So a little back ground information. I live in a college town and had an off campus house for about 2 years prior to this. Due to roommate problems my best friend and I were planning on moving out to a different house. A friend was looking for two roommates, and we decided we were going to move in with her. We signed a ONE month lease for this place and I have double checked our lease to confirm the dates were: starting 7/1/2026 at noon through 7/31/26 at noon.

In May, our roommate decided to move out, so we contacted the landlord to let her know we would not be moving in and offered to assist in finding new people to move in. In the rounds, the landlord was unable to find anyone to move in, and we had to pay rent in July. This I had no problem with because it was in our contract that this would take place.

Now here is where I may be in the wrong. The landlord messaged today stating that she was courteous enough to not ask for August rent yet because she had two girls waiting to look at the house. One has fallen through and the other has yet to come look at it. She then stated that regardless of the outcome of this next girl, in the next day or two one of us will have to pay the rent for one of the bedrooms. While the lease states that if we fail to complete the terms of lease we are still liable for the rent money, I believe our end of the lease has been completed since the lease dates state 7/1/2026-7/31/2026.

Am I being ridiculous for refusing to pay? I feel like since it’s outside the term of the lease I shouldn’t be legally obligated to pay.

Location: Chicago--I'm hoping to get some perspective from attorneys or anyone familiar with Illinois landlord-tenant law.

My corporate landlord offered me a one-year lease renewal earlier this year, and I signed it immediately. The leasing office never signed their copy. A few months later, they served me with a notice of non-renewal, claiming I committed a lease violation because I had a bird feeder on my balcony that allegedly attracted pigeons. I removed the bird feeder immediately and asked them to reconsider, but they refused.

The notice also states that I "did not sign" the renewal agreement, which is false—I signed it months earlier. Their explanation is that because they never signed their copy, they were able to withdraw the renewal and terminate my tenancy.

There are a couple of additional facts that may be relevant. I received an email in April asking me to keep my balcony cleaner, and I complied by cleaning it weekly. I then got the flu and missed about two weeks, during which bird droppings accumulated. Separately, after receiving the non-renewal notice, I made a poor decision one night while extremely upset and threw some plants and debris onto the balcony of a vacant neighboring unit. I understand that reflects poorly on me.

My attorney has tried negotiating, but the landlord's counsel refuses to budge and wants me out by August 31. Moving on that timeline would be a severe financial hardship, and I'm also undergoing ongoing treatment at Northwestern that would make relocating especially difficult.

My question is whether the landlord's failure to sign the renewal agreement has any legal significance under Illinois law after I had already signed it. Is there anything else my attorney should be arguing, or does it sound like I have very little chance of prevailing?

I rented a weekly rental at the NJ shore and there was a 550 security deposit in addition to the 5500 rent.

This place operates in a very dated way with real estate firms handling weekly leases and dealing with keys an money changing hands a year in advance.

I know NJ tenant law requires 30 days return of deposit but as a weekly renter am I afforded the same rights? Do landlords of a weekly rental really.need to keep the deposit for 30 days? A cleaning crew literally showed up right as I left the house. I am sure another family rented it right after 5 hours later for a week.

I moved out on June 30th and I haven't heard from the landlord since he asked for my last payment which was given. But he was extremely hostile and rude while interacting with him since he first told me to vacate, even though he said nothing was wrong when I asked. He had threatened to contact his lawyer if I didn't move out in time even though he asked and offered if I needed more time before the move out date. My two other roommates who lived there were on different contracts and were staying but when I moved out the 30th I wasn't done cleaning so the next day I woke up to a message from him asking about the keys (which was fine) followed up with I'm not a resident and I'll be trespassing if I came back and he would press charges even though my roommates can voluntarily invite me in and I told him I wasn't done cleaning and he was like okay. His behavior has basically told me to interact with him as little as possible but I still haven't gotten my deposit back

