Tenant Landlord dispute question

[WernhamHogg]

The manager at our old apartment complex is trying to charge us AGAIN for rent for the month of May of 2006. We DID pay this with a money order and have the receipt from the office to prove it. When we still lived at that complex, we received notice from the manager on THREE separate occasions that we had 3 days to pay it or leave. Each time we received one of these notices, we brought the receipt into the office and showed her the receipt yet she is STILL trying to charge us this amount.

At the end of May, we had another dispute with her involving a package which was delivered to the office of the complex which she signed for and then either lost or stole. When she rudely refused to offer us any help to resolve the issue with the package and after speaking with both the sender and the shipping company who confirmed that the last time they saw the package was when it was signed for by the manager, we contacted the management company that she works for and reported the problem with the package to them. This was near the end of June 2006.

Two days after e-mailing the company that she works for, we received 30 days notice from the manager that our lease is up and she would not renew it. That was fine with us since we had enough of her shit and were already looking for a new apartment. We also received ANOTHER 3 day notice to pay the rent for May of 2006 or leave. We AGAIN took the receipt for May 2006 to her and someone in her office made a photo copy of it.

After we moved to our new complex in the beginning of July we received a bill in the mail from her trying AGAIN to get us to pay for the May 2006 rent. We again tried to contact the management company to resolve the issue and their only response was that our concerns had been forwarded to "the regional manager".

I'm really starting to feel like this woman is harassing us as we have now been turned over to a collection agency for not paying the May 2006 rent. Furthermore, she has now made claims on the Internet that we were evicted for not paying our rent for two months in a row which is completely false AND she has made claims on the Internet that she has informed us numerous times that the package we never received is in the office of our old apartment complex (we were NEVER informed of this and the last time we spoke to her about the package, she told us: "I've already told you, I sent it back. I'm not going to tell you again" and hung up the phone on us).

We don't have a lot of money to fight this and we are happy in our new complex, but I'm afraid that this is going to seriously damage our credit, our reputation and our chances to someday rent another apartment. Does anyone have any advice because I feel like I'm totally out of options here and backed into a corner.

[Der Blaue Engel]

1. My partner got quite a nice settlement

Enough to live on for a year and a half, when his landlord pulled a stupid stunt like this. It sounds like you have an iron-clad case. Get a lawyer.

[Sequoia]

2. As a person experienced with jerk landlords...

A previous landlord we had served us an eviction notice the day before Thanksgiving which made the whole holiday season one long nightmare. I had been laid off and we were living on tuna melts basically. We contacted a lawyer service like "We The People", and didn't have to pay a dime. We had all our documents, etc. and I'd write a day by day account of what went down. So much so the lawyer told me she didn't need all that because I, that's me, was doing their, mean old landord's lawyer, for them. He once tried to pull the "I didn't receive your check so I'm going to charge you more." Well, the check was returned from his post office even though the address was correct. I had to drive to San Pedro to give him a new check, minus the $20, and later on when I got the returned mail I wrote void on the check and sent it to him AGAIN. Gotta watch out for these "Crime and Punishment" type landlords(ladies, huh!.

Good luck and don't give up.

[MADem]

3. You could look for a legal aid office in your area...maybe call the

state bar association and ask them if they have any referral services or help for low income folks???

Are you documenting these encounters with certified letters? Verbal "I said this" and "I showed her that" doesn't cut it. Make sure you are following up your "show them the money" with a certified letter saying "On blah date I showed you a receipt for such and such, and here's ANOTHER copy of the same receipt enclosed." Send copies to the entire chain of command--certified or better yet, registered letter.

If you are not documenting your encounters, start. Now. Then call legal aid.

[Donnachaidh]

4. she works with a management company -- do they require her

to have a realtor's license?

If so, you can file a complaint against her directly with the Board of Realtors. I'm hoping you have some documentation on the stolen package, and the false accusations of unpaid rent.

The State Boards take ethics VERY seriously. If she has a license, and it is not placed in a visible area in her office - ASK for her license number. She is REQUIRED to provide that to you when asked.

She can LOSE her license if she REFUSES to give you that number. And remind her of that, too.

I'd start with them. I would then contact the BBB for the area that the CORPORATE offices are in, and file a complaint against THEM, as well as a local BBB complaint against the complex themselves.

Also look for local renters rights organizations. Check your local county offices to see if there is any help available thru them.

That's just for starters.

[lumpy]

5. Try your state attorney general's office.

In my state there is a division for landlord/renter disputes.