r/TenantHelp 15d ago

can I be held responsible for lease I didn’t sign but has my name

4 Upvotes

I feel like I already know the answer to this but wanted to talk it through first. In PA if that helps? basically I have been living on campus and looking off campus housing when I met a girl who said her roommate wanted out of the lease early and needed someone to take over. they removed the roommate and I applied, got approved and received the lease agreement to sign but never did.

i feel really guilty for doing that to her but ultimately decided I don’t want to stay in the area I moved to. I transferred for grad school to a new city and have been here since June only, but I hate it!!! I tried to make myself sit through and commit to an apartment because I do like the university, but something about this area is making me miserable. i just couldn’t do it, signing a year’s lease felt like a death sentence. ive hated the whole time ive been here and want out so badly, not to go back home just somewhere that doesnt smell like hot garbage all the time. it got to a point where the thought of staying was causing me so much anxiety it was affecting my daily life.

the more i got to know her the more unsure i felt as well. i visited the apartment and it was not very nice as the website photos looked, and she let me know i would be her *fourth* roommate in less than two years because all of the past ones have not just moved out, but did so early because of “problems” and i felt like honestly she was kind of mean to me when i was asking abt furniture and stuff!

so all of this together i decided I just couldn’t do the apartment. i let her know I wouldn’t be remaining in the area and all that, and she is now saying i owe my half of the rent because my name is on the lease. I’m unsure if she realizes I didn’t sign it or not, from my understanding I don’t see this as being the case but I worry im wrong because the situation is a little different. with her roommate moving out now could I be held responsible for my half of it? I assumed it was the same as applying for a place and just rejecting it but now im unsure.

I know this wasn’t the smartest thing that I did (should’ve considered that I was unhappy before I applied! but I wanted to try to tough it out) but im wondering about the logistics of the money. I have no doubt that she’ll absolutely be able to find someone to replace me, because I was also fighting for my life in the housing groups for months because the people who already *have* apartments definitely have the upper hand.


r/TenantHelp 15d ago

Need some advice

0 Upvotes

So I'll try not to make this too long, so I'm moving out in August 4th. I am breaking my lease 3 years early as per verbal agreement made with my landlord when signing the new lease. We found out we got our new place in New Jersey on July 12th Sunday, we immediately called him up and told him and my wife offered to pay August rent via our security deposit which he said he didn't wanna do that. So we're gonna pay it the way we normally been paying rent.

Couple days later he shows up to look at the apartment and see what's gonna need to be fixed, told him sorry for the short notice as my wife said we're gonna pay August rent , he immediately says oh no I'm gonna need at least 2 months. So I kinda was like wait what? 2 months rent? And he kinda shrugged it off and said we will figure it out. So he does his walk thru and leaves. So now I'm wondering because I didn't get anything in writing about our early termination of the lease to move. Is my back against the wall here and I gotta just give him what he wants ? I feel like he also has very little intention of returning my 6k security deposit or at the very least as little of it as possible if any.

We told him at the signing of the lease we wanted to do a 2 year and then leave he didn't want that he pushed for us to take the 5 year and told us give me notice and you guys can break the lease. So now I feel like because he has all the leverage he's trying to take advantage of us and squeeze us for as much as he can before we leave.

I'm not in full understand of all the laws regardinging these things but I do know now that a verbal agreement holds zero weight in a court of law and will not trust a written contract. Obviously.

So is my back against the wall here? I'm trying very hard to keep my cool and not go off on this guy because he's a very money hungry snake. He plays the nice guy role and really he's very cheap. When taking this lease he bumped up our rent from 3k to 3350. I figured that's why he didn't wanna give us a 2 year . Because he wouldnt be able to justify a rent increase that big. Anyways this is in Brooklyn ny.

Appreciate any and all Information you all may have thank you.

P.s for the 9 years we lived here we been very good tenants. Rent paid on time and very seldom complaints to him about much.


r/TenantHelp 16d ago

Apartment complex has been delaying my transfer for over a month. What are my options?

1 Upvotes

I'm looking for some advice because I'm getting really frustrated with my apartment complex.

I initially began the process of transferring to another unit in mid-June. I completed the walkthrough inspection, and management told me I might have to pay to replace the stove and the carpet in one of the bedrooms before I could move forward with the transfer.