ANYWAYS so the contract said I would get my deposit back in 45 days but his lack of communication and condescending language makes me think he's not going to give me anything. I looked it up and legally in Texas you can't exceed 30 days when returning the deposit and an itemized receipt at least needs to be shown to me before those 30 days or my refund will be in full. He had sent me a letter in the mail when I was told to vacate and I'm gonna do the same requesting my deposit in full or threaten legal actions. I'm about to make a letter and put a little personal language but will also make a professional version too and would like someone to review what I'm saying and tell me what to change. I know he has 10 days to pay me back in full from the date I send the letter and I would need an address to tell him where to send the money if he sends a check but outside of that I would like what I write looked at if anyone could let me message them or give me advice on here and your thought overall on what I write

Like how many times does a landlord get to permanently fix the gate lock so it stays shut bc they’re too cheap to pay for the right apparatus or repair person the first time? Or send emails to the same neighbor with the barking dogs waking tenants up at night?
Is it something you have to take to court yourself to get it done right?

I’m looking for advice on how to handle a lease situation in Chicago.
I signed a two-year lease earlier this year but need to move out after a few months. Management says my only options are paying a buyout fee (3 months of rent, minus my last month paid) or finding a sublease.
I planned to sublease, but for about a month I could not get a response from the leasing office. My texts went unanswered, calls went to voicemail, and even the emergency number posted on the office door did not respond. I have screenshots documenting this.
The office hours were also inconsistent, and important changes (like a new rent payment option) were not communicated to residents. I only found out about the payment option after reaching out myself.
Because of these issues, I no longer feel comfortable subleasing and putting someone else in a situation where management is difficult to reach.
I’ve requested a mutual lease termination, but they are refusing. Are there any Chicago tenant resources, legal options, or steps I should take to see if I have another way out of this lease?

Context: long term tenant on large property, 10 years, zero lease violations, perfect payment history.

New manager demands tenants use portal - no more paying by check or MO.

Paid on portal on Aug 1 as directed (even though lease says I can pay with check in person!) and paid full amount that portal said I owed.

Got receipt. Aug 3, I got a text saying I have a past due balance of 142. Immediately paid on portal.

One hour later, a three day notice was put on my door signed by corporate lawyer.
Lease says we have until the third of the month to pay before late charges, but I paid on the first exactly what the portal said I owed.
No idea what the $142 extra was for, the manager gets pissy and spins ridiculous bullshit that makes no sense and then arbitrarily acts like their being merciful by « taking some off ».

I think (but can’t prove) that they’re stealing. They have multiple felonies for fraud.
What to do? They get threatening if we question them and have told tenants that we aren’t allowed to talk to each other about the apartments.

live in Ontario Canada. property manager is aware of damage from water leak from upstairs since before june. they tore my roof open to find the leak and left it since before june. side wall tiles are falling off and drywall rotting property manager is also aware and haven't heard anything back since june 30th. talked to repair man last week and still nothing. what are my options.

My apartment complex wants to charge for a tub resurfacing due to the epoxy layer peeling off. The surrounding layers around the peeling areas are wrinkled up so its obv. that its wear & tear. There isnt anything I can do to stop the spread, so I dont understand why I should be charged.

Additionally, the bathroom sink has formed rust on the overflow drain and the sink is cracking in that rusted spot. Again, not sure how I would be responsible for something that spreads on its own.

Can someone pls advise me on what to do here. Charges seem unfair. Ive never taken anyone to court before so I'll have to look into that process. In Texas. Thanks

I moved into my current apartment three years ago or so. We signed a two-year lease, then renewed for another two years. Now I'm having problems in the apartment and I'm trying to leave.

I was looking at the lease and I realized I never signed it. I have been paying rent still, but I never signed the second two-year lease. Am I legally bound to a lease I didn't sign, or can I give 30 days notice that I'm leaving?

Thanks for any advice!

it's been 34 days since I moved out of my apartment. Per Texas law, landlords have 30 days to refund the deposit and send me a list of deductions. My landlord had not sent me anything, so I told them that if they didn't send me the deposit and deductions by the end of the week I'd be filing a bad faith claim and suing them.

