ProTenant Agency

Great information from Annie D. Ellison, Attorney At Law that should be useful for tenants who have renewals coming up. Here's an additional ProTip from us - if you rent from one of the corporate Wall Street landlords (like American Homes 4 Rent, FirstKey, Invitation Homes, Main Street Renewal, Progress Residential, etc.), try really hard to not use comparable properties that come only from your landlord/property management company or from any of the corporate Wall Street landlords. Why? Because your home is not the only one that they have overpriced. This means that if you are primarily using their properties, you are still not putting yourself in a position to get a rate closer to the true market value. We understand that in some markets, corporately owned properties are all that you can use but whenever there might be an alternative, take the additional time to see if you can find fairly priced comparable homes from other sources.

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How much are rents going up? See how prices have changed in your area. Rent increases are cooling off. Prices are even falling in some parts of the country. See how rent has changed near you.

Tenants who are living in houses owned by the corporate scumlords already know how bad things are. Maybe research and reports like this one will help bring about long overdue law changes and new regulations to force the profiteer corporate landlords to either change their predatory practices or get out of the business of being housing providers.

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Corporate landlords' actions affect tenants' health, report says Research concludes that corporate landlords create conditions that can affect mental health problems, chronic disease, premature death and other ailments.

We see posts and comments from a lot of tenants (especially those who are new to renting from the Wall Street-backed SFR scumlords or who have been lucky not to have need anything repaired) that attribute excessively delayed repairs or repairs not being made at all to incompetence by the landlord, the property management company, or their employees. One of the most important things you have to understand when renting from companies like AH4R, Darwin Homes, FirstKey, Invitation, MSR, Progress, Renters Warehouse and all of the others like them is that their failures are not accidental. The failure to make necessary repairs in a timely manner is not accidental or due to incompetence. They very intentionally built their systems with this as a part of it.

We cannot stress this enough. The way tenants are being victimized by these companies is not accidental and it is not due to incompetence. It is completely by design. Not making repairs that they are legally required to make is an integral part of the business model that these scumlords operate under. It is a crucial component of how they are able to make the profits and return on investment that Wall Street expects from them. They know that many tenants will get tired of contacting them. They know that when that happens some will either fix the problem themselves or pay to have someone fix it. Even worse, they know that some tenants will just live with the defective conditions while continuing to pay the full amount of ridiculously high rent each month.

Will class action lawsuits force these companies to change? Maybe but so far the evidence is not showing that. Several of the companies have settled class actions and the only people that really benefited were the plaintiff lawyers who brought the cases. We think a better way to impact the scumlord's bottom line is for as many tenants as possible to hold them accountable. What do you mean by holding them accountable? Whenever there is a problem that they are responsible for fixing, let them know. Call first. Then use the portal. Then send an email to your property manager. Then follow up with another email. Allow a reasonable amount of time for it to be fixed. In most states 2 weeks is considered reasonable (but depending on the nature of the problem, what is reasonable could be a few days). If they haven't made a good faith effort to START the repairs (and starting does not mean sending out vendor after vendor) take advantage of the remedies afforded to you by your state's landlord-tenant laws. Take them to small claims court. If it is a larger case and you can find a lawyer, bring an individual lawsuit. File a complaint with your state's real estate commission and with your state's AG office. In a lot of states, when a complaint is filed with a regulatory agency the company is required to file an answer. Sometimes they hire a law firm to do this. If not, it still costs them because this is time that their property managers can't devote to calling tenants about outstanding rent (which is the primary if not only job of their property managers). All of these things eat into their profitability. And if it is done enough, it will eventually make more economical sense for them to make repairs because the alternative will be just as costly.

You can find more information on effectively demanding repairs here

Need Your Landlord To Make Repairs? Tips To Get 'Er Done - ProTenant Agency Refusing or delaying repairs is a favorite tactic of Wall Street corporate single family residential (SFR) landlords like American Homes 4 Rent or Invitation Homes.

This post reminds us of our Tenant Wins (which we need to get back to doing!) Here's the thing that is really important. The Wall Street-backed SFR scumlords like AH4R, Darwin Homes, FirstKey, Invitation, MSR, Progress, and Renters Warehouse are intentionally delaying and postponing repairs or failing to make repairs altogether. This is not accidental. It is not because they, their employees, or their vendors are incompetent. It is by design. They know that many will get tired and either fix it themselves or pay to have someone fix it. Or, even worse, they know that many tenants will just live with way less than they are entitled to while paying the full amount of ridiculously high rent each month.

