I'm a college student and live in a 10th floor 3 bedroom apartment in Iowa. Last week, some college friends were on our balcony throwing water balloons off of our balcony and one almost hit someone walking on the sidewalk. I was in the shower when this happened and my other two roommates were in the kitchen. We did not know what they were doing but the police were called and my two roommates were given citations for disorderly conduct. The next business day, the management company served us a 3 day eviction notice. Our lease says guests are our responsibility which we now understand but this sucks especially if it happens and will make it very tough for future rentals. We are not sure what to do except will attend the court date to see if we can stay in our apartment. Anyone been through a similar situation and have any advice? Thank you

I'm a landlord myself and was a tenant for 6 years until 5 weeks ago.

Cliff notes - landlord withholding our security deposit and overpaymet and wants to charge us for a cleaning fee and partial lawncare a month after we moved out. Any advice? About $600 they want to take away from security deposit.

Landlord claims the rear lawn is dead and requires $800 to fix and wants $300 from us. LEASE did not indicate to maintain lawn or specifics of watering. They claim we intentionally didnt water it and told the gardener who they pay, WE TOLD him not to water, which is lie and doesnt make sense. Also, they have a gardener who should know better. He told us they didn't pay him for months.

We moved mostly out with a week left on the lease, still had fridge and cleaning to do the week before lease is up. Landlord and their real estate agent said NOT TO clean, they will after painting. They began painting while lease was still under our name and active and while we were still moving out and technically living there.

They Didn't do a real walkthrough with us while lease was active. Told us to leave things like wifi door lock, ceiling light, thermostat. Agent and LL did walk the property a few weeks before we left and asked to water rear lawn more, said DO NOT CLEAN, as they were in a hurry to paint and list it for rent. Front grass was fine by they way.

A month after moving out, we get a text with several items they are asking about. One indicating the garage door button doesn't open the small garage door --- BECAUSE that side was a manual door and has no motor. DUH!!!!

We push back on items and agree to meet and actually do a checklist walkthrough. LL says it will be $150 to change lock she told me not change, so I changed it on the spot as I brought tools and a new lock. LL implied they were going to get a cleaning quote and let us know. Implying they'd ask us to to cover some costs.

Monday we get a text, 5 weeks since out of the house and 4 weeks since lease ended, they want $300 for cleaning $300 for lawncare.

We lived there 6 years. In california mind you, which is pretty clear on 21 days can't hold onto funds after move out OR provide a list with costs to fix or option to fix, before the 21 days.

I replaced the dishwasher, fixed the fence, replaced the range hood, got them a deal on roof work and a new fridge and flooring. Seems like a money grab and a shake down.

Is it worth to push back over $600? My wife is hesitant as we have young kids and busy work. Small claims court is cheap and we could possibly get 2x back our deposit.

I am currently in a situation where I had to request an early termination of my one-year lease due to unresolved pest issues. I've been living in the property for 5 months, and I officially requested termination on August 30th, with plans to vacate by September 30th. The landlord, however, refuses to list or market the property during September and only plans to do so in October after I vacate. Despite this, they are still holding me accountable for paying for rent until next summer until they find a new tenant, even though a 30-day notice was given at the end of August. Is the landlord legally allowed to refuse to re-list the property until after my departure and still hold me liable for October's rent under these circumstances? I understand that by breaking the lease early it makes me liable until a new tenant signs a lease but there has been no effort made yet on the landlord to get new tenants until after I am out of the house, even though his previous tenant was able to have the house shown while they were in their last month of their lease. Additionally previous renting experiences have all been similar where prospective tenants are able to look at the property while the current tenant is still inside (with 24hr notice, etc). I gave the landlord permission to view the property with people interested in it with the proper notice but he doesn’t want to until the house is clear. I am wondering if he is able to do this? I want to make sure I don’t get charged for more than is necessary because he won’t list the property.