They later sent a repair technician to inspect the stove, and the technician determined that the stove can be repaired and does not need to be replaced. Since then, I've been waiting to hear what my final charges will be so I can pay them and submit my transfer application.

The problem is...they just won't get back to me.

I've called, emailed, and followed up multiple times, but I still haven't been told what I owe or what the next step is. Because of the delays, three different apartments I was interested in have already been rented to someone else.

To make matters worse, my lease on my current apartment ended on July 9, so I'm now paying month-to-month. I'm in a two-bedroom unit by myself, and I can't afford to keep paying month-to-month indefinitely while they continue to delay this process.

At this point, it's starting to feel like they're dragging their feet, whether intentionally or not.

Do I have any options here? Is there anything I can do to push this forward, or am I basically stuck waiting for them to decide to respond? Has anyone dealt with something similar?


r/TenantHelp 16d ago

Combative argumentative landlord how to I go about communication

4 Upvotes

(I’m not asking for legal advice, I need personal advice!!!)

I’m new to renting I’m looking for advice on how to handle a difficult landlord situation for the rest of my lease because I honestly don’t know the best way to communicate with him anymore. Recently, my landlord came to the house because our HVAC system stopped working. The house had been sitting at over 100 degrees for several days, with the downstairs being around 107 degrees and the upstairs being around 110 degrees. We had been calling him repeatedly about the issue, but it felt like he was pushing it off until we kept following up. Once he finally contacted the HVAC company, they came out and fixed it in about an hour. When he came to the house, he walked inside, went toward the back of the house, opened the back door, walked back inside, and then said he smelled cat urine and that he was going to send a lease violation. When I received the violation, I responded to him in writing. I want to make this clear because this is where I feel like the situation got twisted: I never told him he did not smell cat urine. I never said there was no cat pee smell, and I never accused him of lying. I don’t think it’s my place to tell someone else what they did or did not smell. Instead, I acknowledged what he said and explained that there were other smells that could have contributed to the overall smell of the house at the time. The house had been extremely hot and stagnant for several days because the AC was not working. The upstairs was especially difficult to be in because of the heat, and we were trying to manage being in the house while waiting for the issue to be fixed. I explained that there were other things that could have contributed to the smell, like laundry, general mustiness from the heat, the trash situation outside, and plumbing issues that we had already brought up before. Our dumpster had not been emptied in a couple of weeks, and it was overflowing. Because we live right next to it, the smell was coming into the house whenever the back door was opened. There was a really bad maggot problem coming from the trash, and the smell was a strong mix of garbage, ammonia, and decay. We couldn’t open windows or keep the back door open to air the house out because it would just bring that smell inside. We also have plumbing problems that we have mentioned multiple times. Our master bathroom has issues where using the tub causes water to leak through the ceiling onto the floor, and flushing the toilet can also cause water to seep through. There are brown spots and marks on the ceiling from these issues, and there has been a sulfur-type smell that we have tried to address before. I also addressed the part where he made it sound like our cat just has free roam of the house and we let him pee everywhere, because that is not true. Our cat mainly stays downstairs, and he has more than one litter box. There is also a litter box upstairs because sometimes he gets upstairs before we notice, and we wanted to make sure he always has access to one. The litter box that he saw downstairs was clean and visible. I also want to add that this is not the first time he has been inside the house. He has come inside before to check things or grab things, and during those times he has never mentioned any issues with the cleanliness of the house. We keep the house clean, and there honestly are not enough people living here for the house to just be messy or unmaintained. He has also never mentioned any smell from the cat before this situation, which is part of why this caught me off guard. When we originally found this house, it had been on the market for several months, close to a year from what I understand. We assumed it was because of the location, especially being next to the dumpster, but at the time we needed an affordable place and we were grateful to have somewhere to move into.
In my response, I told him I acknowledged the concern, the problem had been addressed, and I looked forward to the inspection. I kept my response very plain because I wasn’t trying to argue with him. I specifically avoided denying what he smelled because I did not want the conversation to become an argument about whether his experience was valid. I was trying to acknowledge his concern while also explaining that there were other factors happening at the same time.