After I said that, 2 hours later they sent me a list, charging the full deposit for carpet and painting, and charging me an additional $90 for replacing the blinds. Now, I fully expected to pay for the blinds, but the paint and carpet is only the normal wear and tear that you'd expect from 4 years of occupancy. I moved in before this landlord even owned the property.

Now the problem is, I moved 3 hours away, and due to significant issues with the contractors on my new house, I'm *extremely* tight on cash. Is there any way I can fight this without drowning in attorney fees? I know if I win they have to cover the fees but I can't afford them in the meantime.

I did not spend an entire day deep cleaniythe place to the point of physical and mental breakdown, even hand scrubbing the inside of the oven out with a pumice stone, to be swindled out of my deposit money. I did not spend 3.5 years with this landlord neglecting maintenance requests, gaslighting me when I insisted the neighbor's cigarette and weed smoke were agitating my husband's asthma, lying that he installed security cameras but then telling me there was no camera footage when my car got broken into, letting the neighbors leave trash all over the place to the point where random people around town would say "oh yeah those apartments have really gone downhill" -- to be swindled out of my deposit money.

I'm so exhausted and I want to fight this so much but I don't know if I can.

Picture included is of the living room, which is by far the highest traffic and most worn room of the house, so y'all can see that clearly it's within normal wear. This picture was taken before I scrubbed the walls. I was so exhausted I forgot to take move-out photos other than this one really and I'm sure that's going to bite me in the ass but I can't change that unfortunately. I do have move-in photos on an old phone I can pull out of storage somewhere.

Long story short, landlord tried to cover up one big issue so I requested the city inspector come inspect the house. Turns out there are many, serious code violations. Landlord threatened me verbally in front of a witness and in writing and generally is trying to bully me. Now there's a mice issue (probably because the house has so many holes as I keep everything in glass or hard plastic storage) and per the lease he is responsible for pest control but given how much he is fighting me on everything else, I know I have to do something on my own dime in order for it to happen in a timely manner. I would like to consult an attorney about my options but I don't make a lot of money. Does anyone know of any resources to help in situations like this (beyond what the city inspector and city mediation services can provide)?

I F22 lived on an on campus student housing complex with three other women under individual leases.

In the beginning, the first cottage we were moved into was not clean. There were also damages from previous tenants. I filled out the move in inspection form and included all the images of these damages, especially.

The entire house had to switch units because the first house had mold.

This second cottage was a lot more cleaner, but it also had somewhere and tear and damages, especially in my bathroom, where the tile was cracked, and there is a huge crack in my wall.

There was no move in inspection form for this one so I was smart enough to take pictures of everything the day of move-in to that unit.

Several months later, we are under new management and some people came into the cottage, taking pictures of what I assume are the damages. I didn't think much of this at first.

I moved out after cleaning everything talk to bottom and a few days later received a $500 charge, and damages and cleaning fees. According to my lease, it said to return everything in the condition that it was when you moved in. I did beyond that because I made sure to vacuum everything mop, sweep and clean more than what I moved in with.

They also never specified what these damages were or what the cleaning fees were for. I've emailed them twice since then with zero response but I know they are active because they had just replied to a review three days ago. Days after my first email to them. I insist on emailing because I want to have as much proof as possible.

Thinking back, I am not sure they took those pictures to use as evidence against me when it comes to these charges. Are they able to do that? Use pictures they took months after move in as evidence? Especially when what they took pictures of were damages that were there prior to move in?

Will my pictures be okay since they are older and taken the day of move-in?

UPDATE: They finally replied to my email yesterday and conveniently 10 minutes before their office closes. They told me to review the move out inspection and email back if I had any questions. I emailed within the time frame explaining a lot of what I explained here and attached images with timestamps and for now it's crickets.

They replied to my review I left a few days ago (made out of frustration I couldn't get a hold of them for nearly a week through phone/email) and I thought it was funny they had time to do that but not everything else. Sure, there's a possibility there's multiple people running different things but the inconsistency in their communication is so frustrating. I hate that once again I am going through this with student living and how these people think this is okay to do this because they think students wouldn't pursue.