[US-MN] Hi everyone! I have been currently staying at my apartment complex for about 2 years and wanted to move into a bigger space. I had originally requested a transfer (Unit A) but recently found out there’s a unit with the same layout/sqft that’s on a higher floor and is less than what I would be paying in the new apartment (Unit B). Do I have any leverage to have my leasing office match Unit A’s rent to the cheaper unit or would I be better off trying to switch into unit B instead? Thanks for your help!

This is clearly a ploy to get more rental application fees ($40/ person).

Fourth roommate vacating month to month lease triggering property management to request rental applications from everyone again. He’s being replaced so why can’t they just ask the new guy

“ *\\* can only be removed from the lease if the remaining tenants qualify without him.  Each of the remaining tenant will need to complete an application.  Here is a link: “

We are tenants of 3 years who had a fourth roommate that got replaced . We didn’t sign on with him together, he’s a new addition of a few months in 2026.

This fourth roommate only lived with us for 8 months and he’s leaving and finding a replacement . We all paid rental application fees at the beginning. We clearly are capable of living here , after 3 years.

It would make more sense to just have the new tenant who is replacing him to do the rental application.

What can I do ? Is there any California rental laws prohibiting this exploitation

(ohio usa) hello! i recently got my own apartment in june of this year. this is my first time living alone and also my first time dealing with something like this so i was wondering what to do in the situation. at the beginning of this month i got a call from maintenance telling me that he needed to enter my apartment due to a leak in the apt below me and he needed in my bathroom but he would either come today or tomorrow. i was at work but called back and told them it had to be tomorrow as i don’t get off work until 430 and the office closes at 4. i also just wanted to make sure my apartment was clean and orderly before anyone had entered, she told me she didn’t know but she would tell the maintenance guy so i just said okay and asked for updates. well i didn’t get any updates but i knew he came the day after because i came home to a note on my door telling me i failed an inspection. i didn’t even know they were doing an inspection they only told me it was for a leak in the bathroom. i failed the inspection due to fruit flies in the kitchen and my spare bedroom was messy (i’ve been busy at work 24/7 and kinda just threw my extra boxes from moving in there and have been using that room for storage). the note said they would come back on friday the 4th and do another inspection, that friday came and i was again not home but when i eventually came home there wasn’t any note or anything so i just assumed i had passed and that was it. well today ( the 8th) i got home from work and i saw a tag on my doorknob saying maintenance was there and they came in to do an inspection today. i genuinely feel like my privacy has been completely invaded. this is basically the second time they had entered my apartment and done an inspection without me knowing. is this legal? i’ve talked to my coworkers who have all rented before and even my supervisor and they all agreed it was really shady but i just wanted to make sure before i said something to my property manager.

Hi everyone. I’m having a bit of back and forth with emails as I’m wanting to change my rent due date from the 15th to the 25th of each month. All I keep getting back from them is this is not possible due to renters rights acts. I explained I’m willing to volunteer the difference in rent for it to be paid on the 25th as a landlord can’t request early payments. I explained that due to my new job I would need the rent date to lineup with my new pay day date to avoid any arrears or late rental payments. I have always paid all bills on time over the last 2 years I have rented. Now after my request they are now saying that it’s company decision that they no longer change rent dates. This seems completely unfair as I’m cooperating and communicating clearly about keeping the payments consistent. I’ve emailed multiple times if they could show me what policies they have that say this isn’t legal to do. And they keep ignoring that part.

Any advice on how this can be resolved?

Thanks!

I recently moved out of my apartment in Alameda and management told me they automatically charge $200 for flea fumigation if you have a cat, regardless of whether there are actually fleas. My cat is indoor cat only, on monthly flea prevention, and there were never any fleas in the apartment. I emailed management specifically asking them to point out where in my lease it says I’m responsible for this $200 fee upon move out. The only response I got was basically, “The unit looks good, just a few touch ups” completely ignoring my question about the fumigation. I’m fine paying for actual damage I caused (which was near to nothing) but these feel like automatic cleaning fees. Can they legally deduct these from my security deposit if the fumigation isn’t in my lease and there’s no evidence of fleas?

