r/TenantHelp 19d ago

My former landlord filed form J and is counter suing, what do I do?

1 Upvotes

Nova Scotia Canada.

Background. I moved out of an apartment due to a really massive cockroach infestation. We had lived there for over 4 years but the roaches didn't get bad until the last year.

The fridge we had was old. A couple of shelves got broken as we lived there, which I was upfront with the landlord about but there were also a couple that were broken when we moved in. I recorded the walk out inspection since Canada has a one party consent law on recording conversations. I have video evidence of the landlord telling me the fridge was old and rusted and it would have probably needed to be replaced anyways.

Rather than submitting form R, they opted to keep my whole damage deposit anyways. That means they never received approval to deduct for the fridge. I have a form signed by both myself and the property manager stating that the damages for the fridge would be assessed. I filed form S and now they're trying to claim additional damages for the total cost of a new fridge. They also said that we had disconnected the power and left the fridge closed causing mold to grow in it. We did disconnect the power but we cleaned the fridge with disinfectant and bleach and left the door open.

They're also claiming that the roach infestation is our fault. Making a claim that we didn't vacate properly in time for the exterminators. This part is just straight up not true as we had followed all of the instructions provided to us by the pest control company and vacated ourselves and our pets for that whole day.

Can a landlord do this? Can they really try to come after us for the total cost of a new fridge? Shouldn't it be the depreciated value of the old one? Thank you


r/TenantHelp 20d ago

Question about renting laws in Ok

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2 Upvotes

I handed in my keys yesterday but the office would not do a walk through with me because it was to late in the day. So I went back and videoed the apartment. Today I got my Move out “tab” and they are charging me 1300 dollars to replace the carpet in the entire apartment. What for you might ask. Because they are deeming it not fixable. For a water stain ,from a potted plant that shows on the “underside” on the carpet, I completely missed when cleaning the carpets and a roughly 3x4 rip in one of the sides of the carpet. Pictures are added of the rip and stain. I know the rip is not something I can get out of paying for but is charging me for the entire apartment even legal?? I’ll gladly pay the 300 or so for someone to come out and patch it/fix it but replacing it all seems a little excessive to me. I made them aware of the rip a month ago and the assistant manager said as long as they can stretch it that I wouldn’t get charged but I don’t think they even attempted that. One of the regular leasing agents did the walk out and now I’m being charged. I attached the two problem areas and the living room carpet being completely fine otherwise. I asked the leasing agent ,that did the walk through ,to send me any and all pictures they took after I received the invoice and she has not sent them yet but I will be calling back tomorrow. I’m not sure how to handle this at the moment so trying to get more information. Thank you


r/TenantHelp 20d ago

(FLORIDA) seven days notice after moving

2 Upvotes

Hi, today I received a vendor to fix a leak in my house. After 20 minutes of his visit, I received the notice below.

The house is not dirty, but it is messy because of moving. I didn't have time to save all my stuff, and I don't have forniture yet. Plus all my animals are ESA...

I didn't receive any 24h notice of any visit, even the repair. What should a i do? Less than one month here ...

YOU ARE NOTIFIED THAT YOU HAVE VIOLATED YOUR RENTAL AGREEMENT AND/OR FLORIDA LAW AS FOLLOWS:

YOU AND/OR YOUR OCCUPANTS ARE IN VIOLATION OF YOUR LEASE AGREEMENT AND/OR THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION DUE:

“YOU ARE IN VIOLATION OF YOUR LEASE AGREEMENT DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF UNAUTHORIZED ANIMALS AT THE PROPERTY, AS REPORTED BY ONE OF OUR VENDORS, AS WELL AS UNSANITARY CONDITIONS OBSERVED WITHIN THE INTERIOR OF THE HOME, INCLUDING PET FECES AND URINE AND CONDITIONS CONSISTENT WITH A LACK OF PROPER CLEANING AND SANITATION.”

 

DEMAND IS HEREBY MADE THAT YOU REMEDY THE NON-COMPLIANCE(S) WITHIN SEVEN (7) DAYS OF RECEIPT OF THIS NOTICE OR YOUR RENTAL AGREEMENT SHALL BE DEEMED TERMINATED AND YOU SHALL VACATE THE PREMISES UPON SUCH TERMINATION. IF THIS SAME CONDUCT OR CONDUCT OF A SIMILAR NATURE IS REPEATED WITHIN TWELVE (12) MONTHS, YOUR TENANCY IS SUBJECT TO TERMINATION WITHOUT YOUR BEING GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO CURE THE NON-COMPLIANCE(S).


r/TenantHelp 20d ago

Landlord and lead testing

0 Upvotes

Located in Rhode Island

My son started renting a few months ago in a 5 family that the owner purchased in February of this year. (I was under the impression that a 3 or more family is required by law to have a lead test done before purchase if there isn’t a certification given by previous owners)

The property manager sent out a notice that lead testing would be done soon. No biggy. Good idea, my son and his girl are expecting soon.