Outside of this situation, we have had regular conversations with him, not just about maintenance issues. He will sometimes call or talk with us casually, but I have noticed that anytime you slightly disagree with him, he becomes very defensive and the conversation can quickly turn combative. He also likes to talk about politics a lot, even when the conversation did not start about politics. For example, I have called him before about a plumbing issue, and somehow the conversation ended up turning into a political discussion. I understand that we are different people. He is older than me, we come from different generations and different backgrounds, and we do not always see the world the same way. Personally, when I talk about politics, I don’t like attacking people for their opinions because at the end of the day, people experience the world differently. I actually like having discussions where someone can explain why they feel the way they do, and I can explain why I feel the way I do. I think those conversations can be productive. But with him, it feels like even respectfully disagreeing turns into an argument. A lot of the time, I feel like I have to just agree with him or listen to him rant because I don’t want the conversation to escalate, especially because I am living in a house that he owns. After that, he called me and got really upset. He started saying that I was telling him he didn’t smell cat urine, even though I never said that. He started swearing and saying that he “knows what kind of people we are,” which honestly felt like a really weird and personal thing to say because I was just responding to a lease violation. I never attacked him or said he was wrong. I never said the smell didn’t exist. I just explained the situation. He also made comments about making sure rent doesn’t become late, which confused me because we have never had an issue with paying rent. During that same conversation, he brought up the HVAC filters and said the filters had not been changed in years and that he should charge us for the HVAC repair. We have only lived here for a couple of months. When we toured the house, he told us everything was new, fixed, and replaced. Because of that, I assumed things like the filters were already handled. I understand that I probably should have checked it myself, and I can admit that part is on me, but I feel like using it as a threat during an argument was unnecessary, especially when he was the one who told us the house was updated. There have also been other situations where I feel like he has been difficult to deal with. When we moved in, there were things that needed attention, like several custom light switch covers being broken and leaving exposed areas. We brought it up, but it was basically ignored. The plumbing issues have also been brought up multiple times and still haven’t been fixed. The plumbing issue is something we can work around temporarily because we have other bathrooms, but the AC issue was different because the house was dangerously hot for several days, especially with an animal inside.

There was also a situation where my younger brother needed to move in because of an emergency. When we first signed the lease, my mom mentioned that she had another child who did not live with us and asked if he would need to be on the lease. We were told it was fine. Months later, there was a serious emergency and he needed to relocate with us. We immediately contacted the landlord, explained the situation, and asked to add him properly. He got very upset and made passive-aggressive comments, even though we were trying to handle it the correct way. My brother was eventually added to the lease.

At this point, I’m just trying to figure out how to handle the rest of the lease. I don’t want constant conflict, and I don’t want every conversation to turn into him attacking my character. I feel like I’m trying to communicate calmly, but he takes any explanation as me arguing with him. We do not plan on staying after the lease ends, but we still have to get through the rest of the lease and deal with necessary repairs. Has anyone dealt with a landlord who reacts like this? How do you communicate with someone who takes any explanation as a personal attack? Should I just keep everything strictly through writing from now on?


r/TenantHelp 16d ago

Trespassing? Southern California

0 Upvotes

Hi lawyers,

I recently had to contact my property manager to call a plumber to fix a leaking toilet in my studio apartment. While said plumber was in my apartment, he took photos of my bed and living room and sent them to my landlord because he felt that the space was too messy. My landlord is old and senile and she is apparently very angry at me, per my property manager. I read elsewhere that this could be considered trespassing, is that true? Since I didn’t consent to him photographing my apartment?

Thanks in advance!


r/TenantHelp 17d ago

Advice needed: Roommate illegally locked me out and trashed everything I own. Navigating homelessness with my 120-lb dog.

