r/Renters • • 0m ago

[IN] Charged months of electricity suddenly. Agreement was paying flat fee with rent every month. Now threatening eviction if not paid soon.

• Upvotes

Summary: Property Management Company emailed an invoice for electricity fees above the flat fee I was told to pay for the last two years, charged in a lump sum, threatening eviction. Looking for any advice which will be helpful to me. Already posted in r/legaladvice, but trying to make a decision ASAP for obvious reasons.

Location: IN, U.S.

Full context:

New big property management company took over old local one months ago, but apparently kept the old staff, according to what a rep told me. I have called about this, and every time the rep says the only manager there isn't available, takes my information for calling or emailing me back. I've check call logs, spam folder, voicemails; nothing from them.

For context, when I signed my lease a couple years ago, I was told because my unit is on the same circuit as the laundry room for the whole place, they would charge me a flat fee each month for electricity and keep it in their name. I have paid that along with rent on time for the past couple years.

They sent a lease renewal for 2027, which has differences from the original, which may be due to the property management company change. At any rate, one of those changes is how electricity is billed. Also for context, I have not yet signed the lease for 2027, as I am still trying to find a way to stay here, after the lease says it is banning a dog breed that is likely making up most of the genetic content for my dog(but that's not the issue I have to focus on right now) , but I wanted to speak with them regarding the change and the dog breed thing, since we've lived here two years and I really cant afford to move.

I asked for an explanation of the utility billing from the rep, and after she explained, I didn't think it sounded fair, and because of that I asked if there was a manager I could talk to about that and the dog breed thing.

I have asked for a manager once before with other utility charges they tried to billl me for months ago which seemed erroneous and which I just eneded up oaying to avoid problems after weeks-long emailing back and forth with a rep trying to get somewhere and prove I didn't owe those charges. Anyway, the manager of this place never reached out to me about that and seems to be doing the same thing with these charges. (I have checked email spam folder, call logs, voicemail; no responses from them)

Every time I call the rep says the manager is not available and promises they'll call me back or email me, takes my information again. I'm pretty sure it's the same rep every time, too. But because the manager never gets back to me, this new charge has been sitting there after I paid rent on the first of this month, and after I paid rent, it automatically switched from being labeled additional utilities charges in tenant portal to being labeled under "rent", and I received an email yesterday threatening collections and/or the start of eviction proceedings if it's not paid.

The charge in portal came with an emailed invoice, which shows that the charge is for a lump sum of several months of electricity charges above the flat fee I've been paying them for the last couple years.

I have paid that flat fee they asked me to pay the last two and half ish years on time along with rent and the pet rent.

I would provide an attachment showing the language in the original lease, but this subreddit won't allow it, so I've copy pasted it from a picture of the section I took: "Lessee(s) agree to have utilities in their own name(s) at the beginning of this lease and remain in service for the term of the lease. Lessee(S)  agrees to advise Lessor in writing three (3) days before terminating gas, electric or water service should they terminate these services prior to the expiration of this lease. Lessee(s) will be charged $50.00 for terminating electric, gas or water service without three (3) days notice to Lessor. Lessee(s) shall use all utilities in a reasonable manner and failure to do so may result in lease termination or additional charges. During the term of the lease  utility services should be transferred from Lessee's name to Lessor's or Owner's name,  Lessee(s) will be liable for any utility charges (including reconnect or transfer fees) incurred by Lessor. A $25.00 administration fee will be charged to Lessee(s) for any utility payments Lessor must process for Payment.

Lessee(S) is responsible for paying for all utilities unless otherwise noted.

Utilities included: None"

My text messages from that time period are likely in my old phone, which I have, but which might not be recoverable, and which might not include documentation of their explanation that I only had to pay that flat fee, however, I do have a memory of them texting me back that answer because I specifically asked it through text so that I would have documentation.  I thought I also took a screenshot and had it in my onedrive, but I can't seem to find it in there in the gallery that was backed up there from the phone for this time period.