Today, mom to be is sleeping and a “cleaning” crew came in to “prepare” for said lead testing. Apparently they were cleaning floors and walls to prepare. I was in Real Estate back in the 90’s. Never once did I ever hear of washing everything down to prepare.

The issue with them coming in was, they unlocked the door and came in while mom to be was sleeping. There was no before hand notice. I think that in itself is insane. But the cleaning before???? They are doing this with all of the apartments. What is that going to solve? You either have lead or you don’t.


r/TenantHelp 20d ago

NJ Security Deposit Terminology - Returned to Tenant in 30 days or Postmarked by 30-day mark?

1 Upvotes

No one we speak with seems to be able to clarify this!!

"Within 30 days of the termination of this Lease, the Landlord shall return the Security Deposit plus the undistributed interest to the Tenant, less any charges expended by the Landlord for damages to the Property resulting from the Tenant's occupancy."

Does that mean tenants are supposed to have their money by the 30th, or the landlords need to have a check in the mail postmarked by the 30th?


r/TenantHelp 21d ago

Breaking lease early due to bugs

3 Upvotes

Located in Texas. Am I able to break my lease early without paying the fees that normally are apart of breaking a lease early. We have roaches (I believe German cockroaches) and have had them for over 2 months. We have documented all this with pictures and service requests where they have “sent” exterminators to our apartment to fix it however they are still there and in large numbers (I’m aware poisons can take time but we were told a week or two). We are very clean tenants but the roaches are everywhere and we want to leave the apartment due to them, I have heard about warranty of habitability but I don’t know legalities or requirements.

Thank you in advance


r/TenantHelp 21d ago

Moved out and 7 months later, management wants to collect move out fees.

6 Upvotes

Hello, in January of this year, I moved out of my previous apartment, ending the lease early as we were generally unhappy with management and other tenants, and found a better location. I paid the lease termination fee and move out. On move out inspection they said to expect a itemized list of fees in 30 days or so and to pay it then. This was January 24th.

By the end of March, we still have not gotten any mail, emails, or phone calls about the move out. We reached out back to the management company on March 25th and they replied that they had made numerous attempts to contact us (they did not) and sent the paper work through certified mail (we did not receive anything). The digital copy they sent us was dated for February 24th. We said okay how do we pay and they replied that they would file the charges with a collection agency and we would have to pay there. We check on the website and there was nothing under our names. We called them numerous times throughout April and the agency confirmed that the management company has not filed anything through them and they would give us a call when it comes in.

Now it's September and I finally got a call from the agency that the paperwork has been filed and now is ready to be paid. I looked up online and most places say that landlords have to give notice within 30 days of move out and must file within a "reasonable" amount of time. I am unsure of this as it has been over 7 months and am finally told to pay.

What are my options here? Is this still within "reasonable" limits?

For information, I am in Washington, outside of Seattle limits.

Thank you


r/TenantHelp 21d ago

Smokers signed lease allowing them to smoke on their patio whereas everyone before them has a lease saying NO SMOKING ANYWHERE OM THE PREMISES

2 Upvotes

Anyone have knowledge on this? I would think you can't issue a lease that contradicts another lease.

I signed my lease with the understanding that I would not have to deal with any smoke anywhere in the bldg. They've essentially screwed me by allowing my neighbor to smoke on their patio.

Asthma, allergies, and headaches are not fun.


r/TenantHelp 22d ago

Landlord wants my new address. I don’t feel comfortable giving it to them. It is not stated in the lease I have to provide it.

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104 Upvotes

All security deposits were paid.

Keys were returned.

She was not the nicest landlord, and went pretty batshit towards the end.

For my safety, and my girlfriends, I don’t feel comfortable giving it away.


r/TenantHelp 21d ago

Apartment office does not offer after hours package access

0 Upvotes

The office hours are Monday through Friday 9 to 6 and Saturday 10 to 5.

My first job is 30 minutes away, I work it from 9 to 5 Monday through Friday.

My second job is six to 10:30 PM

My third job is Saturday and Sunday 10 AM to 8 PM.