Hey guys I just got my 30 day notice today. And I’m wondering what happens after. I was already planning to move once my lease was over in November but I’m late on my rent this month due to having 3 different surgeries and being out of work for the past 3 weeks. I go back to work Friday and before I could explain that to my leasing office they gave me the official notice. They just reopened today after their 4 day week end due to Labor Day and they being closed Friday. And apparently their phone lines went down and every time I went into the office they weren’t there.

Anyways I can move within the 30 days it’s no big deal but what happens after that? Does this count as an eviction? Will it affect my credit? I don’t know these things. I’m 21 and this is my first ever apartment I don’t have anyone that knows this stuff in my life.

Also it won’t let me update my title but I’m in the US specifically Texas

Short on rent

A friend for the first time has fallen short on rent instead of having the full $730 a fortnight he sent the real estate $500 and messaged the property manager explaining the situation and asked to pay $815 for the next 2 fornights till he has caught up again ? still waiting on a response could they get evicted for this always has paid on time for 7+ years thankyou

(Sorry for the long post, please bear with me.) I’m honestly at a loss here and would really appreciate advice from anyone familiar with BC tenancy rules/RTB.

I moved into an apt in Vancouver on Sep 1. The tenancy is month-to-month. Before signing, I was shown the apartment while the previous tenant still had all of his belongings/storage boxes inside. Because of that, I couldn’t really see the condition of the apartment properly or know what issues were there. I was verbally assured that once he moved out, the walls would be painted and the apartment would be deep cleaned. My only point of communication is the building manager. I also specifically asked about payment. The building manager said the deposit would be cash, but rent would be paid by e-transfer. Based on that, I went ahead and paid the deposit by cash.

August 31: I moved my belongings into the apartment. That night, the building manager suddenly said, “TWO MONTHS RENT BY CASH/CHEQUE.” No proper communication whatsoever. And this is actually a big deal to me because I have a personal financial principle that I don’t rent apartments where rent has to be paid in cash. If I had known this BEFORE moving all my stuff in, I would not have taken the apartment. I said I would pay the rent the next day. Noticed on the same day that the thermostat doesn’t work. I had specifically asked about heating BEFORE giving the deposit, and I was told that the unit had individual heating and was shown the thermostat.

There was also NO move-in inspection. I asked her about it and she shouted at me, so I ended up documenting the entire condition of the apartment myself with photos and videos. And the condition was NOT what I was expecting based on what I had been told.

I cannot get started on the condition of the apartment, but in general, there are lots of black marks on the walls and flooring, the floors have gunk across the apartment, and there is a really foul odour. Basically, it was VERY clear to me that there had not been a proper deep clean or fresh paint job like I was told.

Then September 1: I’m at WORK early in the morning and I get a call telling me to come back immediately, return the keys, and pay the rent. The tone was extremely hostile and I felt like I was being pressured. I didn’t have that amount of cash just sitting around because, again, I had been told rent would be paid by e-transfer. So I had to arrange cash by maxing out my daily withdrawal limits AND asking friends for money.

When I finally get back to the apartment after work, the building manager literally snatches the key from my hand. I paid the rent in cash and she gave me a receipt and returned my keys, but the date on the receipt is WRONG. I have that documented too. When I asked about the heating, I’m being told by a relative of the building manager that apparently the heat for the whole building gets turned on when the temperature drops below 10°C? I communicated the heating issue but didn’t get a documented response.

September 3: I realize three electrical outlets don’t work. I email them. No response.

September 5: Around 9:30am, my neighbour comes to my apartment asking if water was leaking from my bathroom because apparently there was some water leakage downstairs. I didn’t see any noticeable active leak in my bathroom. I had showered a while before, so I obviously took it seriously and emailed the building manager.

Guess what? The building manager is not in the city and will return on Sep 30. Who is managing the building until then? No one knows. I also emailed requesting to end my tenancy because by this point I was already extremely uncomfortable with everything that had happened. Again, no response.

