I signed a lease agreement a year ago and now moving out, rental company texts me I am in charge of emptying septic tank per my lease agreement. Location: california

I asked where does it say that in my lease? And they sent me this via text

Per Section 9 (UTILITIES) on page 2 of your signed Residential Lease Agreement:

"Tenant agrees to pay for all utilities and services, and the following charges: Water, Sewer, Trash, Gas & Electric..."

Because this property uses an local septic system rather than a municipal sewer line, the "Sewer" service clause directly covers the maintenance and routine pumping of the septic system. Pumping the septic tank is the operational equivalent of paying a standard municipal sewer bill to process waste generated during your tenancy.

Please proceed with scheduling the required septic tank pumping as requested to remain in compliance with your lease agreement

I asked Google and it says because it says sewer charge, that is not an equivalent to septic drain and that is considered property maintenance and falls on landlord. Unless it was stated specifically in another addendum to clean septic upon move out (which there isnt)

I am confused and told them, they cannot keep my security deposit for septic. Who is right or wrong?

My roommates and I rented a house in california for one year. Our lease ended June 30 started july 1st 2025 and we returned possession around then i belive a day or two before. Our security deposit was $5,200.

Before we had even fully moved out, the landlord entered the house, took a huge number of extremely detailed close-up photos, and had a handyman begin working. She claimed she had the right to enter and fix things before we finished moving out. Some of the handyman’s listed work dates are from before June 30.

We hired professional cleaners, carpet cleaners, and had the window treatments cleaned because we were naive and the lease said so, so we thought by law we has to. We also have move-in and move-out photos. Things she initially blamed on us are clearly shown in our move-in photos as already existing, but she ignored that evidence and continued claiming other damage.

She sent us handwritten pages that are almost impossible to read i mean like worse than those doctors note signature. The pages list broad amounts like $4,200 for a handyman, around $518 for supplies, gardening, carpet cleaning, a microwave, and ten extra days of rent labaled as carpet cleaner and microwave instalation. She kept the full $5,200 deposit and is now demanding another $2,201.37.

The $4,200 handyman charge is not broken down by individual repair. We cannot tell how much was charged for each item, how many hours were spent on each task, or what portion was tenant damage versus painting, maintenance, landscaping, routine turnover, or preparation for the next tenant. She sent a photo of the handyman holding a check, but not a normal detailed invoice explaining the work.

Most of her detailed damage photos were taken before we finished moving out and before our final cleaning. She has sent general photos showing completed rooms afterward, but no clear set showing the same specific claimed area at move-in, after we surrendered possession but before work, and after the work was completed. She also has not provided original files or clear dates for the photos. and the photos she has provided are while we still lived there and she took inside while we was there and i mean the photos we things you couldnt catch your eye on unless your super zoomed in irl and we have photos thank God of stuff already like that and sending those to her.

She is charging ten additional days of rent even though we removed our belongings, returned possession, and she and her workers had control of the property. She seems to be claiming that rent continued while the handyman, gardeners, painters, and carpet cleaners worked.

After we disputed everything in writing and requested a proper itemized accounting, photos, receipts, and labor breakdown, she mostly ignored our questions and continued sending separate photo emails and demands for payment. She also told us that we were not even being charged for her personal time, mileage, rental car, and time dealing with the gardeners, implying she could demand even more.

More than 21 days have now passed. She has not returned any part of the deposit and still has not provided a clear item-by-item accounting that we can reasonably understand.

Does this sound like a compliant California security deposit accounting? Can she charge rent after we surrendered possession just because turnover and repair work continued? Can she charge us for her rental car, mileage, travel, or time supervising workers? Also, how strong would a bad faith claim be if she ignored photos disproving some of her allegations and continued withholding the entire deposit?

EDIT: not that it matters I think at least but she’s pushing 80+

Edit 2: idk how to add images or idk if I even can but I was trying to add a photo of her so called unlegible list but I can’t add images

Edit 3: to give you a idea of how greedy she is shes charging us for her so called "meals" which includes a 12 inch sub. Doesn't end there she decided to add avocado to it for a upcharge.

Location: California

Hi guys just looking for advice here, me and my partner are desperate to move out (bad home situations/parent abuse) we both have great jobs for our age (22/23), a combined income of £70k, no credit issues also, however when going for viewings (only 2 as i am quite picky) the landlords on both got back to us advising they won’t be proceeding as we have never rented before, and it is starting to dishearten me and make me think we are going to be stuck at home forever.

We are both able to provide professional references just of course not from a prior landlord, is this a common problem? but where are we supposed to start if no one will rent us a property?

uk based, TIA

[US-GA] Looking for homes in the metro Atlanta area, and came across a corporate owned neighborhood.

