r/Renters

Is this even legal?

I live in an over priced cabin that I happen to love so much that I’ve dealt with the world’s worst landlord for 4 years.

My cabin is a small studio with no attached bathroom, me and 3 other cabins SHARE a nice but small single person bathroom (inconvenient but it works).

I got a text from my landlord that I owed him an extra $10/month for my girlfriend using the bathroom (not showering) maybe 10 times a month. With that being said my girlfriend and I have been on an extended trip and haven’t even been to my cabin in almost 6 months now?

I just renewed my lease and it doesn’t mention anything about guests usage of the bathroom, just the typical if they’re there for extended time they need to be added to the lease. Is this even legal? Do I pay him? Do I tell him to fuck off or use the $10 to fix all the things I’ve asked for years to be fixed?

Location: Pleasanton, California

My partner and I are currently renting a one bedroom for $2700. An acquaintance of ours is renting a townhouse from the same apartment complex (2 bed 2.5) They claim their rent is $3500. They need to move and have 3 months left on their lease and would like to move asap.

We emailed the leasing office and stated we were interested and this was their response:

#1234 has not submitted their notice to vacate so the apartment is not on the market, unfortunately without them being on notice we wont be able to let you know what the price is or when it would be available. Currently, we have another townhome #1236 for $4,257 and #1235 for $4,532. It could be more or less, just depends on the market when they give notice.

How transfers work:
In the last 30 days of your lease agreement you can transfer penalty free
If in the middle of your lease agreement, it is a 1 month fee to break your lease to transfer (although if youre upgrading, corporate can possibly waive this but we would have to ask if you wanted to proceed)
 You'll  upload income to show 3x the rent for the new apartment home youd like to rent

And then everything else would just be similar to move in, pg&e etc 🙂

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Is there any legal way we can avoid a $1500-$1832 rent increase?

We signed a lease in NJ, sight unseen, in June. Upon visiting, we found the apartment to be in poor cosmetic shape, not painted as specified in the listing. On July 1st, we asked the landlord if we could withdraw from the lease. They said we need to pay rent until they find someone else. We agreed but the landlord is continuing to price the home a couple of hundred dollars above market value, and it doesn’t look like it will rent to someone else at all, especially considering it’s cosmetic condition. Any suggestions? Thank you.

Disclaimer: I wrote this myself, but ran it though AI to help organize my thoughts and the story.

I am a tenant who was on a yearly lease, but is now a month-to-month lease. My apartment has a history of AC issues that the landlord only temporarily patches every year.

• August 4: I messaged the landlord that the AC was leaking water inside the tray. Half an inch of standing water. I provided a description and photos. No response for three days.

• August 7: I sent a follow-up with a picture of sludge buildup. The landlord replied, "I will call the AC guy."

• August 17: Ten days passed with no contact or repairs. I reached out again. The landlord responded, "He should've been there already. I'll call him again."

My Response: I thanked him but explicitly stated I needed advance notice. I noted that this was at least the third time maintenance had entered my home without my knowledge. I requested maintenance coordinate with me directly to schedule a time and provided my phone number.

Landlord's Response: He told me the tech would be there "in the morning" and asked why the filter was missing (evidence maintenance had been there without telling us, walking in without us there.) I explained I removed it a week prior (long after the issues started) to try and increase airflow because the indoor temperature was reaching 82°F.

• August 19 (Yesterday): By 10:00 AM, the tech had not arrived. I texted the landlord stating I had a virtual job interview at 11:30 AM and could not let him in after 11:00 AM, suggesting we reschedule if he couldn't make it. The tech never showed up that day.

• August 20 (Today): At approximately 8:45 AM, while I was naked in bed, I heard rummaging inside my hallway. I yelled out, and it turned out to be the AC tech. He had used a key to walk straight into my apartment.

•

I got into an argument with the tech and kicked him out. He claimed he knocked for 15 minutes, which cannot be true. My apartment is small, I can hear people knocking on my neighbors' doors from where I was, and my cat did not alert as she does when someone knocks. She panics with visitors. I would have heard either her or the knocking. He was scheduled for yesterday morning, did not show, and then walked into my apartment today with zero notice of knocking.