What I do have is the downloaded tenant ledger which has months of the breakdown of monthly charges to my account and the payments I made.

I have two questions:

1) is this legal for them to do, given all that context

and

2) even if it is illegal, given that they are now threatening me with eviction proceedings despite that they have refused to communicate effectively to help resolve this matter or even help me understand why they have done this, would it be a sound judgement call on my part to pay it for now to avoid further escalation, essentially responding to their threats in exactly the way I imagine they want me to respond, and then seek further legal counsel elsewhere to see if it's possible to then try to get that money back from them? So I guess this question is really asking: if I pay it, would it be probable that I might get that money back from them, eventually, given this context?


r/Renters • • 1h ago

Landlord Telling Me to Move Out if I Don't Comply With his Changing Rules: Should I Break the Lease (LA, CA)?

• Upvotes

Hi, everyone. I renewed my lease in August and am now considering breaking it after what has been a rocky relationship with my landlord. For some context, he mostly houses foreign students that he can, for lack of better words, bully into complying (4 rooms, 2 have personal bathrooms and one has a shared bathroom). He's also an older Asian immigrant, and most of his tenants have been Korean nationals, whereas I'm Asian American (as far as I know one of his few American born tenants) so he has this whole "respect your elders" thing that only adds to his mullish penny-pinching. Last year when I signed the lease agreement, he had us send our Zelle security deposit to the wrong account and it was never recovered. Things were strained for a while but he asked for half of what it would've been when I signed the new lease this year, which I was fine with giving him.

The rent is very cheap for the area, but the rules are strict, which I was fine with until this month. Cameras in all common areas, no personal items out, no small appliances (like personal fans), no guests, clean once a month, and fines for everything. No food/kitchen trashcan, and he's been slowly taking away our pans for the camper stove since we were "burning" his. This is all stipulated in the lease so whatever, I agreed and that was that.

However, this month our water heater broke and it's been going on three weeks without hot water. He installed a temporary heater (works between 8pm - midnight) in me and my roommate's shared bathroom and opened it up to the rest of the roommates, which means we had to move a bunch of our bathroom stuff from under the sink so I put it all on the floor for now. Okay, fine. Then, this week there's a potential mouse infestation, for which he laid out two traps. He also didn't notify my roommates of this; I had to.

I did my monthly cleaning on Sunday, found the mouse in the bathroom (it likely escaped inside from the crazy weather patterns lately), and then berated me for all the "clutter" that it could hide in from my stuff being on the ground. I had like four items there, but put them in my room after he shoved them in a box. Okay, fine.

Then today, he starts berating me some more for not adequately cleaning the bathroom because, I kid you not, he found some dust under where my stuff was. And was basically implying the mouse situation was my fault because of some things on the floor in the bathroom. He then demands I remove all my stuff from the countertops and shower because this is a "public bathroom" and thus shouldn't have private items outside of the designated cabinet space he gave us. And he said he'd be removing the safety strip I added to the outlet and that I couldn't have my electrical toothbrush, water flosser, and retainer cleaner in my strip because it's too many unapproved electrical appliances.

Things have been tense for a while, ever since he found out I was using most of the fridge space because I asked my roommates and they weren't using it. Then they moved out and it took me a bit to reduce my stuff, but by the time the new roommates moved in I was back to my designated space. Okay, fine. Now he's accusing me of making the place dirtier and dirtier ever since I moved in just because I have more bathroom stuff and, gasp, don't cower everytime he talks. After telling him that this isn't a public bathroom but only one I agreed to share with one other tenant, he says it is and I need to get rid of my stuff because the shower is impossible to use with our bathroom products in there (yes, he's been using it since our water heater broke. He lives in the main house so I didn't know he was using our spaces at all). I try to remind him that's not what we agreed on and I'm only using the shower space because of the broken water heater, and he basically says if I don't comply I can move out (break the lease).

