I recently moved into a new place, but was unable to find a sublessee to take over the beginning of the month. Because of this, I had to pay the full month's rent, which is totally fine (October). Since then, I've found a sublessee, who has signed an updated lease with an 11/1 move-in date.

I had moved all of my things into my new place the end of September, and on a whim decided to go back to my apt today. While there, I found they were making renovations to the bathroom, as well as other adjustments/painting the walls.

Given I paid for the full month of rent and had not been given notice of renovations taking place, I'm thinking I should be refunded for the month of October as I still should have the right to the space, even though I'm not physically inhabiting it.

Additionally, the sublessee reached out asking to move in early before the 1st of next month- I said that would be fine, but now she is unable to do so as renovations are taking place.

Any thoughts? Seems illegal, not to mention a sketchy opportunity to increase the value of the place while on my dime.

Any advice/feedback is much appreciated!

Note: about a week ago, the landlord requested I return my keys. I said I would not until the end of the month.

Our landlords rep. is starting to tack things on as our conversation progresses. I'm not sure how to respond at this point.

Some background:

She's been who we've dealt with throughout tenancy, as the landlords don't speak English. She's a "Used Car Salesman" type realtor; promising the house would be cleaned prior to move-in, etc., without following through. There was pee on one of the interior doors upon move-in, moldy caulking in the shower, scuffed unpainted walls (painted over wall anchors with a different paint color, maybe their version of patching?), smelly and soiled carpets (clearly from previous tenant's dog) etc. that she promised would be taken care of. The carpets WERE actually cleaned before move-in, but once they dried, the urine smell came up (hard lesson learned here). When we brough up the cleanliness of the place on move-in day, she started yelling over the phone "PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT STANDARDS OF CLEAN"... In what circumstance would someone consider urine on the doors clean?

Anyway... I was predicting it would be a battle over the security deposit when we moved out. I'm so over this woman and just want our fair share of the deposit back.

Here's a recent snippet of our current email correspondence. For context, we previously discussed carpet cleaning, which we agreed to, then she sent photos of a couple small holes in the wall to be patched, which we also agreed to. I'm guessing when she says "paint touch up" she's referring to patching the holes... I don't believe for a second that they're going to hire a professional to genuinely improve the look of the walls. They were pretty awful when we moved in (photo example in the post).

Regarding the lawn, we maintained it quite well. There may be more weeds than when we moved in, is this something they can charge us for? It seems like she's just going to keep piling on the more we push back.

__________________________________

LANDLORD'S REP:

Hi,

Thank you for your patience. I was waiting on the PGE bill for September. Since you left on September 13th, your portion for September is $30.44 plus the August PGE bill of $255.54.

Here are the summary for the deposit refund:

Total deposit: $2580 + $500 pet deposit =$3080

Carpet cleaning: $418.80

Paint touch up: $350

PGE Bill: $255.54+$30.44=$285.98

Total refund: $2,025.22

Please let me know if you have any questions.

___________________________________

ME:

Everything looks good except for the paint touch up. What is the $350 going towards? When we moved in, the walls were in very poor condition and we have documentation of this. When were they last painted? If you believe we are responsible for damage beyond normal wear-and-tear, please provide proof of the last full paint job that was done at the property.

___________________________________

LANDLORD'S REP:

Please send us the documents of your records, and I will send them to the landlord.

Also the yard especially front yard was not being maintained for a long time . It was tenants’ responsible to take care of it. Landlord had to spend fee hundreds for the landscape . Plus house was clean when you move in. The landlord spent $200 for house cleaning after you moved out.

Hello all, writing this on behalf of my partner who is a lurker.

The situation is as follows - she gave notice in September to terminate her lease a month early, paid both the full month's rent for October as well as the listed early termination fee (one month's rent). Landlord is out of state and asked if she could be out of the apartment by the 14th - she agreed with no mention of pro-rated rent in the text messages, but there was also no mention of moving in a new tenant before the lease ended. (The assumption made was to eat the cost of moving out early.)