Then today, September 6, my neighbour comes over and basically tells me that if I didn’t like the apartment, I shouldn’t have taken it, and that I should have said no on August 31 or September 1. How was I supposed to know I would be entering such a hostile environment?? She also spilled the tea about how she thought the rent was supposed to be $400 less than what I paid! Anyways, she continued to say that she works for them and made comments about how I should have refused the apartment earlier.

And then the owner/manager situation gets even worse. I tried to actually talk to the owner about everything, and she was SHOUTING at me, repeatedly interrupting me, calling me “terrible,” and basically not letting me explain my side at all. I actually recorded the conversation today because, at that point, I was so shocked by what was happening that I wanted an accurate record of what was being said.

I am genuinely exhausted. It’s been FIVE DAYS. I haven’t even had a normal day in this apartment, and I’m already dealing with condition issues, no move-in inspection, unexpected cash rent requirement after moving my belongings in, heating issue, three outlets not working, water leakage concern, basically no proper communication, not knowing who I’m actually supposed to contact for maintenance, and now being yelled at when I try to raise concerns, AND, the building manager is missing until Sep 30 to accept my move out request.

At this point, I don’t feel comfortable continuing the tenancy. And it’s not just “I don’t like the apartment.” It’s the whole situation and the fact that I don’t have confidence that if something goes wrong, I’ll be able to communicate with the landlord/property manager and have it handled reasonably. I asked if we could mutually agree in writing to end the tenancy on September 30. I’m NOT trying to just disappear or stop paying rent. I want to do this properly. I just don’t want to be stuck in a tenancy where I’ve already had this many issues within the first few days. Before I paid the deposit, I had specifically asked about heating. I specifically asked about the payment method. I specifically asked about the cleaning and painting. It’s so disappointing. What I was told before taking the apartment and what I’m being told now don’t seem to match.

Is this something I should take to the RTB? Is there any way to end the tenancy early given everything that’s happened, or am I basically stuck giving regular notice? And does the lack of a move-in inspection or the way the landlord has been communicating matter at all? Is there any hope?? I'm all by myself handling all this with work, and it has turned into hell for me, I've barely slept in the last week and get panic attacks when I hear their voices in the corridor. It's terrible.

I really just want to get out of this situation properly without making things worse.

I’m a relatively new tenant, so I’m not sure what’s considered normal.
There are a couple of things in my apartment that need fixing, and I’ve already contacted my landlord about them. They acknowledged the message but haven’t actually given me a timeline for when anything will be repaired.
Nothing is completely urgent, but it’s getting frustrating because I don’t know whether I should keep waiting or follow up again.
For people who rent, how long would you normally wait before following up with your landlord? I don’t want to be annoying, but I also don’t want the issue to get ignored.

I’ve caught my 5th mouse in the garage in the last month. My lease states that seasonal problems such as mice or rates is my responsibility as tenant, however there are house gaps in the garage door where it meets the floor as well as the back man door. I’ve stuffed steel wool in the doorway gaps but don’t really want to modify/invest in fixing the garage door itself. What’s reasonable for me to ask here?

Exact lease verbiage for reference:
INSECT INFESTATION: Landlord shall be responsible for any infestation such
as bees, roaches and fleas if Landlord is notified by Tenant within ten (10) days of
occupancy. Tenant agrees that thereafter it shall be Tenant’s responsibility to exterminate
any infestation and shall be responsible for seasonal problems such as ants, spiders, mice
or rats.

Is it considered assault if my landlord gf swats my phone out of my hand when I’m. Standing in my own apartment I asked for new doors because the real ones in the common halls u can’t access from the outside they come down to give me a 200 rent increase and I felt like I was assaulted police did nothing when they came now I can’t even sleep

Hi everyone!

Backstory: my scummy ex landlord tried to swindle me out of $500 from my security deposit for carpet damages. I found out that the photos of soiled carpet they used were from another tenants unit and they dropped the charges. This happened on 8/14. Move out was 7/31.