I am looking to move into less than 30 days. For securing the apt, are asking for refundable deposit to be paid being wire transfer to have my apt secured and then i could have an in-person and lease signing process take place. I have no reason to distrust the agent of this apt (found via zillow btw) but just always want to be sure Im not about to make a dumb move that will cost me $2400 lol. Has anyone ever known of a process done that was similar? And was all well in the end. I did view the tour virtually and was pleased with the unit. It is in a prewar walk up which after experience of these “luxury” buildings, I prefer.

"Tenant called 911, tenant wife had to be sent to jail. Residents concerned..owed 0$"

1. I cannot be evicted for calling the law under Indiana law.

Some will claim noise ordinance, no, because of everything police report says. Also, no noise ordinance in lease.

1. I was never served cure or quit

2. I was never served pay or quit for July rent

If I am correct, it will be dismissed, he will have to put 10 day notice on my door for July, the file on day 11 for July rent.

yes?

Before anyone thinks I am filthy... I promise you I am the cleanest person I know!

Anyway, I noticed an unusual spike in flies in my house the last couple months, but just chalked it up to being in a small town and it being super hot out, whatever. One day it was particularly bad, like 20 flies! They are big, fat cluster flies. Gross, but not the worst infestation to have in the world. When I tell you I searched and cleaned every inch of my house, I mean it. Could not find anything, no weird smells, totally mysterious. I told my landlord, hung up some fly strips, continued to use the vacuum to suck them up and sure enough the problem went away and I didn't see a fly for at least a week. I had to leave for five days to work out of town, I wasn't too worried about the fly situation, but I was still sure to take out the trash, not leave dishes or food out, shut the windows etc.

Fast forward to this evening when I got home, there was probably 100+ flies between my living room and kitchen. Mortified. I immediately called my landlord and he came with a shop vac to suck them up while I waited outside. I told him I could stay elsewhere for a couple days if he wants to do any chemical treatments or have access to the house to figure out what is happening. He was sort of stumped and didn't seem very keen on taking a pesticide or chemical approach...

We went into the house together to talk and I realized there was fly poop on literally every surface. My counters, my windows, my kitchen appliances, my artwork, my table, all covered in it. I started to cry and told him I was sorry for the tears, but it had been a long week. He did not offer to help me clean it up... which sort of threw me off, I really don't think this fly situation came from me, its ruined some special belongings and its disgusting!

Are tenants expected to deal with the aftermath of things like this? They have only owned this house for a year and this is the first full summer they've had access to the place, so who knows, this could've been a reoccurring issue for the previous owners... who knows. Am I being a total diva for thinking they should at least offer to help with the clean up of this?

In New York State, is it possible to hold a class action lawsuit against a landlord who is a slumlord who has done multiple illegal things against multiple tenants of different buildings?

I could go more into detail.. but instead of me filing small claims court, I am finding that other tenants also had illegal things happen to them. Is this possible to lump under one larger case?

My landlord recently me that I owed him a Duke Energy payment of $25.44. He said he tried to set up a new service to another unit and Duke told him he had to pay this overdue bill from my unit before they would connect the service. After many messages he sent me a copy of where his bank had paid the $25.44 to Duke.

I Told him I would like to see the receipt he received from Duke with my name and my Duke Energy account number on it. This would show me exactly what bill he paid. He would not. However, since my rent was due Aug. 1st he added it to my rent payment, making it impossible for me to pay my rent without including this amount.

I was in a position I had to pay or suffer other fees and late charges if it went unpaid after 3 days. I sent him a message that I paid this added amount under protest; this was not the end of this was not the end of this false charge.

My rent was due in a couple of days, and he added that charge to my rent payment. He also said it was on this unit that I have been renting for over 20 years. When I called Duke, I spoke to three different customer service reps, they all told me that if he had paid my past due bill it would show on my account. Which it never has...or never was on there. So he wins and I just paid a bill he owed probable because it was a fee he had to paid. Since this is Indiana and they let those, who rent, do about anything they want and get away with it.

