dead bugs were possibly a result of this.. So i took dead bed. Bugs i found and put them in a plastic bag and tied it up and put it away just in case the bed bugs kept showing up or caused any problems in the future.. I would have proof/evidence of problem existing before i moved in.. Also i didnt set up my bed in the master bedroom . I didnt put towels
or other items into the bathroom except for one box of hygiene items like shaving cream , soap and deoderant etc.. I did all this to protect my stuff from getting my items infested and to prevent the problem from spreading if there was a bed bug threat present in the room already..till this day 3 months later i have not put anything else in the bathroom , not a single towel, i've never showered in there and nobody has used that bathroom or room for that matter my bed still in parts and mattress still standing up against the wall with a sheet under it on the floor. I told my girlfriend about this potential problem and that until i could be sure there is no problem that she and my daughter could sleep in my dgtr's room in her bed and that i would sleep on the couch fr. Now since those places had no signs of bed bugs before.. We did this for a couple o weeks.. Then the nightmare began.. My girlfriend , my dgtr and i started waking up with bites on our bodies. Angry and very upset of this discovery i started looking high and low for the culprit of these bites i found a brown bug crawling on my couch and with a tissue squeezed it and blood filled the tissue the worst feeling ever knowing me and my family were being a meal for parasites. , But finaly i had the smoking gun i was looking for. ., i called the apartments right away to inform them and to have problem fixed ..i told heather at th office i wanted a discount abatement instead office filed to have me evicted.
Repair Issues | Case#**-*141
Las Vegas,
Nevada -
89101
We've contacted the landlords about the costly light bills and received retaliation about how many we live here.
We've contacted the landlord to fix the air conditioner.
We've contacted the landlord about the leaks and only had one person come and check only for the whole issue to be discarded.
We've contacted the landlord about the most recent leaks (August 22, 2012) and have received more retaliations about things unrelated to the roof having holes. Informing us that they will come and check if we are lying about the leaks.
We've been trying to resolve the whole situation without reaching this point.
Bedbugs | Case#**-*012
CHICAGO,
IL -
60608 6631
*another apartment (upstairs) has recently been treated for bedbugs, we were not notified of this AND we use the same laundry machines (one washer one dryer in the building)
*landlord has refused to pay because it is a "tenant problem" not a building problem
*we were planning on moving out but the landlord has stated that they will not pay even if we stay
*we had a lease which expired in May and was not renewed
Unfair Pet Depoist Required After 6 Years | Case#**-*002 After 6 years now the Forest Creek Apartments the complex want me to pay a pet deposit which was not required to pay at the time I moved into the complex. Every year when I renewed my lease, it does not state a pet deposit. They are saying this is a policy. I understand policies but in this case I been there over 6 years and was not required to pay now they want me to pay $300. My lease renewal I just signed on March 12, 2014 does not have a pet deposit in it. Now they are telling me to pay by May 2nd or get evicted.
Return Of Rental Deposit | Case#**-*179
CARMICHAEL,
CA -
95608 3228
I moved out of complex, on 08/37/2019, after a three years stay. The resident manager advised me that I would be getting my full deposit back. This she stated three days prior to my departure, when she brought a perspective client to show the apartment. I had completely cleaned the apartment and moved any, and all my belongings from the apartment at that time. I asked that she be available to receive he keys on 0/31/2019. She asked me to drop they through the mail-slot at the office. that I did. I left a forwarding address as to where to send my deposit. When I call, inquiring about the said deposit, I was told that it had been mailed to that address. Weeks later I called again and was told that she would check, since she was not the person mailing the check. several days later, she sad that it had been mailed, and might have gotten lost in the mail. Today I went to the complex, seeking my refund. I was stonewalled, and told to come back tomorrow, 10/12/2019, and I would be shown a listing of a billing for an exterminator for some service concerning the apartment. I believe that this just a ruse to keep all, or part of my deposit. I wan the return of my full deposit. I was not granted an exit inspection upon moving out. I had been assured that everything was fine three days prior to moving out. I, therefore, reject this changed narrative now.
Repair Issue, Harassment, Accommodate Disabled Child\\\\\\\'s Vision | Case#**-*885
Konawa Oklahoma,
Oklahoma -
74849
The first time I put in writing the need for the lighting to be repaired was in August of 2018. Tammy LoPresto has deliberately neglected 2 accommodate repairs. Despite knowing there is a disabled child who is legally blind and homeschooled. Since I have made another letter I have been harassed every month. From request to not letting my children play outside two saying that I have failed to pay rent which has come to find where have found my receipts that have showed that I have paid rent. There is absolutely no lighting whatsoever in my living room where in my kitchen it has been this way for over a year the school year is starting up and I would like these repairs to be made so my child has every opportunity to learn.