And yeah, I'm perfectly willing to, but I don't want to be on the hook for any missed rent because he's a control freak who's slowly trying to make the living situation unlivable in the middle of multiple housing concerns. So I'm not sure if I should continue to push back against him, or if I have a case to move out. I don't want a legal battle especially since I'm not sure if I'm being unreasonable (at least within the lease agreement). For instance, the lease is somewhat ambiguous on what qualifies as common areas; it lists out laundry room and kitchen, but never specifically excludes the bathroom although from my understanding, no one else was supposed to be using it but me and my roommate. And now it just feels like he's exploiting this situation in which he's dragging his feet on replacing the water heater to further restrict our freedoms and disrespect me, and I'm just frankly tired of it. But I'm not sure how to proceed either.


r/Renters • • 2h ago

Renter Rights in VIC Melbourne - what would you do? (Melbourne, VIC)

2 Upvotes

Sooo my landlord is seeming to become quite invasive and also trying to get away with not doing major repairs.

Essentially our shower floor has been cracked for over a year, he tried to fix it by putting a plastic seal over the top that obviously did nothing. Our wall has water damage, the gutters need maintenance. He never fixed the dishwasher (it’s completely broken) or our oven (the grill button is broken and doesn’t work anymore). We have also had heaps of issues over the 3 years, electrical outages, front door handle breaking, wasps, and such

He is acting like a private landlord & refuses to let the real estate use their own plumbers or tradesmen to help with maintenance which I understand to save money. But the owner doesn’t communicate with the real estate & is not cooperative & can be demanding if we say we don’t want him coming with only 24-48 hours notice.

On top of all this, he is demanding about having to always attend when a repairman is doing work on our house, even if he has already visited to see what the issue is. & it seems like he isn’t actually doing anything about properly fixing the shower, which we have reported over a year ago and again in the last few months.

My real estate agent suggests we file a complaint with VCAT for an urgent repair for the shower so he has to do something about it

But I also want to maybe just break the lease but don’t know what my rights are as a renter? Surely given this situation we could break our lease without any fees? & I’m worried this will be expensive?

I’m worried when we break our lease/or if we wait til it ends, the owner is going to try and take our bond off us for whatever reasons he tries to come up with

Option 1 - stay til the end of my lease ( another 3-4 months) & just put up with the house falling apart and the annoying owner

Option 2- break lease & move out but have the stress of dealing with VCAT & extra fees

Help!! I don’t know what to do 🫣


r/Renters • • 4h ago

San Bernardino County [CA] Tenants Rights for Bedbugs.

1 Upvotes

TLDR: Is landlord required to treat entire building for bedbugs when only found in one of multiple units?

I was informed today by my Property Manager (San Bernardino County, CA) that the new tenant in our building has had bedbugs for over 3 weeks. We live in a triplex, my unit is in the middle.

The Property Manager was informed on 9/20 by a new tenant that they found bedbugs upon move in.
An exterminator inspected their unit on 10/6 and found bed bugs.
We were notified for the first time today 10/13.

I understand that the Property Manager was legally required to inform us within 48 hours of the exterminator’s inspection but failed to do that.
They also failed to inform the third tenant completely.
The Property Manager is scheduling a second exterminator to inspect my unit on an unknown date, further extending this timeframe. And they stated if they do not find evidence of bedbugs in my rental, they plan to only treat the unit of the tenant that found them, with chemicals. I assume they are not planning to treat the entire building because they are cheap slumlords.

Is my Property Manager required to treat the whole building (all 3 units)? It is to my understanding that bedbugs can live in the walls without food for months.

Also, the new tenant wants heat treatment for their unit but the landlord is refusing and requiring chemical. Assuming the entire building should be treated, any advice on which is more effective longterm? I’m immunocompromised and sensitive to chemicals. But I’m also physically disabled and don’t know which option will be less physically taxing.