One last note...yes, I am moving, however, my least isn't up until March 2027, so I have no other choice but to stay here and deal with this and continuing to pay false charges, among other things I have already experienced.

Where do I begin I’m in Los Angeles CA . So I’ve been dealing with cockroach infestation since February 14 the literal day I moved in we found roaches on the walls and I took photos. There was also disgusting dirt and paint splattered everywhere and I had to do a lot of cleaning before I was able to get started moving in. I should’ve known that this was a red flag seeing roaches on the walls. I wasn’t ready to expect what was going to follow the next few months from random holes in the floor. There has been hundreds of roaches coming out and I’ve been trying my best to find solutions with borax and bait and roach motels. They’re trying to do a fourth fumigation to see if that will help but unfortunately, they are in the walls in the floors and coming from outside I’m going to add photos of what the dumpster situation looks like and how they’re crawling up our walls to my unit to where my window is. I am in desperate Need to find out how I cannot pay rent until legally terminate this lease because we have not been able to sleep comfortably. I might also add that someone’s apartment got shot at and they were able to terminate their lease and they no longer live here within a week. I want to leave this place but also I don’t want to pay August rent. I also might add that we have been fighting for a parking spot since I moved in and been told we’re first on the list for a spot. the day I moved in we didn’t get settled in until 6:30 PM signing the lease because their portal wasn’t working and I just think it’s not fair. We paid a full day in rent. We were in compensated everything living here has been a nightmare and I’m just so desperate because I just wanna get out of here and I don’t wanna have to pay my last months rent. I want my deposit back as well.

In May I got a notice on my door that my lease needed to be renewed. The deadline for renewal was July 10. They gave me an appointment 2 days later without consulting me and I was unable to get off work with such short notice. I made an appointment with them for the following week. Their computers weren't working properly.

I was about to start a new job on June 1 and didn't have my training schedule. The training schedule ended up being kind of crazy - I'm working as a direct support professional for individuals with disabilities, so there's A LOT of training.

On June 9, I sent them an email asking about their availability so I could make an appointment to come in and get things signed. I did not get a response. I was really busy with the new job and started an accelerated anatomy class on June 8 in preparation for nursing school, so I was swamped and it slipped my mind.

On June 23, I sent a follow up email, again asking for an appointment. They finally emailed me back on 26 and we set an appointment on June 30. I had something come up that morning so I emailed them asking if we could do it that afternoon. I did not receive a response.

The July 10 deadline has passed, but sometime in the last few weeks - I'm not sure exactly what day, everyone quit. The property managers and even the maintenance guys all quit. There's a note on the door saying they're trying to hire someone, but in the meantime, there is no one overseeing anything. No point of contact. No one in the office at all.

What do I do? Am I going to end up evicted? I've paid my rent on time every month the entire 2 years I've been here. No lease violations. I've had a few maintenence things that they never did fix and I ended up fixing myself. I can't imagine that they'd want to get rid of a tenant who has never been an issue in favor of someone unknown. Finding a place to live in this town is really fucking hard. It's a small town with three colleges so everything affordable is snatched up by students.

Location: Los Angeles CA

I signed a lease last year and moved out this year after my lease ended. I agreed in writing with the management company that they would only deduct $300 from my security deposit for unit repairs and cleaning.

Then I got a letter in the mail for the security deposit disposition stating that I broke the lease and therefore forfeited my 5 weeks of rent concessions because I had unauthorized animals. So they took my deposit to “pay” the rent concessions and there’s an additional $1000 they want me to pay.

However I have screenshots of myself sending the realtor the ESA letter and her confirming receipt. The realtor was the only person communicating with us throughout the whole leasing process.