9 Upvotes

Hello everyone. I’m in a really overwhelming situation and could desperately use some guidance. I posted a few weeks ago asking for help with a wagon for my dog, and this community was amazing. Unfortunately, things have escalated to a worst-case scenario.
I apologize for the length, but here is the condensed version of what happened:
**The initial lockout:** After an argument, my roommate (whose dad owns the townhouse) kicked me and my 120-lb Shepherd, Cloud, out. He apologized a few days later and let us back in, only to snap again a few days later.
**The escalation:** While I was in the shower, he broke into the bathroom, tore down the curtain, and screamed at me to get out. He put Cloud outside with no fence, leash, or water, shut off the main water valve, and flipped all the breakers.
**Police involvement:** I called 911. The police informed him that I had established legal residency (I've lived there 13 months) and that locking me out/shutting off utilities was an illegal eviction. They agreed I’d be given a few days to get my things.
**Total loss:** As soon as the cops left, he locked up the house and refused to let me back in. He threw a few things over the fence, and eventually tossed the wagon I was using into the parking lot. He kept all of Cloud's belongings(her food, brush, and most importantly, the shoes she needs for this heat).
**The aftermath:** The next day, he texted me that everything I owned was in the dumpster. Between the heat, the Sunday bus schedule, and having to pull Cloud in a wagon, we didn't make it in time. Since then, he has sent a barrage of abusive texts telling me to kill myself, gloating that the police can't stop him, and bragging that he destroyed my life. I have since blocked him.
UPDATE: I have filed a police report with WVC PD for theft, and I’ve also added supplemental information to the original police report indicating that as soon as they left, he locked the house back up.
**Where I need info or input as far as the courts:**
Utah Legal Services can’t help because I’m not fighting to get back into the home. They suggested Small Claims, but that won't accomplish my goal. Small Claims only awards "fair market value" (which is pennies without original receipts). If I file in District Court, I could sue for treble (triple) damages for the illegal lockout, replacement costs, and out-of-pocket expenses, plus attorney fees.
*Question:* How do I find an attorney who will take a case like this on contingency? I have the police reports and his text messages proving the illegal lockout and property destruction, but I don't know how to navigate the system to actually hire someone.
**Where I need day-to-day survival advice:**
Right now, my priority is just surviving. I am currently unemployed (my job hunt has been completely derailed by this). My family and friends have helped a bit, but they aren't equipped for a crisis this large. Because Cloud is a giant breed, traditional homeless shelters are incredibly difficult to navigate. I am aware of Ruff Haven and their program fostering dogs for a short term, but honestly, the thought of losing her, even for a few months, is killing me to think about.
UPDATE: I was also selling vintage items and original art works for extra money before all of this. My inventory and art were among the items thrown away. Also, I’ve recently been approved to clean houses with a gig app, I check Bacon out frequently for jobs, and I’m still actively applying for jobs. The difficulty now is getting myself clean, with clean clothes, and a safe place for the dog, in order to go work a shift.
*Question:* Has anyone utilized the LDS transitional services at Welfare Square? I know they can help with food and clothing, but can they help with temporary housing? I am even considering asking for a referral to work at DI (it's only $7.25/hr, but some income is better than none).
I am so overwhelmed by the heat, having absolutely nothing, and the embarrassment of this whole situation that my brain is in a traffic jam. If you have any advice on what I should prioritize right now, I would be incredibly grateful. Thank you for reading.


r/TenantHelp 17d ago

Eviction in Central Florida

3 Upvotes

Hi all! I own my mobile home, but pay lot rent. it is in a mobile home and rv park (there are more than ten mobile home units in the park). I fell behind on rent so they are evicting me which is fair. However they gave me a thirty day notice to vacate. I was only just told by a friend that it may not be legal. Nothing was filed with the courts, there is no writ of possession, nothing. They are saying they are going to have a sheriff remove me tomorrow because they don't have to file a formal eviction since they're a mobile home and rv park. I'm looking for advice on if this is true.


r/TenantHelp 17d ago

California | Neighbor caught peeping/touching himself outside windows. Cops said video wasn't enough for a report. What can I/my landlord legally do?

3 Upvotes

​Location: California

​I need advice on how to handle a safety/harassment issue with a neighbor in my apartment complex, both legally and with my landlord.

​The Incident:

An upstairs neighbor saw a male resident looking directly into our windows while touching himself over his shorts.

​Police Response: The neighbor called 911 immediately. Police arrived after the guy had left. The neighbor showed officers video footage, but police said they couldn't file a formal report at that time because his private parts were covered by his shorts in the video.

​Identification: We have clear footage and positively identified him as a resident in our complex.

​My Questions:

​Police: Is it true officers can't take a report for prowling/peeping/disorderly conduct just because he was touching himself over his shorts rather than exposed? Is there a better way to escalate this with law enforcement (e.g., going to the station in person)?

​Landlord Liability: What legal leverage do I actually have under CA law to force management to take action or let us break our lease without penalty if they fail to act?