We cannot stress this enough. The way tenants are being victimized by these companies is not accidental and it is not due to incompetence. It is completely by design. Not making repairs that they are legally required to make is an integral part of the business model that these scumlords operate under. It is a crucial component of how they are able to make the profits and return on investment that Wall Street expects from them.

Will class action lawsuits force these companies to change? Maybe but so far the evidence is not showing that. Several of the companies have settled class actions and the only people to have really benefited or profited were the plaintiff lawyers who brought the cases. We think a better way to impact their bottom line is for as many tenants as possible to hold them accountable. Whenever there is a problem that they are responsible for fixing, let them know. Call first. Then use the portal. Then send an email to your property manager. Then follow up with another email. Allow a reasonable amount of time for it to be fixed. In most states 2 weeks is considered reasonable. If they haven't made a good faith effort to START the repairs (and starting does not mean sending out vendor after vendor) take advantage of the remedies afforded to you by your state's landlord-tenant laws. Take them to small claims court. If it is a larger case and you can find a lawyer, bring an individual lawsuit. File a complaint with your state's real estate commission and with your state's AG office. All of these things eat into their profitability. And if it is done enough, it will eventually make more economical sense for them to make repairs because the alternative will be just as costly.

Annie D. Ellison, Attorney At Law Congratulations on this settlement! Thank you for coming over from the dark side. We are so happy to have you on the side of helping tenants hold the scumlords accountable by fighting for their rights and for fair treatment.

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After submitting several requests for the landlord to fix something on the outside of the rental home and waiting for more than a year as the landlord sent out multiple vendors to give estimates but never fixed the problem, our client had enough and contacted us for help with ending the lease that had nearly a year remaining.

We demanded that the landlord agree to let our client terminate the lease early WITHOUT paying a lease break fee and agree to refund the security deposit in full. We also demanded that the landlord make a settlement payment to our client. We went three for three. Exactly seven days after we sent the demand letter to the landlord, we reached an agreement that included nearly everything our client wanted.

What's your current housing situation? If you are dealing with a landlord that refuses to meet its obligations, let's talk and explore your options.

Interesting information for anyone interested in the enforcement of tenant rights.

DO YOU WORK FOR YOUR LANDLORD? ARE YOU AN EMPLOYEE OR A CUSTOMER?

Not too long ago, we heard from a tenant who submitted a repair request for a plumbing issue. The landlord sent out one of its “technicians” who was not able to fix it. The tenant was given a four-hour window of when the technician might show up and had to take a half-day off from work. Of course, the technician couldn’t fix the problem and told the tenant a third-party repair vendor would need to come to take a look. The tenant had to take off another half-day from work. The vendor came but was only authorized to determine what needed to be fixed and needed to submit a “bid” with the amount the vendor would charge the landlord to fix the problem. The landlord wanted a lower amount and over the next several months, sent out more than ten different vendors. Each time, the tenant was required to take off at least half a day from work. Nearly a year later, the issue still has not been fixed. The landlord has not paid a single dime for the needed repairs and has not lost any money because the tenant has to continue paying monthly rent in order to avoid paying late fees or possibly being evicted. On the other hand, by having to take off what amounts to a total of 56 hours from work, the tenant has lost a lot. Is this fair? Is it legal? Why is it happening? If tenants don’t work for the landlord, why are they having to perform the landlord’s legal obligation and duty to “make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.”

Most of the leases that we have seen do not include anything that actually requires the tenant to meet repair vendors. Even if landlords were to include such a provision, in most states, that provision would likely be unenforceable because most landlord-tenant laws require the LANDLORD - not the tenant - to make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to provide fit and habitable housing. So, very serious question - why are so many tenants acting as if they are employed by the landlord rather than acting like they are a customer who is entitled to service from the landlord?

The Wall Street corporate single family rental landlords are starting to do a lot of spending for lobbying lawmakers and politicians. Can’t see how this will be anything other than really bad for tenants.