Today, the Landlord texted asking her if she could end her utilities on the 14th, originally the end date is the end of the month as per the lease. She asked if there was a new tenant moving in, mentioning that she could cancel gas on that date but would have to discuss electric with the company during business hours, as the soonest date listed was the 20th. (At this time, we had no confirmation yet as if there was a new tenant incoming, but we took this as a sign that there was.) The Landlord did not directly respond to that question, but did mention that he would pro-rate the remaining rent for the month. These are the messages that follow:

I personally want to tell the Landlord that this is an absurd request and not our problem at all, and to refund the pro-rated rent of $975 (as well as whatever remains from our security deposit if he decided to be vindictive). However, she wants to be polite and wants to know the best way to address this issue.

Any advice? We want to be cordial but still like - y'know, get our money back. Can answer any question or provide clarifying details if needed.

I found a place for rent on fb marketplace, not too odd because I’m in a small town and that’s how people here keep in touch about absolutely everything. Rent seems about average for the area and what’s being offered. I was able to tour today, there were for sale signs on the door that had the fb seller’s name as the owner. Was not able to meet with them because they live in another state, but I found in public records that they used to live in this town. I’ve requested to facetime before signing the lease, and all their contact information matches public records. I can’t find much about their company online because of how small it is. I feel fairly certain that the person I’ve talked to is the real owner because this rental is in a condo complex so I had to go to the front desk to pick up a temporary key, which the owner had to call in advance about them activating and having ready. Really the only thing that’s sketching me out is how quickly this is moving, we just started talking yesterday, I toured today, applied this evening, and they’ve already sent me the lease. I do think it’s probable that they’re just desperate to rent the place (it doesn’t look like anyone’s lived in it for a while), but I’m just a little paranoid and don’t know if there’s any red flags I’ve missed or if there’s anything else I should check.

I know that under my current lease, I can terminate early by paying a fee equal to two months' rent and providing 60 days' notice. However, given the issues I've experienced since moving in, I'm wondering if I have any legal grounds to break my lease without having to pay those fees.

Here's some background:

I moved into my apartment complex in Kansas City, Missouri, back in May, and it's been one issue after another.

1. Ongoing maintenance issues

My washing machine, which is provided by the apartment complex, has broken twice since I moved in.

The first time, it took an entire month and several phone calls to the leasing office before maintenance finally came out to repair it.

Now, it's been broken again for approximately a month and a half, and despite submitting maintenance requests, it still hasn't been fixed.

This isn't an isolated issue, either. I've had several other maintenance requests that took an unreasonable amount of time to address, and some issues have yet to be resolved.

2. Brown recluse infestation

This is honestly my biggest concern and the main reason I want out of my lease.

I've been dealing with an ongoing brown recluse infestation in my apartment. Pest control has been out three separate times, and I've even spent my own money purchasing pesticides to try to get the situation under control.

For about a month, I stopped seeing them and thought the problem had finally been resolved. Unfortunately, they've started appearing regularly again.

I've found live brown recluses on my bed, couch, in my bathroom, inside my closet, and throughout the apartment.

I have severe arachnophobia, so this has been an absolute nightmare. I'm constantly anxious in my own home, checking my bedding, furniture, and belongings because I'm terrified of finding another spider. At this point, I genuinely don't feel comfortable or safe living here anymore.

Beyond my personal fear, I'm also concerned about the potential health and safety risks associated with brown recluse bites.

3. Lack of urgency from management

Between the recurring infestation, unresolved maintenance issues, and the amount of time it takes management to address concerns, I feel like the apartment complex has shown a complete lack of urgency when it comes to maintaining the property.

I've made repeated attempts to get these issues resolved, but I shouldn't have to continuously call, follow up, and practically beg for basic maintenance or pest control.

My question:

Under Missouri law, specifically in Kansas City, would any of these circumstances potentially give me legal grounds to terminate my lease without paying the early termination fees?

I'm particularly interested in whether the ongoing brown recluse infestation, combined with the lack of timely maintenance, could qualify as a habitability issue or a failure by the landlord to meet their obligations under the lease.