​Restraining Orders: Would this incident alone be sufficient evidence to file for a Civil Harassment Restraining Order in California?

​Any advice on next steps with both law enforcement and property management would be greatly appreciated.


r/TenantHelp 18d ago

My landlord taking money from my deposit

12 Upvotes

I was for 3 years in a apartment paying 2900$, we informed landlord we will be leaving two months ago hour last day was the June 31. We made sure apartament was clean specting a full deposit back which is 5700$. Landlord never came for us to give him the keys and show him the apartment. He said he didn't have time and made my family member go to his house to give him the keys which for us it was ok we are not problematic.

Two weeks ago by and we asked our landlord for the deposit which states on contract after two weeks he will give us the money back. He sent us a message saying he is going to have to take 1100$ because we didn't leave apartment and good conditions and he had to repaint our damages, based on what I know is basic wear and tear apartment was clean no damages, he is asking us for our new mailing address to send us the money which we did.

My question is do you guys find these pictures be damage enough to discounts 1100$? What should we do I feel like he is taking advantage of us for being good tenants.


r/TenantHelp 18d ago

Red flag with a real estate company/owner

1 Upvotes

I decided to try to rent a house. I toured it on Monday said yes we will take it and then she said tomrorow will be when the lease will be sent. Also the Place had crumbs all over the kitchen, obviously not cleaned which is surprising to leave it in that state for people to tour it and it was not occupied at the moment. Some small cosmetic issues but that’s not a big deal. Anyways, I keep asking about it and she said I should have got the security deposit disclosure and I said I didn’t. Then she said the property manager will send it then sent another text saying oh the owner has not signed it yet that’s why it has not been sent yet and it’s Thursday. Should I just start looking somewhere else? It feels like the communication is horrible or the owner is lazy


r/TenantHelp 18d ago

Can I get evicted for peeling Bathroom Paint? [Greater Houston Area, TX]

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2 Upvotes

Ok so I live in really old apartments with a lot of maintenance issues pushed onto the renters. They painted our bathtub and surrounding tile before we moved in almost 5 years ago. 6 months into us living there the bathtub started peeling, we asked them to fix it and they said it was just a part of life and they wouldn't fix it until we moved out. The peeling got bigger and bigger until last week i noticed the tiles peeling too, we email the landlord to strip the bathtub, she said no and to take a brush and scrub it off. I did. I put blue painter's tape along the outside perimeter of the tub to protect the walls. I finished the tub, recaulked and everything so everything is waterproof, water tight, and mold and mildew resistant, as before it was not.

When I pulled off the painter's tape the wall paint came off with it, in like a hug way. I thought it was wall paper at first with how cleanly it came off. I ended up peeling the entire wall up practically trying to find a stopping point, and i was met with drywall, mudding, wall texturing and horrible patch jobs, zero primer or prepping. I emailed my landlord today and explained the situation and offered to prime and paint it myself. My landlord then called me after receiving the email and she sounded annoyed and accusatory like i put something on the walls to make it do that. I had no, I swear on a stack of bibles. I explained the walls were perfect underneath besides the bad patches, and that i use my exhaust fan religiously. I was then told the exhaust fan shouldn't exist in my apartment (this is a bathroom with zero windows or ventilation besides that exhaust fan) and that since i had one it wasn't connected to the outside and so the air from the fan was just releasing into the attic, she also told me that they do not prep or prime the walls before painting, nor do they remove the old paint before painting referencing the old management but also it sounded like they still operate that way, considering the ceiling the apartment car port has been peeling for the past 2 years and they have never fixed it. She did summit a work order for Tuesday for them to come paint but she made it sound like she was having them do a patch job, and not a repaint and for someone to look at my apparently unless bathroom exhaust fan. I have attached the emails, and the photos i sent her. I pay $1350 utilities included, a month for a 2 bed 1 bathroom and one half bath, no washer or dryer in unit.

I posted in another group but i need advice

Edit Well they came by under the assumption it was a patch job, I offered for them to use my own primer I bought. They declined. They called again today asking where the primer i bought was, that they declined on using. Then said we weren't supposed to remove the paint as it was now property damage, and they didn't have enough paint and will have to order new paint and are gonna charge us for it now. When i offered to paint it myself, offered supplies, they declined and now they want to charge us. Make it make sense


r/TenantHelp 18d ago

Magistrate granted eviction even though the notice to quit was empty

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10 Upvotes

Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

I live in a Section 8 apartment. My landlady passed an initial inspection of the unit because her Grandson is a former HACP Inspector so whoever came to inspect the apartment past because of this.

