Rent Problems Are Frustrating; but you're not alone: Thousands of tenants rely on RPA to solve problems
Non-renewal Of Lease And Noise Complaint | Case#**-*665
Uniondale,
New York -
11553
Landlord sent a letter stating we have noise complaints and people trafficking in and out of my apartment, and playing music loudly in parking lot all day and night. Now we have a second letter stating not to renew our lease. This is untrue and I have no idea what he is talking about.
MOISTURE AND MOLD / HAD TO CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT / NOTED STATE FARM | Case#**-*577
CHIPPEWA FLS,
WI -
54729 2535
ON A COUPLE OCASSIONS WATER CAME THROUGH BATH ROOM CEILING AND EXHAUST FAN . THERE IS ALSO WATER DAMAGE ON OUTSIDE WALL. .WHEN I NOTICED THE WATER COMING THROUGH THE EHAUSED FALL I CALLED THE FIRE DEPT TO PREVENT FIRE.
Unfair Treatment And Threats | Case#**-*789
Sherman ,
Texas -
75092
The event occurred on May, 1 2015 which was on a Friday. My children were at my apartment and they were playing. They are 15, 10, and 5. It was about 8:30 at night, by 9 o\\\'clock they were sitting on the couch playing there wii u. 10:30 pm I had a police officer banging on my door. The police officer entered my apartment stating that he had a noise complaint on my apartment. At that my children were still sitting on the couch playing there video game.
The next day I had went to the office to find out why the police were called. At that time the young girl that works in the office stated that she live below me and that it was either they called the police or her boyfriend was going to come upstairs. At that time I asked her if the apartment complex is a kid friendly environment, she said that they were being to loud. My children were not being loud, they were not jumping off furniture, or anything crazy. They were just playing like normal children.
I do not feel that my children are welcome at the apartment complex. I also do not feel safe since being threaten by this young girl and her boyfriend. Since she had stated she had to stop him from coming upstairs.
I have never had any complaints against my children. My children are always getting compliments from teachers at school. They are very good children. Please help me to resolve this issue so that I will have a safe kid friend place to live for my children and myself.
Thank you, Aulinda Allison
Pet Rent | Case#**-*865
SOUTH GATE,
CA -
90280 8649
I was served a notice on January 20, 2015 to pay a pet deposit of $200 and provide current vaccination and photos of my pets. I paid the deposit along with providing all information asked of me. On May 16, 2015 I was served a second notice asking to register my pets with the leasing office. The notice also said I owe $200 in pet rent from February until now. I was not told I would be paying any pet rent in my lease nor did the first notice I recived on January 20th state that pet rent would start to take affect. I do not mind paying for pet rent starting now, however, the leasing office failed to notify me of any changes in my rent. I should not be held responsible by paying a back charge due to the leasing office\'s mistake.
ILLEGAL RENT INCREASE | Case#**-*977
Jersey City,
New Jersey -
07304
UNFAIR RENTAL INCREASE OF $250 BEGINNING AUGUST 1, 2015
repair issues, stealing mail | Case#**-*956
new bedford,
Massachusetts -
02740
my husband hurt himself on stair in hallway and was not repaired now he suffers extrem pain in his foot. also mail was stoll from us before we moved
Checkout Charges | Case#**-*801
Fargo,
North Dakota -
58103
I was living in apartment# from last 2 1/2 years and did my checkout in last week of February. I got the checkout bill of $1830.00, However I hired the professional cleaners to clean the apartment and carpet. Few of the charges look ok to me such as drip pans, crisper cover, light globe, light blub and battery, However other charges for painted apartment ($1710) is not correct. I talked to Dawn (Apartment manager) over the phone, she told me that corporate office will contact me but nobody contacted me till now.