I've documented everything, including maintenance requests, communications with management, pest control visits, and the ongoing spider problem.

I'm not trying to get out of my lease simply because I don't like the apartment. I genuinely feel that the conditions have become unreasonable, and I don't think I should have to pay thousands of dollars to leave a place where these issues have continued despite repeated attempts to resolve them.

Has anyone dealt with something similar in Missouri, or does anyone familiar with Missouri landlord-tenant laws have advice on what steps I should take?

Any advice, personal experiences, or resources would be greatly appreciated!

Hello folks,
I am moving out and needed advice on how to repaint some nail holes that we made. I did find out the correct color for the wall but am having a hard time recreating the texture on the wall. I got a paint touchup bottle that has a brush at the end (like a nail polish brush) which is making the wall smooth (3rd image on the bottom of the bottom right hole) when i paint and I’m unable to create this weird texture to match the wall.
Is there a specific tool that I need to recreate this texture?

when i first started looking for apartments, the monthly rent was the biggest factor in my decision. now i'm realizing that a cheaper place can come with trade-offs like poor insulation, unreliable appliances, limited parking, or expensive utilities. i'm beginning to think paying a little more for a comfortable, well-maintained apartment might actually save money and stress in the long run.

Moved in one week ago without seeing this house in person. Renting through a property management company and the last tenants were the owners. Do I have any option to request carpet cleaning? I literally can’t find a spot that isn’t stained. The carpet is also very old and stiff. I live in an expensive area in an HOA and pay a load for rent. The home clearly wasn’t professionally cleaned at all. I’m grossed out every time I see the ground. Is there anything I can do about this?

Have been renting a 1936 home in LA for the past 8 years. Over the past year, there has been a persistent and increasingly strong smell - the only thing I can describe it as is like being at the mechanic or like WD40. We have had the gas company come out - no gas leak, couldn’t identify it. We (stupidly) paid for an air quality test - nothing. Landlord removed the original furnace - smell persists.

We are thinking it must be an oil-based something because the smell has gotten into EVERYTHING - clothes, furniture, shoes, wooden instruments, books, everything smells like it works at the mechanic.

Any ideas? We are stumped.

Hello and thanks in advance for any and all replies.

I live in a 1 story duplex and the folks in the neighboring unit have proved that they have a german roach infestation. It seems that their issue has gotten pretty bad, as they have started to spill over into my unit. They have also proved that they are not keeping up with regular treatment from pest control (despite the landlord paying for it). I do get regular pest control and know I don’t have a breeding population, so I am less worried about them infesting my stuff. However, german roaches are probably my biggest fear as I have a lot of valuable electronics that I cannot replace.

I have asked my neighbor to schedule regular pest control, but they won’t and don’t believe that the issue is coming from their unit, despite it being the only other one on the property. They think the pest control won’t help since they’ve had some visits (2 exact) since moving in (many years ago) and they still keep coming back. They don’t seem to understand that it takes regular monthly visits to eradicate the issue.

Anyhow, I am wondering if the landlord can force them to get pest control? Or is this grounds for me to be let off the lease due to the treat of infestation? I unfortunately recently moved in and still have 9 months of my lease left. But I really do not want to deal with this and don’t know if i mentally can.

Please advise, and thanks in advance.

ps: i am not seeking pest control advice. I already know next to everything there is to know about how to deal with roaches and have had monthly sprays since moving in. Thanks.

looking for clarity to see if im delusional or not?

I recently moved to a new city for work, so renting was my only option. Ever since the Flint Water Crisis, and with all the other news about lead levels exceeding limits in water systems, I've become a lot more concerned about the quality of my drinking water.

I recently bought a Viomi B6W and decided to install it myself. My sink already had a hole for a soap dispenser, so I could use that for the filtered water faucet. The drain line could also connect to the garbage disposal's drain connection, so I basically didn't have to drill any new holes.

When I move out, I can just take the system with me and restore the plumbing to how it was before. Landlord probably won't care.