I immediately texted the landlord to report the unannounced entry, stating that entering without calling/texting or knocking is highly dangerous.

The landlord replied with the following text:

"He said he can be there at 10 tomorrow. He would prefer if you are not there. His schedule is not always exact depending on how long the previous call takes. He has never warned you or texted you before. He said he knocked on the door for a long time and nobody answered that’s why he walked in. You were on a month-to-month lease. I can give you 30 days or you can give me 30 days. I don’t think you’ll ever be happy there."

Landlord admitted here that maintenance workers have repeatedly entered the home without communication in the past. My previous texts with him and my partner support that as well. This is the fourth time a maintenance worker has entered my home without my knowledge/appointment, and the second time they have entered without knocking while I was home.

(The landlord's comment about me "never being happy" refers to a previous long-standing issue with a neighboring group home that involved fourteen police calls over three years for trespassing, loitering, littering, verbal threats, loud music, and drug deals on their property and the property I live at, which the landlord refused to assist with any virtually any capacity. That property is now closed and is no longer an issue).

Now, because I kicked the technician out and complained about the repeated no notice entries, the landlord is threatening to terminate my month-to-month lease with a 30-day notice.

From local city ordinances,"Except in cases of emergency or by mutual consent, the landlord or landlord's agents shall not enter the rental unit without first providing the tenant with at least twenty-four (48) hours advance notice of the entry and may enter only at reasonable times. Reasonable times shall be considered 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekends, or such other times agreed upon by the tenant and the landlord."

*I did not *agree* to the time of the appointment, as much as I was *told* it was happening*

The landlord explicitly said, "He said he will be there in the morning.." as such, this shouldn't meet the exception for 'such times agreed upon *by tenant* and the landlord.'

When the tech did show, he showed at 8:45am, outside of the reasonable window set by local ordinances.

My Questions:

• Under Illinois ordinances, does a landlord or technician have the right to enter a unit using a key if they missed the appointment, did not give notice of the next visit, and entered without permission because they claim they "knocked for a long time" for a non-emergency repair?

• Does the landlord's explicit threat to issue a 30-day notice immediately following my complaint about an illegal entry constitute illegal landlord retaliation under Illinois law?

We just were informed today that the landlord is coming on Sept 21st to do the yearly inspection. We already told them that we want to sign another lease. Our current lease runs from Oct 15th 2025 through Oct 31st 2026. Initially he was fine with that but now saying during that inspection they will decide if they will continue to rent or sell the place. Our lease states the following: Clause 22. Additional Provisions Additional provisions are as follows:A 10% increase in the total base rent would be raised in the second yea, which is maximum.A two month's notice shall be given either by tenant or landlord after the contract period is over, but if the tenar want to live continue, a fresh contract shall be made, increasing 10% of the total rent.

Are they going against the lease and do we have anything we can do if the worst happens and they don't give us a new lease?

Also another issue we had was the lease started Oct 15th but because of the landlord still physically living here we couldn't even begin to move in until the 26th of Oct yet we paid a prorated amount from the 15th through 31st. Do we have any grounds for that money or are we out that $1300?

Sorry so long just trying to get ahead of this all incase something goes wrong and they sell out from under us. Thanks!

Hi there! I am moving out of a room I have been subletting the past 12 months on September 1st and I received an email from my "landlord" not the actual landlord but the person I am subletting the room from (She and I have butted heads since the beginning she has done some questionable things in the past and is quite conniving) saying that she has been paying the utilities the entire time and is going to divide up the amounts everyone will need to pay now that I am leaving and that she can just deduct the amount that she comes up with out of my deposit. On our agreement it says "Rent: $700/month $20 reduced pet fee $20 internet 1/3 share of utilities" so I did agree to paying utilities but I just find it odd she is having me pay a years worth at once.

TLDR

California month-to-month tenant. My landlord served me a 60-day termination notice. Shortly afterward, during an inspection, he verbally told me that if I could move out earlier, I should, and continued asking whether I could leave sooner.

Near the end of that month, I told him I could move out within a few days because I wanted to avoid paying another month of rent. I subsequently asked whether I could have one additional day to finish moving. He said no because he wanted possession of the property for repairs/showings.