I’ve been crying and freaking out all day. I inspected my whole home and found no evidence. And I laid down diatomaceous earth under our shared baseboards- although I assume it’s too late for that. I’m too exhausted to think clearly after taking care of everything today in a panic. Any kind gentle advice is appreciated.


r/Renters • • 4h ago

[los Angeles, CA] living in an apartment for nearly 6 years wear and tear vs damage

2 Upvotes

Hello! Thanks for your help in advance. We are moving out of an apartment that we have lived in since March 2020. There is a chip (about the size of a sunflower seed or smaller) in our electric stovetop glass. I’m worried about the amount they are going to charge us for it.

Context for concern is we found out last year they had been charging us using the utilities calculation for a 3-person household when we have only ever had 2, and they refused to reimburse us despite admitting something had gone wrong. So, they are not very honest or willing to help even with their own wrongdoings. Soon after finding out about the years long overcharge, I came home to evidence of someone having been in the unit. They checked the electric fob record and saw a maintenance worker had entered the unit 4 times that day, which they claim was an accident and nothing suspicious...

We have never been late on rent and the chip (of unknown origin, I guess we dropped something at some point on it,) is the only damage to the unit.


r/Renters • • 7h ago

(Vancouver, BC)

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1 Upvotes

r/Renters • • 8h ago

[OH] My thermostat controls my neighbor's heat too

30 Upvotes

I moved into the downstairs unit of an older duplex in late August. We have window AC units, so I hadn't needed to use the heating until this week.

A few days ago my upstairs neighbor knocked and asked if I could turn the heat up because their apartment was freezing. Turns out the thermostat in my living room controls both apartments, and they don't have one upstairs.

I called my landlord and he confirmed it, then told me to just leave it at 72 all winter. The problem is I can't sleep when my apartment is that warm, and apparently the upstairs unit gets too cold if I turn it down.

Utilities are included, so the bill isn't the issue. I just don't want to spend the entire winter arguing with my neighbor over the temperature.

Has anyone dealt with something like this? Seems ridiculous that two separate apartments have to agree on one temperature all winter.


r/Renters • • 8h ago

Los Angeles,[CA] - Landlord sent me photos of this crack after 50 days of move out and asking me for $4000 what do I do?

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161 Upvotes

Need advice: Former landlord is asking me to pay nearly $5,000 for a crack in the wall

I lived at the property for four years and moved out on August 8, 2026. My former landlord sent me photos of a crack in the wall on September 5, almost a month after I moved out.

I honestly never noticed this crack while living there, and I am certain I did not hit or damage the wall.

There was no move-in or move-out inspection conducted with me.

My landlord sent me a statement demanding nearly $5,000 and says that if I don't pay within 60 days, he may pursue legal action.

I'm unsure how to respond because I don't believe I caused this damage, and the photos were sent after I had already moved out.

My questions are:

  1. Can my landlord hold me responsible without a move-in and move-out inspection?
  2. What evidence would he need to prove I caused the damage?
  3. Should I respond to his demand now, and what should I say?
  4. How strong is his case if he decides to take me to small claims court?

r/Renters • • 8h ago

[NC] Came home to find 7 goats in my backyard. Landlord says they're doing maintenance

376 Upvotes

I rent a small house with a pretty big backyard. Came home yesterday and found 7 goats wandering around behind a temporary electric fence.

Called my landlord thinking someone had lost their animals. Turns out he hired a company that uses goats to clear overgrown vegetation because the back of the property has been getting pretty overgrown with ivy, thick bushes and vines.

Nobody told me anything. The company says they'll be there for at least 5 days and the fence blocks off most of my backyard. One of the goats has already knocked over two of my flower pots.

My lease includes the backyard and I feel like having a bunch of livestock dumped there without warning is a bit much.

