My #$@&^*( LANDLORD

rgdfilms

rgdfilms

Wet poodle
I hate renting


Especially in Los Angeles


The worst slumlords do business here - I've had to deal with many over these past five years as I do move a lot

Well... I moved out 3 weeks ago from this one place, get a letter in the mail today that says they took my entire $800 deposit and are using it for Hole damage, Painting and Cleaning - Even though the manager did a walkthrough with me and stated that everything was ok -

My stupid dumbass did not make a copy of that picture perfect walkthrough sheet nor did I take any pictures since I was in a rush that day to get to moviola after having spent the past 6 hours cleaning and touching up the place

Now I owe that ***** $80 for the "work" he supposedly did

God damnit I want to cry

I'm sick of these assclowns getting away with this $hit all the time..
 
Wow, I almost started a thread exactly like this a few days ago.

When I first moved in to my apartment, I signed a 1 year lease. Then we worked out a different deal- I pay 4 months up front, they keep me on as month-to-month.

Now I have a new roomate, and a new place to live- and suddenly they never agreed to month-to-month and kept my signed lease on file.

I feel your pain, it's insanely frustrating.
 
It's not just LA. I dealt with that crap in every apartment I lived in while I was in college here. After awhile, I'd do a walk through with a video camera when I moved in and again when I moved out. They don't get away with it when you have video evidence.:)
 
Don't you people watch "Judge Judy"?

If there is one thing I've learned, you need to get every agreement written down and signed. Especially with landlords, friends, significant others, and family members.

Chris
 
I used to do the video camera thing but I f*cked myself big time by being lazy this time - great - now I have to play the court jumping jacks game..
 
The best thing is that they don't expect you to bring up video. Most of the time, you don't even have to show it to them. They back peddle way before you get to that point.
 
Well heck, video some extreme close-ups of a white wall and take that footage to court. If the odds are they never will play it, GREAT! If they do want to see it, the worst that happens is that the judge says your footage isn't good enough. (and then we all have a great laugh, b/c when has ANYONE ever said that Richard's footage is no good?)
 
We just moved from a place we lived 4 years at and got charged for

250.00 Cleaning bill
100.00 Carpet Cleaning Bill
Misc stuff )some justified, some comical)

Number 1

You dont charge for a carpet cleaning after 4 years (and we just cleaned it last year oursleves)

Number 2

My wife spent 2 days cleaning the place and he still focked us

after a 1650.00 Depost we got 900.00 back
 
I think I am going to call his bluff - that's damn great advice - Plus I just found out from the head maintenence guy that they are in the process of remodeling the apartment which means that the money they stole from me, they were going to do anyway, I'm going to sneak over there and get some pictures of them working on the place, then threaten them with letters and mount my case for small claims court - this is so frustrating - I like the idea of calling his bluff and letting them know that I documented the entire apartment before and after and I have proof - maybe that will scare them, maybe not
 
definitely call his bluff. Send him a very formal, straightforward letter threatening to sue. Here in Chicago, it costs $300 or so to file a small claim. However, if you win the case, the plaintiff automatically has to pay you the filing fee plus the damages. I'm guessing Cali is similar. Be sure and let him know that (though I'm sure he's been down this road before...) The "smarter" and more matter of fact you sound in the letter the better. Make him think you're a super-organized anal mofo - that in itself is intimidating when the prospect of court is at hand. Also mention a time frame - something like:

"Failure to respond to this letter within 48 hrs. (or 1 week - whatever) can only be interpreted as such that you decline to settle this matter outside of court. Legal action will be taken promptly and a small claims settlement will be filed on July 21st, 2006 if a satisfactory response is not received before such time."

Just keep hounding, pounding, and threatening this guy. Call the Better Business Bureau, or better yet, look for an organization that deals with landlord/tenant disputes. This man is a criminal - he stole your money. He knows this as well as you. Most thiefs are paranoid, so try to find some government agency that allows you to report him and threaten him with that as well. I hate slumlords.

EDIT: Contact these people as well:

http://www.lacity.org/LAHD/

http://www.lacity.org/LAHD/ten_land.htm

Just tell the guy you'll be filing a complaint with the Los Angeles Housing Department even if you're unable to in this situation.
 
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Man, I may be using some of these tactics myself.

Man, great post dustino.
 
Dustino has some good advice. But be sure to send your "formal letter" by registered mail. A registered letter means you mean business and it will have them shaking before they even open the letter. :) Go gett'm!!

At least you're dealing with humans. I'm in a dispute with Citibank now and I can't even get an actual human to respond to my complaints. They have an "Electronic Customer Care" service that replies based on keywords in your messages. Talk about frustrating.
 
i've had the same problem in the past. wrote a detailed letter and got most of my money back. ll's often don't treat a deposit as such. remove emotion from all communication and cite as many details as possible.
 
Owen said:
Well heck, video some extreme close-ups of a white wall and take that footage to court. If the odds are they never will play it, GREAT! If they do want to see it, the worst that happens is that the judge says your footage isn't good enough. (and then we all have a great laugh, b/c when has ANYONE ever said that Richard's footage is no good?)
Click to expand...

Falsifying evidence is a GREAT idea . . . :violent5:

Courts love that!
 
I am the evil landord :P I have two townhouses in Australia and believe me there are times when I take it in the a$$. People that dont pay and leave, people who just leave a mess. But still I think the real problem often is the agents not the owners or renters. Agents suck.
 
PK Gillock said:
Dustino has some good advice. But be sure to send your "formal letter" by registered mail. A registered letter means you mean business and it will have them shaking before they even open the letter. :) Go gett'm!!

At least you're dealing with humans. I'm in a dispute with Citibank now and I can't even get an actual human to respond to my complaints. They have an "Electronic Customer Care" service that replies based on keywords in your messages. Talk about frustrating.
Click to expand...

Well, remove the keywords. They probably parse on whitespace, so add some spaces in your keywords. If they can't parse it then a human will have to read and interpret.

You can do this to their speech interpretation system as well. Try saying "operator" and dialing 0 as well as not giving any speech input that matches an answer they are expecting.

Have fun.:Drogar-Evil(DBG): :kali:
 
ugh, i am looking forward to a hassle like this in the near future. We get to move out next month and the laundry list of things that have broken down is immense (none of which were our fault). Let's see:

the microwave broke
the garbage disposal broke
the ice machine in the freezer didnt work for the first 2 months
the dishwasher broke and dumped an entire load of water on the floor/carpet.
the bathroom ceiling had to be replaced because the apartment's upstairs toilet was leaking into our bathroom.
The buzzer for the front door has 50% working rate.
Our keys for the front door have a 75% working rate.
One exit door on our floor is permantly closed.
There is constantly broken glass all over the parking lot.
There is a spider farm growing on my car because they never powerwash the siding of the apartment.
The emergency alarm went off 3 times at 330am and we had to evacuate, guess what, no emergency
The bedrooms vary in temperature about 5-10 degrees, even though we have central air.
It takes literally 4 minutes to get hot water out of the sink.
(I'm sure there is more)

but i still have the feeling they are going to f-us in the a, and this is a 1600 dollar deposit. what should i do? think the video thing will work, plus a laundry list of all the **** that has happened?
 
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