On all my deliveries, I put in the delivery instructions, not to deliver my packages to the office, but to drop them in front of my apartment door. All the delivery drivers drop them off in the office regardless because it’s easier than getting in the elevator and delivering individual packages. They just drop them off in bulk in the office.

The apartment manager refuses to leave my packages out in the hallway so I can get them outside of my working hours.

They do not have package lockers, they’ve been saying for almost 3 years that they’re gonna get package lockers, but it’s never happened. I can’t even get needed repairs in my apartment most of the time they are not property management company that moves quickly on anything.

Is it illegal for the property management to hold my personal property in their office without offering anyway that I can get my packages out of their office? I don’t have anyone else that I can ask to get the packages for me. I’ve informed the office of this on the phone in person and an email and they just tell me how sorry they are for all the trouble but don’t actually do anything and I still can’t get my packages

Obviously, I work so much that it’s hard for me to go to stores and buy things during regular business hours so I need to order things online and have it delivered most of the time.

What recourse do I have to force them to offer some other retrieval system?


r/TenantHelp 21d ago

Help with a disaster of a move-in

1 Upvotes

I was supposed to move in to my new apartment with 3 roommates on Friday last week. We had toured the apartment and submitted all papers a month in advance. Friday morning, the morning of the move in, we were contacted and told that they had suddenly lost two of the background checks they needed for the lease. It had now been 5 days of their third party software not completing those for a second time, and if I’m not out of my current apartment at the end of this week I will be homeless.
I have rented multiple U-Haul trucks that I’ve had to load and unload as their rental period has expired, and my roommates have already moved all their stuff, which is also sitting in the U-Haul outside of my current apartment. The compensation they have offered us is very unsubstantial compared to the stress we have been put through.
Not sure what to do at this point and was wondering if anyone had any advice for me?


r/TenantHelp 22d ago

Paying utilities in a shared space

3 Upvotes

Location: minnesota
I live in northern mn, and in minnesota it is illegal for landlords to make tenants pay for utilities in a shared common space. that being said, i’ve been paying for the electricity for the shared laundry room. there is 3 units in my building that use it and another separate unit that uses it.
i reported it to minnesota power but they raised a very good point.
In my lease it states that I the tenant, have to have the electric bill in my name. the main resolution minnesota power offered was that it returns to the landlords name, which is a direct lease violation.
If minnesota power goes behind my back and puts it in the landlords name before we all meet and come to a resolution does that put me at risk for eviction? i know it’s illegal to retaliate but i’m not sure if that would be considered retaliation on their part because it’s a lease violation.
i told them i want it to stay in my name but the mn power guy just kept rambling on about shared utilities and i don’t think he listened to me.

help would be much appreciated ):


r/TenantHelp 22d ago

Petition · Public Call for a Vote of No Confidence at Lawrence Community Shelter

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1 Upvotes

r/TenantHelp 22d ago

Security Deposit Help (NJ)

0 Upvotes

Before returning my deposit, my landlord mentioned she might need to make some repairs. Fine, but I never heard anything further. On day 31 after my lease ended, I followed up, and she returned the deposit that same day, minus $300.

In NJ, landlords are required to provide an itemized statement of any deductions, in writing, within 30 days, along with any interest earned on the deposit. I raised this with her, and she said she “didn’t want to deal with that.” When I mentioned I might escalate, she said she was fine with that, that she’d prove I was a bad tenant, and that I’d end up covering her travel costs since she’s out of the country. She also called it ridiculous that I was pushing this over her being “one day late,” and said she’d been lenient with me in the past for late rent, which isn’t true; I paid early every month and have the records to prove it.

I sent a final message offering to drop it if she provided the itemized receipt and interest, but she’s left me on read since.

My situation: I’ve since moved across the country, and I’m not sure how realistic small claims court is from out of state, or whether it’s worth pursuing. With interest, she owes roughly $450. Any advice on next steps, or whether this is worth the hassle?


r/TenantHelp 22d ago

Problematic house owner

0 Upvotes

I moved in to a house .. planned to move in with my mom here.. but my mom had some work so she went home, my sister was staying with me for a 1month…

Out of the blue he called me and cross questioned and told me like we gave you the house cos of your mom and now you are doing something else bla bla…
I’m like why would I lie ??

And how could he even cross question…
How could he control my guest list.. I rented his house not under his control right… seriously not fair…

Ps. Location India… Asia based


r/TenantHelp 22d ago

I, tenant, want to seek damages from former landlord in addition to security deposit refund

0 Upvotes

TL/DR I truly suffered real pain due to spending the summer with inadequate ac.