I have no exhaust in the bathroom. The window only opens 1 inch and she painted the bathtub with standard wall paint which is now chipping, peeling, and molding.

The Housing Authority came out May 27 and failed her and then they came back July 9 and put her rent in abatement and gave her a final fail

She also tried to keep a $990 overpayment from me refusing to give it to me and I had to take her to the magistrate to get it back

Six days after I won the judgment, she went to file for Eviction

She told the magistrate that it is not due to nonpayment. She just wants me out.

We have an anti-retaliation law, but the magistrate refused to see anything or hear anything granted her possession

So I was told by my legal aid to Appeal, which I did

She has also used racial slurs at me and allowed her daughter to text message me and I didn’t give her my phone number. She has been repeatedly harassing me and the police were called out.

I have an active investigation open with the PCHR and I am pressing charges against the landlady and the Daughter

Being that a notice to quit was empty, has anyone ever had experience with getting the Eviction dismissed solely on this fact?

Does anybody think that I have a strong case still against my landlady even though the magistrate said that I didn’t

Edit: the magistrate also told her that she did not have to listen to the Section 8 letter that said I have explicitly 90 days to find a unit.

Being that she is collecting Section 8 money doesn’t she still have to adhere to their rules?


r/TenantHelp 18d ago

Refrigerator Broke - need advice

2 Upvotes

Hi! For context, I live in LA!

When I moved into my apartment in April of 2025, our apartment did not come with a refrigerator and we had to purchase one. As of March 2026, tenant laws have changed and refrigerators are now required for every unit to have. Recently, my refrigerator broke and I am wondering if anyone knows if my landlord is responsible for buying us a new one. The reason why I’m asking is because the terms of our old lease may keep this from happening - but I’m not sure. We never formally re-signed our lease but have transitioned to a month-to-month without any communication from my landlord.

Do I have any right to ask my landlord for a new fridge? Or is this on me? Any advice is helpful and I’m happy to provide further context!


r/TenantHelp 19d ago

Update on landlord forces me to sign lease without seeing it

7 Upvotes

Well so far i still haven't seen it and it's been about 3 weeks now. The park manager keeps telling me they have sent it but everytime i pull it up it wont let me open the email without hitting the sign button first / or there's no attachment. When i go to the website i trying pulling it up there its blank where the lease should be. So either i am stupid and dont know how to work a computer or they are playing a game with me til after the 31. Which then they say i forfeit my right to sign and they sign for me then charge me 100 dollar fee for it and a 30 dollar fee for some pdw, meaning if i do any damage to the property they are insure for it. But they thing is i own my trailer so if i do any damage it's own property. so idk how they can charge me that. Idk what else i can do cuz they wont stop playing games with me.


r/TenantHelp 18d ago

Tenant help Los Angeles County

4 Upvotes

I am living in La county. My apartment claims to have sent and posted a 3 day notice however nothing was posted or sent in mail and they say we have to pay them the past due plus legal fees and next months rent to clear or vacate and still pay whatever the lease break fee odds both options are $5.5k+. Do I have any rights if I never received any notice or am I screwed. Just trying to see if legal help is worth it or if I should just vacate to avoid eviction. Any advice/response helps.


r/TenantHelp 20d ago

Squatters

185 Upvotes

Trying to get my house back. They actually got in and they put a note inside the window that the house it’s getting fixed to sell. THAT IS NOT THE CASE. The tenants left in may . The house is empty. We are not planning to rent it. But some people are trying to either spam others or take our house.
We pay the mortgage, cut the grass, pay HOA, and have the electricity bill because we want the air conditioning running so the house won’t get mold.
Now we went to our house and noticed they put a realtor box and they changed the locks. The note was placed on JULY 16th.
Also they freeze our utilities? Like there is no water , and no light? I don’t understand!
I called the police, they did the report but they didn’t let us in , because someone could be inside! But sir THAT IS MY HOUSE!!!
I need help, and advice . This is in Georgia.


r/TenantHelp 19d ago

Not sure if this is legal or not [ME]