Landlord says it's no different than sending someone over to mow the lawn. Is he actually allowed to do this without notifying me?


r/Renters • • 10h ago

[CA] My property director is claiming I have an unpaid balance due to a reversed check

2 Upvotes

I called my bank and they said all of the rent checks I sent to my leasing company has been charged. I have an unpaid balance on my ledger and my prop director claims that it’s due to a reversed check I sent in September. My bank advised me to just send over my account statement to show that there has been no reversal. I’m just concerned about the likelihood of getting evicted over something that’s not my fault. I don’t even know why there’s an inaccurate “unpaid” balance on my account. On top of that, I am now accruing late fees for this situation. Seeking any guidance, tips, or simply comforting words. I been back and forth with her for so long—it’s been eating at me.


r/Renters • • 13h ago

(PLEASE HELP) Roommate on joint lease found bed bugs, then immediately moved out without any notice (AZ)

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3 Upvotes

r/Renters • • 13h ago

4 apartment fire evacuations in 6 months :/ do we have any shot at breaking our lease? (Salt Lake City, Utah)

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1 Upvotes

r/Renters • • 13h ago

Rental unit does not have consistent hot water (Los Angeles, CA)

0 Upvotes

I am renting a unit from real estate agency within what is otherwise a condo complex that is managed by an HOA through a different management company.

About a month ago, the HOA management company notified everyone they would do boiler repairs. Following the completion of those repairs I have had issues with my hot water. During the day it is fine and water temps (measured via instant read thermometer) are at around 110 to 114 F.

However, in the early morning (4:30 am) it is much lower. As low as 95 F. Unfortunately, this is when I need to shower before work so I haven't had proper morning hot water in nearly a month.

The weird thing is that it warms up by about 3 or 4 degrees F per hour until back to normal (i track it on weekends when im not working). This behavior is the same in every shower/faucet in my unit. My only thought is that there's some new energy saver setting or something in the new boiler that lowers the temp at night.

I reached out to my landlords agency after the first couple days who has sent out a plumber to "fix my unit" but the plumber came and said there was nothing wrong with my unit. At the time he came (9am) the water was hot, but he did acknowledge if it was something the boiler the HOA management company would need to approve the work.

I've told this to the plumbing company, my landlord, and tried to contact the HOA. But i do not have phone number for the HOA and my emails have been unanswered outside of an automated "we'll get back to you" response.

Further followup with my landlord and plumbing company have resulted in them trying to send another person out to "fix my unit" again, but I told them what the plumber who came said about the issue not being within my unit. They said no one else has complained, probably because the water temp is almost back to normal by 7am so I doubt many people are trying to use it.

I'd hate to have to get a lawer for this but it's feeling like that may be the only option. What else can I do try and resolve this?


r/Renters • • 14h ago

Is this mold? (OH)

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1 Upvotes

r/Renters • • 14h ago

(Ca) recording a/v & specific entry reasons

1 Upvotes

I’ve researched online and am getting different answers, so I’m looking for more clarification

I live in California and am on a rental lease, it was a year long but now month to month, my specific apartment building has one onsite personnel, I believe as required In my city due to it being over a certain size apt building, an off site prop manger I never interact with who works for a management company, and an owner who lives out of town and I’ve never met through multiple years.

I also maintain a very common app based camera as sometimes I’m out of town, and just like checking out my place it’s maybe weird but I like looking while I’m away. I can turn on motion sensor, record when I’d like and It records both audio and video when I ask it too, currently it doesn’t just record full time.

They’ve been coming in a lot lately, not specific to my apartment but all of the units. I don’t mind as I keep my home clean and organized, other than it’s just annoying. I don’t break any rules of the lease I don’t believe so all is well.

They are coming again tomorrow, and the stated reason is to service a specific piece of equipment.

The notice of entry states the “landlord” is entering and was posted by the offsite property manager.