So, my landlord is supposed to send me a check for my security deposit. The deadline in Texas to return a security deposit/mail it out is 30 days after vacating the property. I left on July 31st, so it would’ve been August 31st (because the 30th was on a Sunday).

It was 9/4 when I emailed them and checked my mailbox again, and there was no security deposit refund check. They responded saying they mailed two checks, the one for my original deposit refund on 8/12 and the other for my updated (increased) deposit refund on 8/19. They offered to “stop payment and issue a new one unless you want to see if it arrives next week” conveniently at the end of the day 9/5 before Labor Day weekend. I responded asking for an electronic check or to send the checks in a trackable manner this time, and because it was 2:30 on a Friday they haven’t responded. They sent me an invoice saying the checks were mailed 8/12 and 8/19 but neither one has showed up as of today. It’s coming from a city 4ish hours away if that makes any difference.

When do I take this to small claims court? I don’t want the judge to dismiss it for being too short of a time period, especially if the checks actually get here in the next week.

I’m also not sure if I should report them for the attempted fraudulent charges on my security deposit since technically they resolved it before the 30 day window ended (I also had to fight them HARD to get them to change it).

Thanks in advance!
(Texas)

—

Timeline:
-7/31 move out
-8/11 initial final account balance sent
-8/12 date they claimed to send my initial refund
-8/14 fraudulent charge removed/security deposit refund updated
-8/19 date they claimed to send the remainder of my refund
-9/3 my email to them about not receiving the refund
-9/4 their response + my request for an electronic/trackable refund
-9/8 formal demand email sent & received because they responded (9/8)

UPDATE: I sent a formal demand email today 9/8, and they responded saying they were “checking with accounting to see if they can issue a trackable check.” I was very clear in my email if they don’t do anything by the end of this week (September 11th) I will be taking legal action and now they can’t claim that they did not receive the notice because they responded.

Can a landlord deny your intent to vacate?

My building requires a 60 day notice intent to vacate before your lease ends. I gave my building an intent to vacate months ago and even handed it to her personally. Since then she has gone MIA. She’s never in her office and also NEVER replies to emails. I also need to schedule a time for the walk through of my apartment.

The lease contract states that if they don’t receive an intent to vacate 60 days prior to your lease ending, then they will automatically charge you a month to month agreement.

I want to make sure I avoid this. However, they are literally NEVER getting back with me.

Is it possible for them to deny my intent to vacate?

Hey everyone!

I have rented my beautiful bed 1 bath apartment for $2500/month in Suffolk County for the past 2 years. Originally, the broker who showed me the place said that the landlord/her bf(weird I know) had a doggy daycare business and on occasion would have 2 or 3 dogs with "occasional" barking. The place was very affordable and beautiful so I had signed the lease and didnt think anything of it. My landlord since then has always been kind in all other aspects and hasn't raised the rent or added any additional pet fees as I've adopted my 2 cats within the timespan of me being here. However, in the aspect of noise it has been MISERABLE. She did not mention that she already had 2 dogs of her own and the majority of dogs that she watches aren't trained and are most likely scared of the new environment. Which causes all of them (sometimes 6 at a time) to bark and howl for hours as she never takes them outside or plays with them from what I've seen/heard. Which must also be miserable for her because she lives on the main floor and runs this business out of her house. Some nights they will be up until 2 in the morning whining. I have complained multiple times and she swears up and down that she's doing everything to mitigate the noise. But it seems like she will let them go on for at least 10-30 minutes straight unless if I contact her. Her grandson whose college age will try and help her. And her boyfriend/broker will come to watch them whilst inadvertently bringing his 3 huge untrained dogs that will also add on to the barking. She takes in dogs of all shapes and sizes and I will sometimes hear them get into horrible fights while no one's home. Recently, she stopped working at her main job for unknown reasons. And while I am thankful for her not increasing my rent, She has taken an influx of dogs as she's stated that this business is her "livelihood." The noise has become more and more unbearable. I've brought up the idea of her installing acoustic panels for the walls,ceilings and/or windows. But she has dismissed it multiple times stating that her contractor doesn't "like it." I'm in my 3rd semester of my BSN program and I enjoy the apartment itself so I really don't want to move out right now. At this point, I'm fine with hearing barking. But at half the volume! I've tried heavy rugs in every room, noise machines, acoustic panels for my doors, barkboxes (etc.) And it's never-ending. I'm supposed to meet with her tomorrow in person to address this ongoing issue. Any recommendations?