Did you know that in most states, including North Carolina, landlords are REQUIRED to "make ALL repairs and do WHATEVER is NECESSARY to put and KEEP the premises in a fit and habitable condition"? While we've capitalized a few words for emphasis, this a direct quote from North Carolina's landlord-tenant law. Notice that it doesn't say landlords are required to make all repairs except for the ones that your landlord claims is tenant responsibility. It also does not say "except for those that were caused by vandalism". Nor does it say "except for those that cost more than $100.00". When a landlord refuses to make repairs for these reasons, they are in violation of the landlord-tenant law because the law says ALL repairs. We are aware that an increasing number of landlords and property management companies are burying provisions in the lease that force the tenant to agree to be responsible for repairs that cost less than $100.00. Even if your lease has a provision like that, your landlord is still responsible and required to MAKE any repair (no matter how low the cost may be) that is necessary to keep the rental property in a fit and habitable condition. If your landlord has failed to make repairs that are needed to make or keep your apartment or house safe, fit, and habitable, took an unreasonably long time (usually more than two weeks) or wrongfully put a tenant chargeback on your ledger for repairs that were actually its responsibility, contact us to see how we can help you. Depending on the particular facts and circumstances, you might be entitled to recover up to 3x the amount wrongfully charged or other damages sustained.

We are beyond excited to finally see a law firm focused on tenants. We have consulted with Annie D. Ellison, Attorney At Law in the past and are looking forward to seeing her new tenant-centered law practice grow. If you have an issue that requires legal representation, we highly recommend her.

As a tenant, you have rights. We're here to help you understand and assert those rights, navigate legal complexities, and seek fair resolutions. If you are having landlord problems, contact us today.

You know things are really bad when a SFR property management company's employee takes advantage of them allowing comments on their FB page to trash the company and expose their bad practices. American Homes 4 Rent Truth Translator we love your page and are happy to see you posting again! More stuff like this please!
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When Liv recently moved into a home that she rented from AH4R, the home was filthy. Layers of grease and dead bugs on the tops of the cabinets. Yuck! Washer and dryer connections that were so corroded, she couldn't use the washer and dryer that she purchased and had paid to have installed. Delivering you a home that is in good, clean, and safe condition with everything working as it is supposed to be is a legal obligation that state landlord-tenant laws place on landlords. Despite her landlord's claims, the things that Liv complained about are definitely not "cosmetic issues". The rent amount that you are paying is based on what they promised to deliver to you. If they are not delivering what was promised, you are likely entitled to rent reduction. Not sure how to get what is owed to you. Start by taking a look at your state's landlord-tenant law and make sure that you have complied with the tenant's obligations - including giving proper notice. Need help? Let us know.

TikTok · liv 77 likes, 19 comments. “american homes 4 rent count ya days”

A must read article for all tenants but especially for those who live in Florida.

"As rents and home sales skyrocketed, leaving more Floridians at risk for unstable housing or homelessness, burgeoning tenants unions and advocacy groups such as Florida Rising and the Miami Workers Center pushed local leaders for strong protections for their communities.

More than 30 communities in Florida have enacted local landlord and tenant policies in recent years in an effort to address rising housing costs, increased homelessness, and to reduce housing instability.

Of those passed by local communities, more than 40 will be wiped out by the new law HB 1417, per the bill’s House sponsor. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last month signed into law an industry-backed bill that wipes out certain tenant protections established by local governments in Florida. That includes two local laws established earlier this year by the Orange County government, which aimed to strengthen renters’ rights and protect renters from some of the predatory practices of bad landlords.

Backed by the Florida GOP, the new state law — titled the “Florida Landlord Tenant Act” — strips more than 1.5 million Florida renters of various renters’ rights, affecting residents of the state’s seven largest counties.

Under the new law, local governments can’t establish regulations superseding state law on security deposits, the screening process for landlords, rental applications and fees, terms and conditions of rental agreements, fees charged by landlords, and the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants."

https://www.facebook.com/TenantsReact/posts/pfbid022wg6gz5i64LNAd7JjxSzsgdypNjZZPcupZSinRwPcb3DegpwRf7bMikq5yWf5pidl

How Florida’s new industry-backed landlord tenant law will affect Orange County renters HB 1417 affects two local tenant rights laws in Orange County, and more than 40 statewide

This ain't hockey but our friends at Tenants REACT scored at hat trick with the complaints they filed against the Wall Street single family residential landlords. That's right, the complaint that they filed against Invitation Homes was also accepted and is currently under review. Congrats on going 3 for 3, TENANTS REACT!

We strongly support the work that the Tenants REACT group is doing and we are proud to stand in solidarity with them. If you are a renter, have family members who rent, or just care about other people, we encourage you to learn about this group and do what you can to support their efforts.

On January 31, 2023, we filed a 22-page consumer protection complaint against Invitation Homes with the Arizona Attorney General's Office. In addition to the complaint, we also submitted close to 70 pages of supporting documents. Yesterday - nearly three months later - we finally received acknowledgment of our complaint and a letter informing us that the AG's office has started a review. Based on our somewhat limited experience in the other states where we've filed, we have every reason to believe that in the next couple of weeks we will receive a notice that a formal investigation has been opened. As soon as we get that update, we will share it with you here.