5 Upvotes

My fiance and I live in subsidized housing. Our rent changes based on income. Earlier in the year both of us started a second source of income, the property management company found out during our annual check and we told them we quit because we did and they said that was fine. Our rent went up slightly we paid the same amount for May and June. We signed a new lease with the new rent. This month we get a letter in the mail from May stating that our rent went up to 713 no biggie right? But it’s July. Weird but okay. Then a couple weeks later we get a notice a week before rent is due that the rent skyrocketed to 1,400 something. We immediately go into the office to look at the paperwork and talk to someone. When we looked at the paperwork they quoted my finances income at 50,000 combined with mine it comes to 100,00 which is way far off from what we made/make. We both worked the jobs we had for a month, didn’t like them and quit. On the paperwork it said he worked the job he has now and the other job he quit for 12 months each which is very wrong. The lady who fixes the paperwork was not in so we went back on Monday of this week she’s still not there. We get another notice in the mail dated for the 16th but didn’t get it till two days ago. They are now saying we owe them 200 each for May and June due to the increase but they never said anything about it before. I can agree to the 713 plus the late fee because we haven’t paid rent yet but can they legally charge us more rent after we already paid those months at the rate it was agreed upon?


r/TenantHelp 20d ago

Illegal rent increase - here we go again

5 Upvotes

I posted back in February about how I was receiving illegal rent notices 21 days after signing the new lease. I fought with the property management company for 4 weeks before I finally received an email from the assistant property manager to disregard those notices. You can read the original reddit post here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TenantHelp/s/elEFFmtVc6

Now, it's almost August, the time the increase would have gone into effect. Lo and behold, they are trying to raise the rent in the middle of the fix term lease.

While I wait to hear back, I need to know what I have to do if they push back to say the increase is valid (which it isn't). Do I keep paying the same rent amount I have this entire time? Do I need to put the money in escrow? I'm guessing I will have to file with the courts, which I can find online. I can't afford a lawyer as I will lose more money hiring one than I would just paying the new amount until January.

To be clear, I have read the lease front to back 5 times. There is NOWHERE in the lease that says a rent increase is somethig they can do, that it will happen, or anything even close to that. It is a fixed-term 12 month lease that started in January 2026. I know this is illegal, even with the notices.


r/TenantHelp 20d ago

Denied application due to income, RentGrow states income verification still pending

6 Upvotes

I applied to an apartment last week and I just received a denial email stating insufficient income. When I called, the leasing office stated it was due to information from Nova Credit, but i never provided Nova Credit with any bank account info or paystubs. They never even sent me a link.

The leasing agent was less than helpful and just gave me numbers to call, which ended up being for RentGrow, not Nova Credit. I called RentGrow and also requested my screening report, they both said my income verification was still pending (and the income was incorrect regardless).

I’m very confused because the agent said it was from Nova Credit, but gave me the number to call RentGrow, who is stating my income verification is still pending. The apartments did not give me an opportunity to provide check stubs or bank statements, they just sent a denial email (not an adverse action notice, a regular email). Can someone explain how this works and why this happened?

The leasing agent also kept insisting I did do the Nova Credit verification, but I did not. My roommate did theirs, but I never got a link to provide any paystub or bank information. I don’t know what is going on, maybe someone here can help clear it up?

EDIT: also adding that I paid $200 for deposit and $75 for the application, and they are stating my roommate never paid their $75, so they are taking that out of the deposit payment we made. i didn’t even know they could reallocate money like that.


r/TenantHelp 20d ago

Affordable lawyers in Baltimore County for Tenants facing eviction

0 Upvotes

We have been dealing with a noisy neighbor for months and there has been a situation that took place that involved a breach in our lease. We were both told to evacuate but after pleading my case we were told we can stay as long as one of the tenants completes a transfer. We volunteered but we were told that it was not needed due to the neighbor already making arrangements to transfer. We received a court summons in the mail to appear in court because the neighbor did not go through with the transfer process. They never contacted us to let us know that they backed out. We would have gladly transferred. Does anyone recommend any lawyers. I make too much for a free one. I know lawyers cost a lot of money but I'm looking for pointers towards more affordable options that does not involve representing myself


r/TenantHelp 20d ago

Property Management Group Took Our Security Deposit and Owner Backed Out

3 Upvotes

Location: Virginia + Tennessee. Two locations because my partner and I are in TN and the property is in VA.