He coordinated the turnover, repeatedly asked when I would be finished, and accepted possession and the keys that evening. The property was taken off the rental market less than a week later.

Now he’s withholding my entire security deposit and claiming I owe several thousand dollars more, including roughly three weeks of additional rent, arguing that my lease required 30 days’ written notice.

My mistake was relying on his verbal statements rather than getting an agreement to the early surrender in writing.

Main question: Can his encouragement that I leave early, subsequent conduct, request for possession, and acceptance of the property potentially establish an agreed/accepted early surrender despite the lease’s 30-day written-notice provision?

Full situation

I’m in California and looking for guidance regarding an early-surrender/security-deposit dispute.

I was a month-to-month tenant paying a little over $3,000/month.

Earlier this summer, my landlord personally served me with a 60-day notice terminating my tenancy.

My lease also contains a provision stating that if I terminate the month-to-month tenancy, I’m supposed to provide at least 30 days’ written notice.

A few days after receiving his termination notice, during an inspection, my landlord verbally told me that if I could move out earlier, I should.

He subsequently asked multiple times whether I would be able to leave before the expiration of his 60-day notice.

Because he had already terminated the tenancy and was encouraging me to leave earlier, I understood that if I managed to leave early and he accepted possession, I wouldn’t simply continue paying rent on an empty property.

This is where I screwed up:

I relied on verbal conversations instead of getting everything in writing.

The early move-out

Near the end of the month, I notified him that I would be able to move out within a few days.

I specifically told him I was moving earlier because I wanted to avoid paying another month of rent.

As the move progressed, I realized I could use another day and asked him whether I could surrender the property the following day instead.

He said no, explaining that he wanted possession of the property to perform repairs and show it.

That seems significant to me because I wasn’t simply disappearing or abandoning the property. We were actively communicating about exactly when I would surrender possession, and he specifically wanted possession that evening rather than the following day.

Throughout the final day, he repeatedly asked me for updates regarding when I would be finished.

I ultimately completely vacated the property and surrendered possession and the keys that evening.

The inspection conversation

I also wanted to conduct a walkthrough/inspection with him.

He told me, in substance, that he didn’t want to conduct an inspection and agree that everything was okay because he could potentially discover additional damage or cleaning issues afterward.

He referenced having 21 days to account for the security deposit and indicated that additional issues could potentially be identified after I surrendered possession.

I asked him to put what he had just told me in writing.

He refused.

He then accused me of trying to “screw him over.”

During that same conversation, he told me words to the effect of:

“Well, now I’m going to mess you over.”

Unfortunately, this conversation was verbal.

I realize now that I should have immediately sent a follow-up text memorializing exactly what had been said.

I do, however, have written communications surrounding the surrender, including discussions about when I would leave, his requests for updates, and the turnover of possession/keys.

Property came off the market shortly afterward

The property was already off the rental market less than a week after I surrendered possession.

His subsequent accounting, however, claims that the replacement tenancy did not begin until several weeks after I moved out.

I understand that a listing disappearing doesn’t necessarily establish that another tenant began paying rent that day.

However, if this goes to court, I’d want to determine when the replacement tenant applied, when the new lease was signed, its effective date, when possession was provided, and when the new tenant’s rent obligation actually began.

Security-deposit accounting

The landlord has now sent me an accounting claiming well over $6,000 in total deductions.

He applied my entire security deposit of roughly $4,000 and now claims I owe him several thousand dollars more.

One of the largest deductions is approximately three weeks of additional rent.

His position is essentially that despite his previous 60-day termination notice and our subsequent communications, my lease required me to provide 30 days’ written notice before surrendering early.

He therefore claims I’m responsible for rent after he accepted possession.

The remaining deductions amount to several thousand dollars and include things such as:

• Four-figure “deep cleaning”
• Several hundred dollars for landscaping/yard work
• Several hundred dollars for exterior power washing
• Several hundred dollars for re-keying
• Various charges for wall/stucco repairs
• Pest control
• Lawn restoration
• Wasp removal
• Pool maintenance
• Replacement keys/remotes

I dispute many of the alleged conditions and have photos/video documenting the property’s condition around move-out.