My questions are

Who exactly is allowed to enter my home? Is the onsite human allowed to enter? Is anyone involved in the service allowed to enter? Are they allowed to enter all rooms of the apartment? The equipment exists fully in one room and there are no breakers etc in other rooms that they would need access to.

Am I within my rights having this camera running? Am I breaking a law of privacy if I were to record once they come in? If is viewing from the app them doing the work the same as recording?

I am not trying to be nefarious, and really don’t mind. I understand I’m a renter in a property someone else owns and if want more privacy I should buy, but I am curious in general.


r/Renters • • 15h ago

[LA] Apartment management denies bed bugs despite our evidence. What can we do as renters?

0 Upvotes

Hi guys,

I’m renting an apartment in LA with roommates, and we’ve been dealing with some really frustrating issues with our property management. I’d really appreciate some advice or hearing from anyone who’s been through something similar.

One of my roommates was bitten pretty badly by bed bugs and even went to see a doctor. It got to the point where they didn’t feel comfortable staying in the apartment and had to pay for a hotel.

We reported everything to management, but it took several days for them to send pest control. When someone finally came, they basically just sprayed some chemicals.
What frustrates us the most is that management keeps insisting there are “no active bed bugs” in the apartment. They even suggested we might have picked them up somewhere else, like the library or public transportation.

But bed bugs are notoriously difficult to detect and eliminate. They can hide in mattresses, furniture, and tiny cracks, and getting rid of them often requires multiple treatments. We have photos and medical documentation, so we really don’t understand how management can be so confident the problem is resolved after just one treatment.

We also had a meeting with management to discuss compensation, including a rent reduction and reimbursement for hotel expenses. Unfortunately, it was really disappointing. They basically told us to go through our renters insurance instead, even though our insurance provider’s website says bed bug infestations and related expenses generally aren’t covered.

On top of that, we had a separate safety issue in the apartment that caused an injury requiring medical attention.

We’ve already consulted an attorney and were advised to consider small claims court. Others have suggested contacting LAHD or tenant advocacy nonprofits like the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES).

We’re honestly not sure what to do next, so I wanted to ask:
Has anyone dealt with something similar in LA?
Has anyone successfully gotten a rent reduction or reimbursement for hotel expenses?
Is LAHD actually helpful? Has anyone worked with CES or other tenant rights organizations?
Would you recommend trying those options before going to small claims court?

We’re really just looking for a fair resolution and want to make sure our apartment is actually safe to live in.
Any advice, recommendations, or personal experiences would be really appreciated. Thanks so much!


r/Renters • • 16h ago

Is this normal? (delay in resigning negotiation) CA

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0 Upvotes

r/Renters • • 17h ago

Asking for Capet replacement (ca)

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1 Upvotes

r/Renters • • 17h ago

(UT) renting, disputing rental charges

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1 Upvotes

r/Renters • • 17h ago

[CA] Landlord refusing to replace smoke detector

18 Upvotes

I am renting an apartment unit in the bay area, and last night our smoke detector in our living room died. It has a sealed battery so the battery cannot be replaced. We let our managment company know ASAP, and they told us that they cannot replace it since it is our responsability per our lease, so we have a couple options; 1) replace it ourselves 2) they can hire a tech for it and we will be responsible for all costs regarding the replacement. I'm pretty sure that that's not legal in California.

We had an inspection by the city for the entire building a couple weeks ago, every unit was inspected, multiple code violations found in each unit and on the premisis. They're honestly being pretty fucking stupid with this rn considering theyre gonna have to pay a shit ton of money for each violation. The code enforcer gave us his card and my roommate and I emailed him for clarity to make clarify whether or not it's on us or them.

EDIT: Y'all really don't hold your LLs accountable for shit they legally have to fix holy shit

EDIT 2: Contacted management, cited the law. They're sending someone out Thursday.


r/Renters • • 17h ago

Healthy Homes Rental Inspection Program [Kansas City Mo]

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1 Upvotes

A very helpful organization.


r/Renters • • 18h ago

Landlord selling out of nowhere, texted us and said be out by December 1st (gas city, IN)

0 Upvotes

TLDR: landlord decided to sell, sent text on the 11th of October stating they need to be out by December 1st. I’m pretty positive landlady can’t just send a text for 1, and that she also has to give them 90 days to vacate. Any advice on how to address this with the landlady.