Most of the homes include fences, so naturally they charge a $75 monthly fence fee, and a $75 monthly landscaping fee, not included in the advertised price.

Can we all agree that $75 monthly fence fee is insane?

Of course, it also includes the typical smart utility billing fee, internet fee, smart lock fee, and trash fee.

Landlord left a notice two weeks ago that him and a pest control company would be here today anywhere from 2pm to 4pm. It's 4:30 now. Nobody has shown up. It his notice now invalid? I googled it and it says it is illegal to show up late for something like this and just barge in. We are on an ongoing conflict with management so I am asking to be sure. plus him making a bad move would do us good right now.

(US-CA) Hi, I live in a student house near my university. It’s co-ed, but my roommate (another girl) and I have our own private bathroom.
On Sunday, we had a plumbing issue, and our entire bathroom became unusable we can’t use the toilet, sink, or shower. The landlord told us to use another bathroom that’s already shared by three male tenants. I was okay with that temporarily, assuming it would be fixed within a day, but it’s now been three days.
I’m really uncomfortable sharing a bathroom with three men. It’s not about them personally, but with five people using one bathroom, it’s become pretty unhygienic, and I’m genuinely concerned about my own hygiene. The guys weren’t even told we’d be using their bathroom, so they’re just as surprised and uncomfortable as we are whenever we run into each other.
I’ve spoken to the landlord multiple times. He keeps apologizing and says he’s having trouble finding a plumber and that he’ll disinfect the bathroom afterward, but that doesn’t solve the fact that we’ve been without our own bathroom for three days. At this point, I’ve been avoiding staying at the house just so I don’t have to use that shared bathroom.

Is there anything I can do, or do I just have to keep waiting? I’m honestly at my limit.

edit:  I am sharing a private studio which is an extension of the main house. I don't enter the house at all since i have my own kitchen, bathroom, and laundry facilities .The house has 5 men living inside.

However, it might be an excuse and, hence, a lie.

Hi everyone, I’m a renter in california in a duplex with a shared garage. My neighbor since moving in has taken up the entire space of the garage with insane amounts of stuff, multiple tool boxes, trash cans full of fishing poles, random trash, anything you can think of. At first he told us that he was just in the midst of moving in and we would have space by the end of his moving process. Fast forward about two months later and the garage is in shambles and he’s lost his damn mind. He recently was upset about us contacting our landlord about his storing of a boat on the property and crashed out, breaking the garage door and removing the latch to my back gate. I am in contact with my landlord about everything happening here but she has no rush to come out to the property and check out the status of it or to see if he has cleaned up the garage that we’ve been asking him to for what seems like the entire time he’s lived here. I’ve come to the point where I feel like I’m paying for this man to have a storage unit instead of for me to have access to a garage. The landlord is also supposed to send someone out to build a partition wall in the garage but a week has gone by since she claimed that person would be here so I’m wondering if I’m crazy for asking for prorated rent for this month, not an extreme amount, just about 300 dollars. This situation comes with a lot more irritating details that I’ll spare this post of but I’d love to hear anyone’s experiences or advice with my situation!
tldr: my neighbor uses all the shared garage space, is it crazy to ask my landlord for cheaper rent until he cleans it up

(US-CA) My neighbor is supposedly being evicted in two days. He is mentally unwell, I have a restraining order against him because of past incidents. I’m worried about my safety while he’s still on the property and during the move-out process. Does the property management (US-CA) have any obligation to remove me, inform me or help enforce the order? What steps should I take to protect myself? Any advice from people who’ve dealt with something similar would be appreciated. Thank you

I’ve been living in an Apartment for just over a year and frankly it’s just not working out. The pest issues are hardly ever addressed and the maintenance crew is always running behind. I am planning to move in October but have been informed by other tenants that have vacated that the Landlord will NOT under any circumstances return your deposit. I’ve kept the place in excellent shape so I inquired as to the process of scheduling an exit inspection to insure my deposit would be returned. The lady in the office told me that they don’t do that and that I’d get an itemized bill for any cleaning and repairs. This is a set up and I know it. What can I do to plan ahead and make sure that I don’t get screwed out of my deposit?

I rented out my house to a family and they seemed fine and even paid on time for a while

Then they vanished, like in the middle of the night without any notice nor forwarding address

When I finally got inside, I couldn't believe it. Garbage everywhere. Holes in the walls. And to make it worse, they stole the copper pipes. Pulled them right out of the walls

The repair estimate is over $20,000. I don't have that kind of money sitting around.

I began looking around for some solutions. I saw some comapnies like Cleveland Cash Offers which buy houses regardless of their condition and they will remove everything and provide cash on the spot. No renovations required

This seems very attractive. I truly do not want to suffer through this anymore

But I'm nervous. Is this too good to be true? Are these "we buy any house" companies legitimate? Or am I going to get lowballed so badly it's not even worth it?

