my apartment suddenly added extra charges that were never explained… is this normal? (CA)
i’m 25 and i recently noticed extra charges showing up on my monthly rent statement that were never clearly explained when i moved in. at first i thought maybe i just overlooked something in the lease, but some of the fees feel really vague or random, things like “service fees,” “processing fees,” and other small charges that slowly add up every month. the frustrating part is that nobody really explained these costs beforehand, so my actual monthly payment ends up being higher than what i originally budgeted for. i’m trying to figure out if this is just a normal renting experience now or if i should actually question it more seriously.
for other renters, have you dealt with surprise fees or unexplained charges like this? and how do you tell the difference between legitimate charges vs management just squeezing extra money out of tenants?