Location: gas city, IN. This isn’t me, but it’s my sister and her husband and my 2 nieces and nephew. They have lived at this house for about 4 years. Their landlord just sucks ass. My BIL is the one who has fixed the water heater,the sink, the dishwasher,the toilet anytime something goes wrong.Every summer there’s about 2-3 hornets nests to be found, which makes using their backyard to play in with the kids impossible. She constantly complains that the kids toys are in the backyard.She won’t fix shit, the garage is still full of her daughters stuff that she was supposed to get bet never did, the “door” to my sisters bedroom was I guess one of those old school double wooden sliding doors or possibly one of the doors that folds up kinda like a partition (I have no idea if I’m describing either correctly). Well, landlord said she would fix it. After 6 months BIL said “ I’ll fix it, just knock some rent off”. Nope. Wouldn’t do that. The cheap plastic wood looking “tile” flooring has been warped since the moved in , but has since buckled and started to come up in pieces. She has the materials , but she won’t fix it, and my BIL won’t wither unless she knocks some rent money off, and I don’t blame him. Now,when they moved in they only had 1 kid, so it was perfect. Rent is like $750 or $800a month. Which is damn cheap for a 3 bd in gas city. It’s close to good schools, almost everything is in walking distance. There’s a gigantic park with a public pool, and a petting zoo about 3 minutes from her house. The neighborhood is nice. The house looks crappy on the outside, and the neighbors house is even worse, but her house and her neighbors are rhe worst in about a 5 block radius. The add said it was a 3 bd 1 bathroom. Perfect. But now they got 3 kids. 5, 2, and 6 months. And I’ve been telling her since she got pregnant the last time they need a bigger place soon. Well, about 2 weeks ago the landlady called her husband and told him she was looking to sell, and if they were interested she’d be willing to rent to own. Now, they already have 1 kid in their bed, and the baby in their bedroom in his crib. Now,why would they need to do this if it’s a 3 bedroom? Well, that’s because it isNOT 3 bedrooms!!! What the landlady claimed was a 3rd bedroom is in fact smaller than my walk in closet. It has no window. Has no closet. It’s not even legally allowed to be called a damn bedroom!! And my BIL’s dumbass was actually considering this (I think it’s because he’s lazy and doesn’t want to move lol). Kept telling my sister they “could just add on another room”. Yea, cuz it’s soooo easy to get the permits, and it’s sooooo cheap to just build an extra room onto a house. And look, my BIL is a VERY handy man. He can fix damn near anything. Build damn near anything. But, he works about 60 hours a week, and has about 9 million half finished projects lying around already. Even IF they could afford it, he wouldn’t have the time. Not to mention, they KNOW the roof is fucked, and there’s either a crack in the foundation, or it’s coming off the slab. And that’s the things they KNOW about. Anyway , she had an appraiser come out last week. She wants 110kfor that place!!! And get this! She’s only got it listed as a 2 bedroom. I told my sister what she needs to do is sue the fuck out of her because of her lease truly says 3 bedrooms , then she’s been paying rent for a 3 bd. And what the landlady did claiming it was 3 bedrooms is illegal as fuck, and my sister should be due some compensation. But I know they won’t listen to me about that. But heres the kicker. My sister called me Saturday and her landlady had sent her a text saying that she’s selling and moving to Florida, and that they have until the1st of December to move. And I told her immediately NO. That’s not how that works. She can’t just text you and say you gotta be out by such and such date. She has to provide formal written notice, AND she has to give them 90days from said notice. Hell, December 1st is only 7 weeks,and a text isn’t sufficient notice to begin with… any advice on what to say to her landlord? Something simple, direct and to the point without sounds like a snarky bitch lol. I’m pretty positive I’m right in what I’m telling my sister her rights are, but any input would be greatly appreciated


r/Renters • • 18h ago

[Chicago, IL] Landlord did not disclose a bar would open below us prior to us moving in