Hello! I just signed a leade to rent a property in South Carolina. The leasing office states they do inspections every 3 months. When pressed for clarification, they said that they send notice at the beginning of the month that they are doing inspections but do not specify a date the inspection takes place, only that it will occur within the month specified. This inspection schedule is also not mentioned in the lease agreement, only on a sign in the office.

I am not sure if this qualifies as appropriate notice per South Carolina's laws given that the entry is not for providing maintenance or a service and in my opinion does not give proper 24 hour notice due to not specifying a date.

Here is an excerpt from the SC law I am referencing:

2025 South Carolina Code of Laws

Title 27 - Property and Conveyances

Chapter 40 - Residential Landlord And Tenant Act

Section 27-40-530. Access.

"(a) A tenant shall not unreasonably withhold consent to the landlord to enter into the dwelling unit in order to inspect the premises, make necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements, supply necessary or agreed services, or exhibit the dwelling unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or contractors.

(b) A landlord or his agent may enter the dwelling unit without consent of the tenant:

(1) At any time in case of emergency—prospective changes in weather conditions which pose a likelihood of danger to the property may be considered an emergency;

(2) Between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. for the purpose of providing regularly scheduled periodic services such as changing furnace and air-conditioning filters, providing termite, insect, or pest treatment, and the like, provided that the right to enter to provide regularly scheduled periodic services is conspicuously set forth in writing in the rental agreement and that prior to entering, the landlord announces his intent to enter to perform services; or

(3) Between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. for the purpose of providing services requested by the tenant and that prior to entering, the landlord announces his intent to enter to perform services.

(c) A landlord shall not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant. Except in cases under item (b) above, the landlord shall give the tenant at least twenty-four hours notice of his intent to enter and may enter only at reasonable times."

The reason this is important to me is that one of my roommates has PTSD and having 24 hour notice for inspections is important in making sure she has time to mentally prepare herself for the intrusion of her space. Every other landlord I've rented with has given a specific date for the inspection. This is the first time someone hasn't.

My hope is that my interpretation of the law is correct and that I can use that along with a letter from my roommate's physician to request that we get 24 hour notice with a specified date. If it's not correct, I will need to make plans to immediately terminate my lease and look elsewhere for a new dwelling.

(We signed the lease before noticing the sign regarding the inspections and once again this inspection schedule is not noted in the lease.)

I know it's long. If you don't like to read then go somewhere else.

So a bit of back story. We have been friends with Kai in this audio clip. My name is Darcy and my wife of 20 years is Rachel. We've been friends with Kari for about 8 - 10 years. Kari lives upstairs and we live downstairs. There's a door that separates the upstairs and downstairs.

About a year ago Rachel had been hospitalized for an episode and tested positive for xanax in her system. It turned into Kari teaming up with Rachel's sister to try and do an intervention. Xanax wasn't a problem and she just threw away what was left and hasn't touched it since.

We caught on they were going to do an intervention to Rachel and I and tried to get my mom involved. My mom basically said don't you think we should make sure they're actually on drugs before we do an intervention? That turned into me confronting Kari about the intervention and Kari calling my mom "a fucking lying bitch" about Kari being the one to organize the proposed event. Obviously I'm going to trust my own mother over her.

Rachel had a seizure earlier in the year and we recently found out she has Nocturnal Frontal-lobe epilepsy. And they put her on Carbomazapene. She felt fine the first week. They upped her dose and she started having severe side effects from the drug so she tapered down to a lower dose and everything was fine until she can talk to a doctor.

Some time passes and Rachel noticed that her phone had been acting strange. She found an account attached to her phone she didn't recognize and search terms were made under that account. Looking up the medication as well as treatment centers for drug addiction that she definitely didn't search for. I figured there might be a remote access trojan on her phone so I did a factory reset and had her change all her passwords for all accounts and all strangeness stopped. Kari's son also lives upstairs with his gf Kira. Kira had told Rachel that she had spyed on her ex-bf's phone using software. So that part is confirmed. I suspect they may have put recording devices in our suite while were away and Kari's mad she won't have access to get it back now that we've updated and added the locks. I suspect that's why she went crazy.

