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 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
Harassment | Case#**-*046 My husband and I are 12 days late on rents. Everytime we are outside she comes out yelling about rent, she has done it infront of friends and family members also while I am on the phone. I know we need to pay rent but I got hurt at work in February and havent been working she is aware of this. I also have offered to pay her weekly and she refused the payment. She has rights as a landlord to give a demand of notice or a notice to quit but harrassment isnt legal.
Quiet Enjoyment And Lease Renewal Request | Case#**-*729
PARKER,
CO -
80138 7153
I am attempting to reach Echelon Property Management to ask about considering renewing my lease and to discuss the bad behavior of our neighbor’s kids who sporadically harass us by making loud noises, rollerblading, running up and down the hallway, hard knocking, banging, and kicking on our door. Within the past two months, I’ve called the police around three to four times because of the disturbances, and the police said they would let the office know. Most recently the disturbance and harassment occurred November 5th, 6th and 7th. It is targeted at us and wondering if it is racially motivated and encouraged by the parents. The front door is full of dents from kicking to banging. It happens sporadically and I am always looking through the peephole if I hear anyone or anything. My partner and myself have asked them to stop. It still occurs, the parents don\\\\\\\'t care. I haven\\\\\\\'t gotten a response advising if an email has been sent out from the complex. When someone like me suffers from anxiety and depression, it\\\\\\\'s nothing but adding additional emotional distress. The situation is also dire as I\\\\\\\'m looking for apartment security deposit assistance and that\\\\\\\'s not including moving expenses. I will not be able to get the assistance I need in time and I\\\\\\\'m asking for an extension. Furthermore, during a covid surge in Colorado, I can\\\\\\\'t be subjected to that, which is why I only looked for remote jobs. I have struggled this year however, I am fully employed effective December 6th a day before the lease expires. I\\\\\\\'m asking if I may stay for another 2-3 months, even month to month, so I\\\\\\\'m able to get the opportunity to get the funds I need. Personally I feel it\\\\\\\'s unfair as I made aware of my financial struggles and thankfully the complex assisted me with applying for the funds and they received all back pay owed. I understand Echelon has guidelines and I just ask if they give me one last opportunity to turn things around positively. I will earn my stay, I\\\\\\\'m not your average tenant.
Security Deposit Issue, Water Leak In Floor | Case#**-*196
SANTA MONICA,
CA -
90405 3659
We lived at this residence x 2 years. In the winter of 2016 there was a serious roof leak that required clean up including loss of access to the bedroom for about 2 weeks. The repair was not completed for 2 months despite numerous requests. We were given 200 dollars at the time and the landlord did not increase our rent the following year. When we vacated our apartment 7/14/18 the landlord inspected the floor and determined that unspecified water damage that had caused the hardwood floor to warp warranted a forfeiture of our security deposit. There is apparently a water leak in the floor. They ended up providing me 2500 of the 3500 security deposit despite an obvious water leak as the source of the damage. My main concern is that the water leak issues will not be addressed and the next tenet will suffer similar consequences.
Security Deposit Problem | Case#**-*597
WESTERVILLE,
OH -
43081 9730
Our final day of our lease was on November 30, 2018. We were to be provided with a written list of damages to show why any or all of our money was to not be returned. I believe this is within Ohio statutes. We were never provided any documentation to show why our security deposit would not be returned in full. At this time we have attempted to make contact with Dan on 3 occasions and he has not responded. Prior to that he had been responsive, so we are now under the impression that he is dodging us in order to not pay us. At this point we simply want our full security deposit to be returned.
landlord is giving bad report | Case#**-*725
olympia,
Washington -
98513
the manager is giving false information to make me look bad wich is causing potential landlords to decline my applacations. this has been going on for over a year and i was just denied for the 14th time on friday
Esa Animal | Case#**-*985
Asheboro,
North Carolina -
27205
In june of 2020 i was given a letter from my doctor for an emotional support animal.so i got a dog..jimmy came by on the 5th of november to blow the gutters out.and seen my esa animal.my daughter called and told me so i called jimmy.he told me that if i didnt have the dog out i needed to leave by the 15th.i told him he was certified.and he said he didnt care.then he asked in a later conversation if i could pay 800 and keep the dog.im a single mom with 2 kids so i said i couldnt do that.he got mad and said keep your money and be out by the end of the month..over the past 2 weeks ive tried to talk to him about it.but he said keep your money im gonna sell the property.he knows thats the only loophole he has..i have a few recorded messages from jimmy and his wife candy where she states she doesnt care about my disability..and then recieved a letter for eviction due to non payment of rent.i tried to pay it.and im trying hard to find a house.after being here 8 years and being treated this way i really wanna move.but i just need some time.if i pay the rent.then they will send out a 7 day notice to move because they are selling.and they are not selling.i have the rent and want to pay it byt dont wanna be kicked out in 7 days with nowhere to go with my kids
Fees And Debt Resolution | Case#**-*176
FOREST PARK,
IL -
60130 3404
I rented an apartment in McDonough GA several years ago. The apartment complex was bought out after I signed a lease. When it came time to leave the new management told me they couldn\'t find my notification to leave and that I owed them fees due to not giving notice. I presented a gentleman in the office with the relevant information and documents and he said it would be taken care of and that I owed no money. Then some weeks later I was called by a woman manager telling me this was not the case and I did owe money. I contacted them again and gave them documentation, and they said that I was correct and owed no money, and the issue would be taken care of. Today I got a debt collection letter stating I did owe money. I have not in the years since been told I owed them money, so this was with no notice to myself turned over to debt collection, despite previous assurances that the issue was resolved. I would like for this company to contact the debt collection agency and take care of this issue, and also to provide me with written documentation that this issue IS taken care of, because previously I had been assured over the phone that this was the case, and I did not think it was necessary to require this. But due to this recent letter, I realize that I do need written documentation, unfortunately.
Car Damage Due To Poor Drainage | Case#**-*994
North Richland Hills,
Texas -
76180
On 10/23/2015, after I returned home from work at the hospital, my 2012 Camero was flooded. The parking lot at my townhouse has extremely poor drainage and the drainage grates near the dumpsters are always covered with leaves and trash. My car was at the body shop for over a month. $6000 worth of damage. I\'ve repeatedly told management and maintenance the importance of clearing those drainage grates. Yet, two nights ago...on 4/20/16...during the middle of the night we had thunderstorms. When I got to work at the hospital early that morning, I realized all the carpet on my floorboard was drenched. I called the office twice and left messages about the clogged drain. My call was not returned at all. When I returned home that night, the drain was still covered. Me and two of my neighbors shoveled all the leaves and trash off of it. Presently, my carpet is still soaked and my car smells like something died in it. I moved to this location with basically a new car. My Camaro has been destroyed. And these people want to raise my rent next month. The entire parking lot and drainage issues need to be fixed. And I need to be compensated for the loss of my car. Thanks.
Maintenance Issues | Case#**-*961
Columbia,
South Carolina -
29223
It\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s been almost 2 months and my fridge and oven are not fixed. I have put in requests. I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'ve called. I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'ve even done face to face and still nothing. I am just finding out more residents are on the same boat. I have flies in my fridge and I can\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t even bake any food.
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.