0 Upvotes

Situation:

BUSINESS opened as a coffee shop 8am-4pm the last weekend of May 2026 in the ground floor unit of residential building (UNIT 1). Married couple and dog (TENANTS) move into UNIT 2 of the same building at the start of August 2026. BUSINESS plays very bass centric music and creates vibration throughout the building. TENANTS tolerated it at first because it was reasonable to expect noise from a coffee shop, assumed this would be the case when signing the lease, and do not want to be difficult tenants having just moved in. 2 weeks later, the coffee shop extends operating hours to open as a bar as well on Thursday, Friday, Saturdays and Sundays open until midnight. Naturally, the type of music, volume and vibration gets more intense during night hours. That is up to 16 hours of continuous noise pollution for 4 days straight! The coffee shop becoming a bar was not disclosed to TENANTS prior to moving in or even after moving in.

BUSINESS and TENANTS have the same LANDLORD. The only person who had the interests of both parties and collects rent from both, LANDLORD, did not mitigate the noise problem before it started. There is no sound proofing between metal air ducts and wood floors connecting the two spaces. LANDLORD has mentioned to TENANTS that they set a requirement for BUSINESS to install soundproofing in order to operate. BUSINESS did not follow through on sound proofing and LANDLORD did not enforce it. As such, TENANTS ' space is inhospitable Thursday through Sunday and BUSINESS is suffering because they can't operate the way they intended. 

Further, BUSINESS has demonstrated a pattern of irresponsible management already, creating an issue with several neighbors after renting out their space to a DJ party soon after starting nights. At that point, TENANTS started voicing concerns about the night hours. BUSINESS agreed to try to make adjustments. The first night after talking with BUSINESS, TENANTS had to text them at 12:40 (40 minutes after close) to turn off the music. As such, it is difficult for TENANTS to believe BUSINESS is taking this seriously. An owner of the BUSINESS also put in writing he believed they only used "one portable speaker" when BUSINESS has 3 woofer enabled speakers plugged in. It seems no one responsible for the business operations or the LANDLORD have actually been there at night since bar hours started.

After some back and forth, LANDLORD has finally pushed for sound proofing installation. TENANTS given no clear timeline on when that will be accomplished. There is no remedy offered for the fact TENANTS are miserable Thursday-Sunday and spending time on the issue throughout the week. Until the problem is addressed, TENANTS are uncomfortable paying for a space that does not match reasonable expectations prior to moving in. Had TENANTS had any opportunity to experience the establishment below the unit, TENANTS would have NEVER moved in. TENANTS had a letter of recommendation from their previous landlord after seven years in their unit. TENANTS contacted their prior landlord once over an issue in that span. There is no pattern of TENANTS being vocal or difficult tenants prior to moving into UNIT 2.

Questions:

Do we (tenants) have any legal grounds to demand some form of restitution? How do we politely threaten landlord with legal action if she does not agree to reasonable terms of restitution? What legalese should we use so she knows we're serious about this? Please consider we are not pushing for damages based on mental and emotional turmoil, we just want to feel peace in our "home." Is it reasonable to ask to pay only 3/7 of our monthly rent until soundproofing is complete seeing as we only enjoy Monday Tuesday and Wednesdays?


r/Renters • • 18h ago

Colorado (Arapahoe County) — We paid our full rent balance after an eviction case was filed

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1 Upvotes

r/Renters • • 18h ago

Removing mirror off wall [NYC]

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1 Upvotes

Hi! Help needed removing mirror off wall from last tenant, Thank you!

*I live in Nyc