Not willing to pay for necessary repairs to rental unit | Case#**-*232
Pineapple,
Alabama -
36768
We live in rural Wilcox County. There are no jobs to speak of any every other person is on disability or is retired. My family survives off of $674 in SSI each month and $215 in TANF/Welfare plus $456 in foodstamps. IN February of 2010 Mrs. Smith tried to have us evicted so as not to have to pay to have a bathtub in the front bathroom resecured to the wall. DHR stepped in on our behalf and got her to agree to let us remain in her rental property. She then typed up a statement and for us to sign stating that she wasn't responsible for anything else that happens in this trailer. Be that as it may, we still have rights as renters of this property, don't we? We're behind a month on rent from my husband having to go back and forth to Montgomery, AL for his back surgery business and that is an hour and a half from where we live. Neither of us have a real job. He's not able to work anymore and I am going to college online for early childhood development and am due to complete by the end of July of 2011. We are poor and there is so little help available and not for this particular problem. I do parttime parttime work for the Encourage program through UAB but it pays very little. I have another parttime parttime job that is fixing to end in August that pays out (3) stipends that amount to $500. I have already received $300 of that in (2) $150 stipends, (1) in January and (1) in March. I won't receive the final $200 until August when the job wraps up and it is with Alabama ARISE and FOCAL. Can you help us???
Bed Bug Infestation and lack of Liability | Case#**-*456
Euless,
Texas -
76040
I found bed bugs in my apartment within a week of moving in, they took a month to get the extermination started, forcing me to move out of my apartment. They placed liability on me, (even though I've never had an issue with bed bugs in my life, they told me they didn't test before I moved in, and they had to replace everything in the apartment before I moved in because it was nasty) and forced me to pay $800 for the extermination with threat of eviction. Since then the issue has returned about a year later. I know I didn't bring them in because I haven't gone anywhere, and I had pest control inspect my unit because they had reports of an problem in another unit in my building. I know once I report this next issue they will hold me liable once again. I would like my initial payment refunded, the 3 weeks of rent refunded when my apartment was uninhabitable, the next round of infestation to be covered by the complex, money for damages since living in this apartment has been a complete nightmare, and the allowance to break my lease without penalty so my furniture and myself doesn't get further infested with bed bugs. I have all the paperwork to this point on this issue available to send your way.
Deposit Problems | Case#**-*519
Lovington,
New Mexico -
88260
Paid Deposit of $1000 in 2017 when we moved in. We moved out November 2019, still have not received our security deposit or an itemized receipt after 4 months and Landlord is now ignoring calls and text messages
Repair Issue, Harassment, Thrusts | Case#**-*369
SN BERNRDNO,
CA -
92404 5216
Beginning the day my son and I moved in, we have had issues ranging from floods due to plumbing, water damage and mold due to a leaking air-conditioner and near injury due to the house literally falling apart. Often we were unable to shower, do dishes/laundry or flush a toilet for days at a time, sometimes a week or more. Each time I reported an issue I was ignored, blamed for the issue and threatened to be charged the cost of repair or I was threatened with the possiblity of being evicted. I stopped complaining. Due to Covid I fell behind on rent and provided Reliant with the proper paper work regarding this issue but I was worried that it would not protect me from being evicted and I did not want to risk it so I continued to avoid contacting my property manager. For example When the plumbing stopped working again, I had it fixed, when the pantry door just suddenly fell off it\\\\\\\'s track and nearly hit my son, I tried to fix it but was unable to and it was too heavy to move so I leaned it against the nearby cabinets in the safest way possible. When the bug problem (pre-existing our moving in) worsened, I tried to get rid of them myself. My newest property manager Monica came and told me that I needed to clean the outside of the property. There was a build up of trash outside, initially due to a misunderstanding with my neighbor regarding the provided trash cans, she thought 2 were hers and 0 were mine. The issue was exacerbated by the fact that I am very limited physically because of an ongoing spinal injury but I was able to clear out the area as requested. Each time was notified of a valid complaint on my end, I immediately did whatever it was that they wanted. More recently however, things have escalated to Harassment. I have been lied to on several occasions, my ability to receive rental assistance for my back rent has been hindered by my property manager saying one thing and doing another. Several times she would come, tell me that they have multiple reasons to evict me and that she was going to be serving me an eviction notice, then I would hear nothing for weeks. On June 21st 2021 my bathroom flooded with feces water from my shower, under the toilet and out of the toilet bowl. I called emergency maintenance and It was fixed. The next day Monica and a man came and said that I had to let them inside. Then she said They have multiple reasons to evict. My son was so upset by them that he immediately began vomiting. There is more but I have no more room.
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.