Once a formal investigation is opened, we are likely to be asked to supply additional information, documentation, and evidence. If you are an Arizona tenant with an experience you'd like us to share with the AG's office or information/documentation that you think would be helpful, we'd love to hear from you. We'd especially like to have as many move out and security deposit accounting statements as possible since these are a great way to show some of the worst treatment and unfair practices that Invitation Homes frequently takes against its tenants.

As tenants of unscrupulous and profit-driven landlords, we have a choice. We can silently suffer the mistreatment and violation of our rights by these greedy companies or we can stand together, fight back, and demand that these companies honor their obligations as landlords, deliver the quality of home we are paying so much for, and respect our tenant rights and us as the customers from whom they make their absurd profits. We are choosing to fight back - no matter how long it takes and no matter how hard it is. What about you? What do you choose?

Sharing more good news from our friends at Tenants REACT. The complaint they filed with the Arizona Attorney General's Office against Progress Residential has been accepted and is currently under review!

We strongly support the work that the TENANTS REACT group is doing and we are proud to stand in solidarity with them. If you are a renter, have family members who rent, or just care about other people, we encourage you to learn about this group and do what you can to support their efforts.

On January 31, 2023, we filed a 24-page consumer protection complaint against Progress Residential with the Arizona Attorney General's Office. Yesterday - nearly three months later - we finally received acknowledgment of our complaint and a letter informing us that the AG's office has started a review. Based on our somewhat limited experience in the other states where we've filed complaints, we have every reason to believe that in the next couple of weeks we will receive a notice that Progress Residential is the subject of a formal investigation opened by the Attorney General. As soon as we get that update, we will share it with you here.

Once a formal investigation is opened, we are likely to be asked to supply additional information, documentation, and evidence. If you are an Arizona tenant with an experience you'd like us to share with the AG's office or if you have information or documentation that you think would be helpful, we'd love to hear from you. We'd especially like to have as many move out and security deposit accounting statements as possible since these are a great way to show some of the worst treatment and unfair practices that Progress Residential frequently takes against its tenants.

As tenants of unscrupulous and profit-driven landlords, we have a choice. We can silently suffer the mistreatment and violation of our rights by these greedy companies or we can stand together, fight back, and demand that these companies honor their obligations as landlords, deliver the quality of home we are paying so much for, and respect our tenant rights and us as the customers from whom they make their absurd profits. We are choosing to fight back - no matter how long it takes and no matter how hard it is. What about you? What do you choose?

Looks like Tenants REACT is seeing progress on the AG complaint it filed against AH4R in Arizona! We definitely support the work that the TENANTS REACT group is doing and would encourage as many tenants as possible to support their efforts.

On January 31, 2023, we filed a 29-page consumer protection complaint against American Homes 4 Rent (also known as AH4R and now calling itself AMH as it tries to hide from the horrible reputation it earned as AH4R) with the Arizona Attorney General's Office. Yesterday - nearly three months later - we finally received acknowledgment of our complaint and a letter informing us that the AG's office has started a review. Based on our somewhat limited experience in the other states where we've filed complaints, we have every reason to believe that in the next couple of weeks we will receive a notice that American Homes 4 Rent is the subject of a formal investigation opened by the Attorney General. As soon as we get that update, we will share it with you here.

Once a formal investigation is opened, we are likely to be asked to supply additional information, documentation, and evidence. If you are an Arizona tenant with an experience you'd like us to share with the AG's office or if you have information or documentation that you think would be helpful, we'd love to hear from you. We'd especially like to have as many move out and security deposit accounting statements as possible since these are a great way to show some of the worst treatment and unfair practices that AH4R frequently takes against its tenants.

As tenants of unscrupulous and profit-driven landlords, we have a choice. We can silently suffer the mistreatment and violation of our rights by these greedy companies or we can stand together, fight back, and demand that these companies honor their obligations as landlords, deliver the quality of home we are paying so much for, and respect our tenant rights and us as the customers from whom they make their absurd profits. We are choosing to fight back - no matter how long it takes and no matter how hard it is. What about you? What do you choose?

In less than 2 weeks, we helped these tenants force their landlord to admit that its claim that the tenants owed more than $14,000.00 (after keeping the security deposit) in early lease termination charges and move out damages was false. The tenants' demand letter to the landlord was emailed on February 21, 2023. On February 27, 2023 the tenants received a check from the landlord refunding their security deposit in full!