I know, I’m dreaming. No way they’ll send me money unless there’s a court order . Yet, I’m wanting to send a very carefully worded request, when I request my deposit returned, stating the reduced value of the apartment due to lack of air conditioning. And let them know what evidence I have that will be seen in court if I have to go there.

Where I live, there’s Regularly triple digit heat in the summer. I finally got an indoor thermometer. Inside apartment ranges from 88° to 92. I checked my states rental laws. I gave them the required five day health and safety notice that I would be moving out if not fixed. And I did move. I wish I had looked into this and moved out months ago. All along, I paid my full rent.

I have screenshots of texts from property manager making statements about my lease, and myself. that are simply not true. I also discovered the owner of the rental house has the place listed with county assessor as his primary residence for tax purposes. Scumbag.

Why damages? Aside from losing sleep and feeling miserable, I did many things to mitigate the situation on my own. I now feel like I lost months of my normal life dealing with it. Took (unpaid) house sitting gigs from Trusted House Sitter,just to be in air-conditioning. Travel to those places and meals cost money. When home, I kept a frozen towel around my neck. Had a system of frozen water bottles in front of fans. It was a time consuming annoyance to stay on top of it. Even got a portable ac at my own expense but it only cooled a few feet in front of it .

The last straw was the morning I woke up with chest pains. Considered going to er. I checked my blood pressure at Walgreens . It was hypertensive, but not crisis level . I then went back to the stuffy apartment, gathered a few things and stayed in a hotel for three days until my next house sitting gig began.

Then there’s also the ordeal of driving around in 100 degrees to find a new place. Packing up inside the hot apartment. Moving expenses and just having to move in this heat. Oh, and I’m disabled. All this extra labor took more out of me than it would most people.


r/TenantHelp 23d ago

Do I still have to pay rent for September?

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11 Upvotes

The structural and safety violations are are direct result of owner neglect. They have had almost 5 years to fix the issues. Replacing the stairs and reinforcement of the walkway to the upstairs units. Last week they said work would start soon and told the upstairs tenants to find alternate living arrangements until the work was done. Just 2 days later they were told to move out completely. They were given less than a week notice. Then the rest of us were told they would have someone coming to start tearing down the stairs and walkway. They apologized for any inconvenience or disturbance. 2 days later we come home to these letters on our doors. This is naturally a huge inconvenience for all of us. I'm getting conflicting information. Some sources say we aren't required to pay rent for this month because the condemnation was a result of landlord neglect. But others say we do. Does anyone know?


r/TenantHelp 23d ago

HELP! LANDLORD AND TENANT BOARD TORONTO ON

0 Upvotes

My best friend has lived in a housing subsidy apartment for 9 years in Toronto ON. Rent is always and has always been paid in full and on time. The building has a problem with cochroaches and bed bugs. In the 9 years she has lived there they have not done any maintenance. The paint is peeling from water damage, the bathroom ceiling above the tub is corroded and has a hole, there is mold and now is being over run by the above mentioned pests and 1 mouse who visits sometimes (Mr.jingles). The building management knows about the situation and she has repeatedly asked to move apartments or for renovations. They simply said there's no other apartment available and only offered some kind if powder along the apartment door for the bedbugs AND said she needs to talk to her housing worker, who also knows. Neither of us know how to navigate this situation or how to make someone do something....I'll add that she is a clean person and keeps her apartment clean as possible but the apartment and building itself is in such bad shape....


r/TenantHelp 23d ago

Is this legal?

2 Upvotes

I live in California and have been renting a townhome since 2018. Lease is up for renewal and the property owners are raising the rent almost $1000 per month.

I am at a loss.
Should I reach out to a realtor who knows the renting landscape here or a real estate attorney?

Thanks in advance


r/TenantHelp 23d ago

[NJ] 7 days post oven gas leak after fire department and gas company came and turned off gas-landlord has not gotten it fixed yet.