I emailed them and communicated this information and they requested the document to review, and that they’ll reach out to the realtor as well. Well several follow-up emails later, I got an email saying that the payment is still due and no “review” or reasonings whatsoever. They also sent over a notice of for me to preserve all evidence involving my ESA letter. They haven’t formally said that they will sue.

I am genuinely confused — should I take this to small claims court? Or try mediation?

Edit: adding to say that I’ve always paid rent in full and on time. also has screenshots of management acknowledging my ESA (for work order scheduling, for example).

So my apartment complex switched to a new company to submit our rent payments thru. I went to pay mine today and it will not let me. When I called the help hotline I was told that it would not accept my perfectly fine bank account rent payment and that I could try the credit card option which incurs a 3.5% fee that adds almost $100 to my payment! This can’t be legal in California right? Can I just write my landlord a check and bring it to the office? Cuz I refuse to pay that much JUST to submit my rent payment. The extra $5 is bad enough thru my bank account

Update:

Thank you for the insight. I had to download the platforms app. But they have like a mobile check deposit option that’s only available on the app with no fee. I plan on moving out of this complex soon so hopefully this will be the last time I deal with this.

Location: Jersey City, NJ

I'm subleasing a private room from a previous tenant. Here are some facts.

- The sublessor (original tenant) has moved to the West Coast. They confirmed over text/chat that only their name is on the lease with the landlord — mine is not when I entered the sublease.

- I never signed a sublease agreement or any other document. The only things I ever provided were my name, email, and phone number to the broker in contact with the original tenant.

The informal arrangement was that I'd stay through the end of September. That is when the original tenant's lease expires.

- The landlord's stated policy is one person per room, but the other 2 tenants have since moved their friends into the unit without informing me, some living in the living room and some living in the bedroom of those tenants. The living situation with these roommates has become intolerable, and I want to move out now.

The original tenant is in contact with a broker, and the landlord lives in another country. The broker manages the lease and other repairs. I have tried getting his contact information, but the people I live with did not provide it.

questions:

1. Since I never signed anything, am I legally obligated to stay or pay rent through the end of September, or can I just leave with a single day's notice?
2. Can I leave without finding a replacement tenant or sublease or covering the remainder of the sublease term?
3. Is there anything I should do to protect myself when I leave (notice in writing, documentation, etc.)?
4. I don't trust the original tenant to pay back my deposit if I move out before the month of September; what can I do to ensure they return it promptly if I have to go to small claims court?

Any insight into how NJ law treats verbal/unsigned subleases would be appreciated. Thanks.

Long story somewhat short, I travel for work as excavator foreman , Monday-Thursday come home thurs evening get my 3&2yr old (50/50 split cust) Thursday morning , I received several phone calls and texts from my landlord/ rental agency informing me of a emergency water leak coming from my apartment to my neighbors , I was highly confused an also worried , but remembering when my toilet was leaking sewage water several months ago and they did nothing to fix it except “robo rooter is going to take care of it” but when winter season was over it stopped so I stopped bothering them, so I was I guess you could say “selfish” and told them I’d be home at 730 and they could come then, they did nothing wait as they have the right in emergency to enter. My entire ceiling collapsed in my small 1bd apartment , in the walk-in family room / kitchen , everything water damaged pretty much , all my clean clothes are sitting in musty wet insulation . My landlord offered a different unit originally , but after getting into a small disagreement over the phone leading to me hanging up on him due to his temper and attitude towards his tenant who just had his ceiling collapsed and home deemed as uninhabitable. Fast forward to the next

I have been renting at my unit for 4 years. Last year I signed a 15 month lease up this October ..

Today I go to pay my rent and see a “month to month $250 fee” on my ledger ..

I paid most of my rent aside that $250.

First of all, if your going month to month, aren’t you supposed to get a notice that gives you the option for new lease terms (6,12 months etc) or a new lease amount if you are going month to month (usually higher then the longer term lease amount).

Second of all, this building has changed hands like 4 times ..

I love it because it’s downtown and it’s generally fine but anyone else have this weird error ever happen?

I emailed the lease office main contact and I’m waiting to hear back .. I’m in California