There are also factual disputes regarding some landscaping because the landlord himself previously removed vegetation and subsequently attributed landscaping problems to me.

What particularly caught my attention is that many of these deductions are simply described as:

“Estimate (self-performed).”

I’ve since been reading California Civil Code §1950.5 and learned that California has specific documentation requirements concerning security-deposit deductions, including requirements applicable to landlord-performed work and photographs associated with certain cleaning/repair deductions.

I’m preparing a formal written demand disputing the deductions and requesting the supporting documentation.

Questions

1. Can the landlord’s conduct potentially constitute acceptance of an early surrender? He had already terminated the tenancy, verbally encouraged me to leave early, repeatedly asked whether I could leave sooner, refused my request for one additional day because he wanted possession for repairs/showings, and ultimately accepted possession and the keys.
2. How does that interact with the lease’s 30-day written-notice provision?
3. If he accepted possession for his own purposes, can he nevertheless charge approximately three additional weeks of rent?
4. Does it matter that he originally terminated the tenancy and subsequently encouraged an earlier surrender?
5. The property disappeared from the rental market less than a week after surrender, while he’s claiming considerably more time before the replacement tenancy began. What evidence would establish his actual rental loss and mitigation?
6. What documentation must a California landlord provide for deductions characterized as “Estimate (self-performed)”?
7. How significant are California’s current before/after photographic requirements for security-deposit deductions?
8. How are deductions for things like exterior power washing, pest-related maintenance and ordinary turnover evaluated versus actual tenant-caused damage?
9. If multiple deductions prove unsupported or substantially inflated, when could withholding a security deposit potentially constitute bad faith under Civil Code §1950.5?
10. What evidence should I preserve now to corroborate verbal conversations and establish the circumstances surrounding surrender?
11. Would the normal next step be a formal demand letter disputing the deductions and requesting supporting documentation, followed by small claims if we cannot resolve it?

I’m not pretending I handled this perfectly.

My biggest mistake was trusting verbal conversations and failing to memorialize important conversations immediately afterward in writing.

I’m primarily trying to understand my actual legal position regarding acceptance of surrender, additional rent, mitigation/re-rental, and California’s security-deposit requirements.

Any California landlord-tenant attorneys, landlords/property managers, or tenants who have litigated something similar — I’d appreciate your perspective.

Hello all. My partner and I just recently moved into an apartment on Long Island. Within the lease agreement, it says we are responsible for 1/3 of the heating oil. Our official move-in date was 8/15. The landlord sent pictures of receipts from 3/29 and 7/29 indicating we were responsible for the full tank. Are we obligated to pay this? I’m pretty sure there were also tenants in the house prior to us. So I could maybe see paying for the 7/29 delivery but I am unsure. It does not say anywhere in the lease agreement we would be responsible for existing oil. Let me know what yall think. Thank you.

Following up on my last post:

Today, a second ceiling collapsed in our building. That is two major structural failures in just five days. This is not normal, and it is incredibly dangerous. Our building is full of vulnerable people, and several of my neighbors have already faced direct retaliation from management just for reporting basic maintenance issues. Everyone is terrified to speak up, but I refuse to give in to the bystander effect while people are at risk of serious injury or death.

I refuse to be silent about this, and I refuse to turn a blind eye to human suffering.

Today, I took action out of good faith to protect everyone here. I set up an anonymous email account and blew the whistle directly to everyone who has the power to stop this.

I sent anonymous emails reporting to the Chief of Police, Investigators, City Building and Property Inspectors, The Fire Marshal & City Chief and Local Code Development & Investigators. I didn't just send a complaint; I submitted about 15 pictures of hardcore evidence documenting the collapses, the active leaks, and the structural deterioration inside my apartment building.

This includes undeniable proof of exposed electrical wires hanging down right next to active water leaks, and a smoke detector partially hanging off a broken ceiling tile with its wires dangling.

My landlord and maintenance director are actively ignoring immediate fire, electrical, and structural hazards. I also explicitly blew the whistle on the retaliation tactics management is using to silence us.