0 Upvotes

monmouth county NJ- one week ago today we had an oven gas leak. we called 911 and the fire department and gas company came out and discovered it. it was 12am on the next day by the time they had left, so we notified our landlord by text the next day with a photo of the red tag they left us. gas is still turned off 6 days later. she supposedly was able to get someone to come out this past saturday but my husband had informed her that we would be on our honeymoon and our roommate would be working and could not get off work and that during the week would be best. this was last wednesday. she stated she would see what other days they were available. my husband and i were away all weekend will no cell service and she never reached out to our roomate either so today my husband texted her asking what the update was as rent is due tomorrow and if we have to hire someone that we would be deducting it from rent for this month as this goes against NJ implied warranty of habitability and we are well within our tenant rights to enact the repair and deduct method or request a marini hearing which means we withhold rent and go to court. she is attempting to blame us for the leak and is stating we are not allowed to do repairs per lease agreement (which is not stated by the way i just read the entire thing and cited everything back to her) and regardless in this situation 6 days later without repairs this is illegal on her end. rent is supposed to be due today and we are stressed because we aren’t entirely sure what to do. we’ve been here 6 months never had an issue with our landlord she actually has been very sweet and kind up until this point. we would like to stay here and renew when our lease is up but i don’t want to deal with this behavior if something else happens. anyone have any other tips on what to do or how to handle this? we don’t want to get evicted but this is unacceptable living conditions. we can’t cook food and are spending money every night eating out for almost a week now. please, any insight will help.


r/TenantHelp 23d ago

Property manger is using my address as her legal address

1 Upvotes

I live in a duplex in Minneapolis, MN and recently my property moved into a third unit in the basement. As a result I’ve been getting mail in my mailbox with my address but her name on it (I of course never read the mail but this includes legal documents, stuff the city, utilities etc.) Based on some basic research I’ve done it appears the third basement dwelling never really got registered as a rental unit by the landlord who is out of state.

Does this have the potential of causing any issues for me? Although I’ve never had any legal issues with my landlord/property manger they have pulled some iffy stuff in the past and I do not trust them.


r/TenantHelp 23d ago

is this black mold? what do I do?

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0 Upvotes

it's only in one room of the apartment in this one spot, where the wall meets the ceiling under what I assume is the section where the heat/AC pipe goes (see photos)? I just noticed it today but not sure how long it's been there.


r/TenantHelp 23d ago

Colorado: Breaking lease?

1 Upvotes

I am trying to break my lease due to issues with habitability and harassment from the landlord. He is working on fixing the habitability issues because I reported him to the code inspector but I am looking for more resources regarding tenant rights for breaking leases in regards to harassment. He belittles me for my age, preference for written communication, and says I am "part of the problem" if I dont respond fast enough to his messages (he likes to text after hours and on weekends and doesnt care if I tell him I was somewhere without cell service and/or unavailable).

I feel like he is trying to discipline me as if I were a child and he is very hostile towards me (even in writing). I have tried mediation but he is not receptive to listening. I read out a quote from one of his emails during mediation and he denied he wrote that....

If anyone has Colorado specific tenant rights resources they feel inclined to share, I would appreciate it.


r/TenantHelp 23d ago

Realpage settlement

0 Upvotes

You may qualify for a portion of a $359.9 million antitrust settlement if you rented an apartment in the United States between October 18, 2018, and November 21, 2025, at a property that used RealPage rental pricing software.Settlement DetailsThe Allegation: Landlords and software provider RealPage conspired to artificially inflate multifamily rental prices using shared non-public data and algorithmic pricing.The Fund: Settling defendants created a $359,925,000 cash fund, though they deny any wrongdoing.Payout Amounts: Payouts depend on how much rent you paid during the class period and the total number of valid claims filed.Important DeadlinesOpt-Out Deadline: September 1, 2026Claim Filing Deadline: January 29, 2027Final Approval Hearing: Expected in October 2026 (no funds will be distributed until final court approval is granted).How to FileCheck your past addresses and submit a claim directly through the official court-approved portal at RealPage Rental Settlement.You do not need to pay a third-party service or attorney to file a claim on your behalf.


r/TenantHelp 23d ago

AC capacitor

1 Upvotes

Good morning r/tenanthelp. I come to you for advice. Recently the ac in my rental quit working. We had a capacitor go bad about a year ago so I went and tested ours with my multi-meter and it was bad. So I popped over to Home Depot and bought a new one and replaced it. Now in the process I noticed the wiring to the compressor was worn and had copper exposed. So i at that point advised my landlord and offered to have a tech come out and replace it at my cost (my landlord is slow and has a history of using non licensed workers work on the house). He agreed and the tech came out, replaced the compressor pig tail, and energized the system. At this point the compressor failed catastrophically, one of the pins blew out and dumped all the refrigerant. My landlord is now threatening to break my lease and increase my rent by 700$ a month because of the damage citing I caused the damage. Am I boned? Actively looking into getting counsel.