Irresponsible Landlord | Case#**-*259
South Lake Tahoe,
California -
96150
1. Allowed our electricity to get shut off for longer than 24 hrs without a returned phone call.
2. Refuses to fix the mold problem.
3. Refuses to fix our stove stop that is very old after it started an electrical fire. She asked us if she we could deal with the problem because she can not afford a new stove top we said "yes."
4. Refuses to fix our plug sockets that are loose and not working. One particular one is taped to hold our plug in. She has seen it and says she will fix it but never does. It's been 7 months now and she has not followed through.
5. She has asked us to pay our rent early one month due to her low funds. We do have all of our rent receipts documented on time and early every month for 8 months.
6. Refuses to put screens in our windows our windows are without screens.
7.This is a small unit of #4. I have had 3 asthma attacks that put me in the ER due to mold issues and smoke for our surrounding neighbors, this has been a prior complaint from a prior tenant in this building.
8. Gossps to me about all of her tenants without me asking or inviting the information.
9. She is telling us that we are great tenants and that she will give us a good report to our future Landlord. We have put a deposit down on two houses now and they both said she is bad mouthing us and they can
not honor the lease agreement any longer. When we have asked her she says she never said anything bad about us. So we can not get the issue resolved due to her simply lieing and manipulating us. She doesn't want us to leave because in her words prior to moving in "This complex is so hard to rent it was empty for 7 months before you guys came along."
9. Asked us to remove the old wall heater and clean all of the dirt and dust withing the pipes that had built up for months prior to us moving in.
10.. All of the tenants have complaints against her for refusing to fix problems with utilities.
11. We feel that all of the drama between her and the other tenants is being placed on us and also the other tenants as well and we are all very unhappy about it.
We feel that she has violated our civil rights and made it, intentionally, difficult for us to get a home for her own selfish reasons and refuses to tell us the issue when we confront it. What can we do? We need to be moved by the 30th of June for work and is it possible to have someone from the state audit he and her properties as well as come down to see the irresponsible actions withing the prope
Non Refund Of Security Deposit | Case#**-*711
Sacramento,
California -
95826
Landlord, Or Affiliate of Management Company did not complete, nor make any attempts to complete walk through of Apartment before We Vacated the Premises.
Landlord has not returned full deposit after 21 Days of us vacating the rental property. The Landlord was herassing us which made us vacate the property.
Did not have us sign a new Tenant Agreement when He took over property, and then started to change agreement.
Tenant Agreement We signed stated that out pet must be under 40 Pounds, and we would have to pay additional deposit.
Our Pet is under 40 Daschund, and we paid the additional deposit to keep our pet. Which the new Landlord did take.
The Landlord then advised that He would have to be put on my personal Insurance Policy when I told him that we in fact have Renter's Insurance.
Landlord would arrive at Our home without any notice. Arrived at Our Home yelling at My Wife that He will give us a 30 Day Notice for Our dog.
Landlord will not return my calls , and after 60 Days he sent a Check for $101 as my Deposit.
I told Landlord under California Civil Code 1950.5 He is to return my whole Deposit.
Landlord stated I don't know who you have been talking to, but they are wrong.
Along with a $101 Check I was given a list of reasons why the money was taken 60 Days later.
Safety Concerns | Case#**-*912
DENVER,
CO -
80204 2247
Here is a list of the complaints I have
*Syringes in the stairwell that nobody picks up
*Gang tags
*unsecured entry ways which I was tol would be fixed
*Broken carbon monoxide detector and failure to adhere to proper protocols when replacing it.
*Broken and unsecured mailbox
*Smoke coming through vents
*Urine in elevator daily
*Agressive and illegal breeds of dogs unleashed on property
*Office not accepting my packages
*Manager hanging up on me and not accepting my calls
*Failure to provide me with bill of utilities and charging late fee's whenI have to guess amount to pay each month
*Possible mold in bathroom, not been checked
*Raised and dangerous flooring in bathroom
*Broken light fixture outside where I park
*Dangerous conditions
*Failure to appropriately document complaints.
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.