(Note: I am choosing not to post these 15 pictures publicly here on Reddit to protect my identity, my neighbors, and our ongoing legal case from landlord retaliation. The authorities and my legal team have all of them.)

HEALTH & SAFETY UPDATE: In my own unit, I have been dealing with a rotting, damp carpet for the last 60 days due to a slab leak. It is completely filled with bacteria, mildew, and rotting mold. Management has ignored this for two months, forcing me to breathe in toxic air every single day.

LEGAL UPDATE: I have also officially gotten a hold of a attorney who is actively advocating for me. They are personally coming to my apartment and bringing a paralegal directly with them to conduct a physical inspection of the slab leak, the rotting carpet, and the structural damage. Furthermore, my attorney is going to the upcoming meeting with my landlord to act as an extra set of eyes and ears.

Management can no longer try to intimidate or lie to me in private—everything is being legally documented now.

Lastly, I just want to say thank you to all the people on here who reached out to me and gave me great advice on my first post. I really appreciate this forum of support. You gave me so much strength. It’s just a human thing to do, honestly, looking out for one another.

If you are trapped in a situation with a landlord who threatens you, document everything and send a massive paper trail to your city's emergency code enforcement and authorities. Don't wait. Please don't be part of the bystander effect. You could save a life. Always remember, you matter! 💓🫶🙌😊💞

A tenant is subletting their apartment to me, and I was not aware that they did not get approval from the landlord to do so. Landlord says I have 3 days to get out.

Do I have any recourse?

Hi everyone, looking for advice on how to handle an emergency housing situation.

I am a new teacher and just received my first paycheck last Friday. Up until now, my uncle offered to pay my rent to help cover me until I started getting paid. Today, I came home to a "FINAL DEMAND LETTER / LEGAL ACTION PENDING" taped to my door from property management stating I owe $3,730.00 in past-due balance and legal filing fees.

It turns out all the checks my uncle wrote for rent bounced, and management has now filed for eviction.

Here is where things stand:

Total Owed: $3,730.00 (includes rent, fees, and legal filing costs).

Payment Methods Allowed: Money Order, Certified Check, or online portal.

My Situation: I just got paid from my teaching job, but I don't have $3,730 upfront right this second to clear the entire balance at once. I only have $1000 max to help pay.

Questions:

Immediate Next Steps: Should I go straight to the leasing office in person with proof of employment/my recent pay stub to try to negotiate a payment arrangement, or is it too late once legal action is filed?

Emergency Assistance & Loans: Are there specific teacher assistance programs, emergency rental relief funds, or reputable loan/grant resources for educators in emergency situations like this?

Legal/Eviction Process: Has anyone navigated bounced checks from a third party causing an eviction filing? How quickly do lockouts actually happen, and what should I prioritize first thing tomorrow morning?

To clarify (I can't edit the post title) this is California, in the US.
Our AC unit, which is very old, stopped working yesterday. I replaced the filter and it still wasn't working. So yesterday evening my wife submitted a ticket through our property management company. Also, just to have a written record, I wrote an email to the company.
Because today is supposed to be so hot, I even called their emergency services line, and it said "invalid entry" for every option on their menu, so I couldn't talk to anyone or leave a message.
I then got on Yelp and requested quotes from a bunch of companies that said they could come out this AM, but they needed to hear from property manager, not tenants.

So this morning I called our rep and the vendor she spoke to doesn't have any availability until tomorrow. I told her that's not acceptable; their receptionist even acknowledged that we are experiencing "emergency" temperatures.

Our rep says that she only wants to deal with vendors that she knows, so someone doesn't try to rip them off, but it took more than a month of back and forth to get a badly leaking shower fixed, and I'm not about to go through that again. I'm tempted to just schedule with the 1 guy who said he'd come out even tho I'm a renter and then submit the service call fee for reimbursement.

The fact that their emergency line isn't working makes me feel like they've already dropped the ball once, so surely I've got some leveraged here, right?

EDIT: I agree with a lot of you, I was getting pretty hot under the collar (pun intended.) They're sending a vendor this afternoon and, all things considered, I'm quite grateful.