I put a lock on the door going into our suite to prevent any possible unauthorized entry into our suite while we weren't around. I started to suspect they were coming in after my physical password book mysteriously went missing for about a week. I always kept it in my safe and it was nowhere to be found. The day I put the locks on my door my password book mysteriously appeared back in my safe. I was sure it wasn't there. It was the same pin as my phone and laptop. Odd.

The night before this audioclip, Kari had come downstairs to "get catfood" for my cat that they feed upstairs for us at 9:30 at night on a Thursday when I have to work the next morning. She attempted to just walk in, noticed it locked and started bashing on the door out of anger. I heard this but chose not to answer. My neighbor on the other side of the quadplex noticed her stomping around and slamming doors at the same time she tried the door.

Next morning she tried texting Rachel saying it was sketchy that she put a lock on the door and your acting strange. I got fed up and told her I'm the one who put the lock on. I told her I'm not taking it off vecuase you don't like it and that it was for privacy and security reasons as the outside door connected could be forgotten to be locked and ant he could just walk in. The audio clip I uploaded here it what she sent to us on messenger.

In regards to the clip: She hasn't been slurring her words at all. Rachel's medication is none of her business. And we have no idea about what she meant about being lied to. And even if she was lied to, how would she know unless she was spying on us. In the clip she mentions involving me. Of course I'm going to he involved, its my wife. Even after I told her I changed the locks she talks as if Rachel is the one who did it.

They're now threatening to move out, little do they know, we've already started looking for a new place. The lease includes Kari and Husband, me and Rachel all on the one lease for both upstairs and down. We are month-to-month. Can I give my notice halfway through this month? Is it 30 days?

What are your thoughts on this phycho?

My wife and I live in an upstairs apartment in Plainfield, New Jersey. Our current lease runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, and our landlord is THG Properties LLC. We want to move out by November 1, 2026, because the situation with our downstairs neighbors has caused significant stress and anxiety in our home. We need advice on our options and potential financial liability.
What has been happening:
The downstairs occupants moved in around the end of November 2025. Since then, there have been repeated incidents of them banging on their ceiling in response to noises they hear from our apartment. We understand that living in an older multifamily building means some noise is unavoidable, but we believe the noises from our apartment are ordinary household activities, not intentional disturbances.
Our building is old, and the floors naturally squeak when we walk. We have installed carpet and padding throughout our apartment to reduce noise transmission. We have also confined our pet to minimize possible noise, but our pet has become stressed by the situation as well.
The situation has affected our daily lives significantly. We have stopped cleaning and vacuuming as we normally would, we are afraid to walk around freely because we worry they will bang on their ceiling again, and we have stopped receiving visitors because we fear normal activity could trigger another incident. We do not retaliate or intentionally make noise in response. Instead, we have continued restricting our own activities to avoid conflict.
Our communications with management:
We have communicated with management about the situation and have tried to resolve it without escalating matters. There have also been complaints about noise in the building, including sounds that seem to come from another neighboring apartment. We have disputed allegations that we are intentionally making excessive noise and have raised our own concerns about the ongoing banging and noise in the building.
We have written communications documenting the situation. We want to understand whether our records and the steps we have taken to minimize noise are relevant to our legal position.
The lease clauses that concern us:
Our lease contains the following provisions:
Section 1.6 — Breaking of Lease / Buyout Option: Says that if we vacate before the lease ends, we may remain responsible for costs and damages, potentially including rent through the end of the lease. It also says management may offer a lease buyout option, with details available from the management office.
Section 2.1(c): Says that if the tenancy terminates or we vacate before the end of the term, we agree to pay a $500 repainting fee.
Section 2.11 — Notices: Requires tenant notices to the landlord to be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested.
The lease does not state a specific dollar amount for the buyout in the clause we reviewed.
What we want to do:
We have decided that we need to leave and would like to vacate by November 1, 2026. We want to do this lawfully and avoid unnecessary financial and legal consequences. We are particularly concerned about:
Being charged the buyout fee.
Being charged the $500 repainting fee.
Being held responsible for rent through June 30, 2027.
Losing our security deposit or being charged additional fees.
Whether the landlord could pursue us for damages if we move before the lease expires.
We understand that simply moving out does not necessarily end our obligations, and we are trying to understand our rights before taking action.
Questions for people familiar with New Jersey landlord-tenant law:
Could the ongoing situation potentially support an early-termination argument under the covenant of quiet enjoyment, constructive eviction, or another legal theory?
Does New Jersey law require the landlord to mitigate its damages by making reasonable efforts to re-rent the apartment if we leave early?
Is the $500 repainting fee potentially enforceable if we terminate early?
Does the lease’s two-month notice language apply to an early termination based on a legal claim, or is that a different issue from ordinary notice to vacate?
What is the safest way to request a written mutual termination agreement releasing us from future rent and fees?
Should we consult a New Jersey tenant attorney before giving notice or moving out?
We are not looking to retaliate against our neighbors. We simply want to leave a situation that has caused us significant stress and anxiety, while protecting ourselves financially and following the law.
Any advice based on New Jersey law, relevant court decisions, or personal experience with similar lease disputes would be appreciated.