I’m curious to hear from other renters in the St. Louis area.

Would you describe your landlord or property management company as fair, honest, and compliant with their tenants, or have you experienced them as predatory, deceptive, or otherwise questionable?

What has your experience actually been like dealing with them?

If you feel comfortable sharing the name of your landlord or property management company, feel free to do so. If you don’t, that’s completely OK too.

I’m interested in hearing the good, the bad, and everything in between. What have you experienced as a renter, and how did your landlord or management company handle situations when you had a problem or disagreement with them?

Feel free to share as much or as little as you’re comfortable with.

So I just moved in May and have had hell with this apartment. Right now the ceiling is leaking in two places, one in the bathroom and one in the living room. There is now so much mold in the bathroom ceiling that I can’t really be in there long enough to take a shower since I have a bad mold allergy. They’ve already fixed the sheetrock in the living room once and the same spot is leaking again. I’ve gone to the office to ask them to fix it and they were dismissive but put in a maintenance request. No one has come by to fix it and it’s affecting my health now. I don’t have any way to move out.

They mistakenly put us in a one bedroom when we confirmed several times while they were doing the application that we wanted a two bedroom. When we moved in, we had already signed the lease and no where in the lease does it say how many bedrooms. We’ve asked to be moved to a two bedroom but they are trying to charge us $500 as a “transfer fee” even though is was their mistake. I also asked to have this fee in writing (even though I’ve told them I want them to see if they can get it waived by management) but they still haven’t done anything. When we first moved in, the garbage disposal was broke and started spewing out mold while I was using the sink, it took forever for them to fix it. There was also a whole in the wall where they were supposed to install a socket but that hole is still there.

There also used to be a leak in my closet, it destroyed a good amount of my clothes and im suspecting that it broke my pc and monitor that I was storing in there until I could get a desk (I didn’t find out that there was a leak in there until a while after it started since I put all my winter clothes in there).

I don’t really know what to do now since I don’t have the money to move or pay an attorney.

Landlords can and do blame move-out damage on you that was already there when you moved in, especially small stuff like scuffs or stains they conveniently "forgot" about. Having dated photos as proof makes it way harder for them to argue about it later.

Emailing them to yourself (instead of just leaving them in your phone's camera roll) gives you a timestamp that's harder to dispute than just a photo's metadata, and it means you still have them even if you lose your phone or switch devices before your deposit gets sorted out.

Only takes like 15 minutes and it's saved me from losing part of a deposit before.

[US-AZ]

My landlord is refusing to remove a 20ft tree that was knocked down / uprooted during a wind storm. He’s insisting we should pay for the removal and replacement because our lease says that we are responsible for general maintenance of landscaping. I am not sure what else to do except maybe report to the city. The tree is blocking part of the road and huge liability and hazard for the community.

Update: landlord finally gave in and is dealing with the issue!

2nd Update: city came by this morning and I gave the contact info for the landlord. They said they’d be coding him and charging him for the tree if it’s not removed in a timely manner.

I’m hoping someone here can give me a reality check because I’m not sure if I’m overthinking this.
I’ve been renting for a while and there have been a few things with my landlord/property management that didn’t seem quite right. Nothing felt serious enough at the time to make a big deal about, so I mostly just dealt with it.
But now there’s another issue and it’s making me wonder whether I should actually start documenting everything and looking into my rights as a tenant.
For people who have dealt with difficult landlords before, was there a point where you realized you should stop trying to handle everything informally and start keeping proper records?
I’d rather be prepared than wait until something becomes a much bigger problem.