Here's an awesome Tenant Win that we could not wait any longer to celebrate. Although the dispute is not fully resolved, ProTenant Agency helped this tenant to get nearly $22,000.00 of alleged charges completely removed! So far, the tenant has received a refund of half of her security deposit but she wants to keep fighting so we are going to see if we can help her recover more. We'll provide a final update when this one is completely done.

North Carolina tenants - current or former - do not miss out on this opportunity to have your voice heard.

North Carolinaaaaa - as Petey Pablo famously said - this one's for you! But because we believe in the power of tenants working together, it's also for all of us. We've been working on the draft for the complaints to be filed with the NC Attorney General's Office. Based on what we've seen in states where we've already filed AG complaints, we get much better results by including stories from individual tenants that convey just how terrible these companies are and the extent to which they are victimizing tenants. Whether you are a current or former tenant of any of the Wall Street corporate SFR landlords, if you have an experience to share that you think shows just how much these companies mistreat tenants and how damaging they are to the rental industry, we really want to hear from you. Message us at Tenants REACT or send us an email. Tenants have suffered silently for way too long. We're getting great responses from the AG offices where we have previously filed and expect to get an even better one in North Carolina. Don't miss out on this opportunity to have your voice heard.

This is why we support Tenants REACT and more of the reasons we believe it is important for tenants to come together and work collectively to fight these corporate slumlords. There is strength in numbers and power in knowledge. If Invitation Homes and American Homes 4 Rent employees were members of a union - or at least communicating with each other - Invitation Homes employees would have known they were being cheated far earlier. Who knows, maybe if they felt stronger because they were working together, they could demand that their employers stop requiring them to engage in improper, unethical, and sometimes illegal practices.

TENANTS REACT is planning a collective action concerning repairs and wants to hear from tenants within the city of Charlotte, North Carolina who have made requests for repairs that the landlord has not fixed yet. Please let us know if you have outstanding repair requests for things like the following:

Doors or windows that are not reasonably weathertight or that do not lock properly.

Windows that have cracked or broken glass.

Loose, leaking, or broken toilets.

Shower stalls or bathtubs with leaks.

Insufficient hot water or really old water heater that isn't in good condition, isn't properly maintained, or is not operating as intended.

Loose electric receptacles or outlets, ceiling fixtures (including lights or ceiling fans).

Any light switches or electrical receptacles that are not operable, not operating as intended, or do not appear to be operating safely.

Overloaded electrical circuits.

Foundation issues, including moisture or water in crawlspaces.

Crawlspace vents or openings that do not have screening.

Flooring that is not weathertight or that has holes or excessive cracks which permit air to pe*****te rooms.

Flooring that is decayed or worn through.

Loose flooring.

Flooring or floor covering or finishing (carpeting, linoleum, etc.) that is not reasonably smooth, weathertight, or worn through.

Exterior siding that is not weathertight, has holes or excessive cracks or decayed boards, or siding material which permit air to pe*****te rooms.

Loose exterior siding.

Exteriors that are deteriorated because of lack of preventive maintenance consisting of painting, waterproofing, and repair.

Interior walls with holes or excessive cracks which permit air to pe*****te rooms or interior walls with excessive chipping or peeling of paint.

Interior walls or ceilings that have stains or moisture damage caused by leaks from roofing or other sources.

Loose roof covering, roof holes, or roof leaks causing damage to the house or any rooms.

Roof drainage that is inadequate to prevent dampness or deterioration at the walls or interior of the house.

Loose posts or railings on decks.

Improperly maintained stairs or steps. Stairs or steps that have holes or cracks large enough to constitute an accident hazard.
Loose railing for stairs or steps.

Fences that need to be repaired.

Kitchen or bathroom countertops and cabinets that have not been properly maintained to such an extent you cannot keep them clean and in sanitary condition.

Kitchen or bathroom cabinet doors that do not operate as intended.

Tenants REACT did it!!!! Complaints filed with the AZ Attorney General Office against American Homes 4 Rent, Invitation Homes, and Progress Residential!!! Thanks to everyone who is supporting this effort. You all made it happen!!! Next stop - North Carolina!!!! If you have stories or experiences about violations or improper practices related to renting in NC that you'd like TENANTS REACT to consider including in the NC complaints, let them know. Also, now is the time to sign onto the complaints that Tenants REACT will be sending to NC AG Josh Stein in the very near future.