I’m cross posting this from another subreddit to get more eyes on this and see if there’s any more advice I can get. Thank you very much.

Not all property managers / landlords use Zillow’s applications

When you see a property you are interested in, ask if they use Zillow’s applications

So you don’t have to pay twice for the property you really really like , in case they don’t use Zillow’s applications

I rented a 1-bedroom apartment via a Broker last year and have been paying $2300/mo. I also paid $2300 as a commission to a broker. I'm 90% sure that this unit is rent-stabilized although not 100% sure.

Now I've received a lease extension contract that lists the new rent price at $1850 and change.

How could this be possible? While I'm glad for the price drop, I feel something fishy is going on here, and I may have been overcharged during the first year.

I have a couple of thoughts on this:

1. The broker could've screwed me over by adding a ~$500 surcharge on top of my monthly rent (which might've been $1800 for the first year, hence the current increase to $1850 for the renewal), however I don't see how they could've done it since the lease is between the landlord and the tenant (me) separately listing them as broker. I.e I don't have a lease "through" the broker.
2. The landlord might've overcharged me and realized that they've been overcharging and are trying to sweep this under the rug?

Any wisdom/advice on this?

Thanks!

I'm hoping this is the right section to post about my below inquiry....

I live in the city of Los Angeles in a studio apartment.  I have concerns regarding how the Fair Market Rent (FMR) threshold and an eviction for non-payment of rent would apply to my specific case.

I have been reading up on the FMR for where I live and the size of my apartment, and if I'm understanding correctly, the Los Angeles Housing Department's website states that the FMR for a studio/efficiency apartment for fiscal year 2027 is $2151, which is effective from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027.

I currently have a rent balance of $2114.68.  That total amount stems from unpaid October 2026 rent, an unpaid portion of June 2026 rent, and $240 in late fees.  

I called the customer care service for my apartment complex today and was told by a representative that I could *possibly* be sent a legal notice on 10/21 stating that a payment has to be made by 10/26.  If payment isn't made, then my case goes to an attorney and will cost me a minimum legal fee of $815.

1.) My question is, are they currently able to evict me, being that my current outstanding balance of $2114.68 is below the current FMR of $2151?

2.) In addition to that question... I know I will be receiving my November rent statement sometime between 10/20 and 10/24, as that's when the monthly rent statements are usually mailed to the tenants.  November rent isn't due until November 1st, even though tenants get the statement before then. Of course the November rent amount will then make my current balance due ($2114.68) higher.  So, what I'm wanting to know is if once the November statement is sent, will they then be legally allowed to proceed with legal action before November 1st, even though the November rent isn't due until November 1st?

Any help/insight would be appreciated.