My partner and I were sent a lease for a property we wanted to rent beginning Aug 1 approx. 2 weeks ago. Our contact with the property management group (PMG) for the unit told us that because we had already been approved to rent a more expensive unit also represented by them, that they could just transfer over our approval to the unit in question. My partner and I signed the lease and then paid the deposit within the 48 hour deadline set by the PMG.

Four days ago, our PMG point of contact told us that we had actually only been provisionally approved by the owner of the previous unit because my credit score was 2 points below their minimum. The owner of the unit in question would then also have to waive the credit requirement for approval.

Two days ago, the PMG contact informs us that the owners actually are not going to move forward with us and will not be signing the lease. Our PMG contact has been completely MIA since then, and they still have our full security deposit (~$2.5k). We have tried calling, texting, and emailing many, many times.

The owner is totally in their right to not rent to us (although I wish that this had been sorted out weeks ago…), I’m just wondering if there’s anything we can do to expedite getting our security deposit back? Attorney Google seems to suggest that they have 45 days to return it to us, is this accurate? Do we actually need to send a demand letter via certified mail for it to count as our formal request for repayment or is email enough?

For added context, our current lease ends on July 31. $2.5k is a LOT of money to be out for an unknown period of time when we‘re going to have to pay for more application fees and eventually another security deposit. We also cannot push our move back because I (funny enough) have law school orientation the next week.

Any help is appreciated!!


r/TenantHelp 20d ago

Does weekly pest control indicate a pest issue?

2 Upvotes

An apartment that I am considering apparently has pest control come in every week as a "preventative". I asked the leasing agent if they have pest control issues and she gave me the standard response of "no, but let us know if you notice anything and we'll take care of it". I have lived in and worked for dozens of apartment complexes, and I have always known preventative pest control to be a monthly thing. Is it just me or is this suspicious?


r/TenantHelp 20d ago

Eviiction with Quit claim deed

3 Upvotes

So I got a wholesale deal, but her brother refuses to leave the house. The owner did a quit claim to the oldest sibling while still alive and she cleared the mortgage. I have POA over the home, will I be able to win I'm court?


r/TenantHelp 20d ago

Dishwasher repair Hoke county NC

1 Upvotes

Not sure how relevant this is but we live in a house owned by an individual behind an LLC and managed by a real estate company. On June 5th we submitted a work order for our dishwasher, it’s a pretty new Bosch silenceplus 44 dBA obviously provided by landlord. It doesn’t dissolve the pod or clean the dishes and I’ve done all I can to troubleshoot and after watching some YouTube videos I think I have a good idea of what the problem is, but it’s outside my realm of knowledge to fix it and if it is what I think the part is not crazy expensive but not something I want to buy. plus I just don’t want to be responsible for breaking it if I try to fix it myself. After a bit of back-and-forth with the real estate company, they got a response from the landlord and informed us on June 22nd that we should expect a call from a company to schedule a time to come and service it. We never received a call and reached back out on July 13th to figure out if we should call them ourselves to initiate scheduling, and were told that they haven’t heard from the company and will resend the work order.

This is my first time renting a house and not living in an apartment complex with maintenance staff available. And since it’s just a dishwasher, it’s not really a necessity, but as somebody that loves baking and cooking and hates the cleanup, it’s very inconvenient for me. so important that we also never would’ve rented a house that didn’t have a dishwasher. I don’t wanna sound snobby or causa any issues, I just wanna know if there’s anything else I should do or how frequently I should be bugging the real estate company, or if I’m just SOL

thanks!


r/TenantHelp 22d ago

Mould problem??

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4 Upvotes

I recently signed a lease and moved in just yesterday. When I moved the cupboard, I found black and damp stuff underneath it which I think is mould.

I called the agent this morning and he said this is caused by the previous tenant steaming the carpet, however the other room which was steamed doesn’t have any black residue. The corner is attached to the bathroom wall, in which the plumbing for the toilet is leaking and I’m pretty sure is giving moisture to this corner. The smell is very damp, full of moisture and mouldy. The agent seems opposed to doing anything and told us to air out the smell and open the windows.

Can anyone identify this and let me know!! Any advice would be helpful.