Has anyone sold to one of these cash buyer companies after a tenant horror story? Did they actually handle the cleanup? Or did they nickel-and-dime you at the last minute?

I'm angry and exhausted. Any honest advice would help before I make a decision

Memphis, TN
Last week, I came home from work to everything I own in my apartment gone. I called the police and learned that my apartment building had cleaned out squatter/eviction units and got mine mixed up with it. They threw all my items out into a dump 30 miles away same day. They locked my cat in the bathroom closet.

I compiled a detailed list of what I had totaling over 15,000 dollars, the landlord however, is only offering me 5000 + 2 months rent ($800 a month)

What should I do ? Everything I own is gone. This is an insulting amount to offer me given the situation.

EDIT: I did call the police about it the night it happened. but they apparently never filed it?? I now have no ID (because they threw it out) to file a new report.

Long story short, I went against my gut instinct and gave a now-former friend too many chances. She moved into my complex yesterday. How can I best approach the landlord?

Backstory:

Before I realized what she was about, I referred her to my complex. I felt sorry for her because she couldn’t get another apartment due to waves she caused at other complexes. She actually is in an active lawsuit where she lives now and was lucky to even get approved at my complex. Many other communities denied her (for the lawsuit she filed about damage she caused to get out of her lease).

She randomly flipped out on me about something that happened before I even met her, and I then blocked her. Well then she started looking up my and my child’s medical records at her hospital and gave the details to a dangerous dog owner that attacked me and my child severely. The hospital will likely be terminating her once she returns from PTO, especially because I gave them proof of her obtaining medical details for other patients.

I mentioned to my landlord that she violated HIPAA and that I blocked her. The property manager said the woman has a lot of problems that seem self- created. The assistant manager isn’t as helpful about it. The property manager is out this week.

What is the best way to get the landlord to cancel her lease? I feel if the landlord looked at her actual lawsuit that they’d have second thoughts about her. I have proof she caused the actual damage she sued for. I fear the drama she will cause- and then she’ll probably escalate after getting fired. She also frequently makes comments about using her weapon for trivial things, such as if a landscaper is outside when she wants to sleep late. So I could mention the safety concerns. I just want her out and want the best way to achieve it.

What would make a landlord think twice of leasing to someone during the week they move in?

[US - TX]

I sent notice that I’d like to terminate my lease the beginning of June. My lease ends July 31. I submitted a request through the app and received an email asking for reason for not renewing. I responded and received nothing in response. It said the information would be uploaded to my account but I’m not seeing anything on my end.

The real issue is I’ve been trying to contact them since the first week of July in regard to move out procedure. Management is located off property so my main question was about turning in keys (where, what time etc). I’m also realizing I may need an extra day or two because I have to work up until the 31st.

No one is responding to my emails, calls are sent to hold on an endless loop. I could take time from work to go to their office but it’s in one of those office buildings and there’s no suite number.

It’s also a bit tricky because this is the 3rd management company since I moved in. The second company was in ownership when I resigned my lease and the new lease was printed. I remember requesting a copy but being told that wasn’t possible (there was an onsite manager with this company and they were less than stellar). I’m not sure what to do at this point (as if moving isn’t already stressful enough).

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for a bit of advice because I’m feeling pretty anxious about this situation.

I’ve lived in the same rental house for about four years. Recently we had a major water intrusion issue in one of the bedrooms. Mushrooms actually started growing from the baseboards, which was… not something I ever expected to see.

Thankfully, the property management company took it seriously. The contractors excavated around the foundation, sealed the exterior, gutted and treated the affected wall inside, and have now finished those repairs. As part of the restoration, they’re also removing the carpet in that bedroom and installing LVP.

Here’s the part I’m nervous and embarrassed about.

A while back, my husband and I went away for two weeks and paid someone to stay at the house and care for our dog (who is approved and on the lease). Unfortunately, that person abandoned him. We didn’t realize until about 48 hours had passed, and during that time our dog had several accidents in the bedroom.

I’ve shampooed the carpet multiple times and done everything I could to clean it, but there’s still been a lingering odour. I lifted the carpet in a couple of spots where the accidents were the worst, and there’s definitely some staining on the subfloor in one area.

I’m thinking I should tell the property manager before the flooring contractors come. I want to be upfront about it, and I’m more than willing to pay for an odour-sealing primer or any additional work that’s needed because of my dog’s accidents. Since they’re already replacing the flooring, I’d rather make sure everything gets dealt with properly now instead of having odours trapped under the new floor.

Has anyone else been in a situation like this? How would you approach it? If your landlord was reasonable, how did they respond?

I’m trying to do the right thing, but I’m honestly pretty nervous and embarrassed about admitting that my dog caused some damage, even though the whole flooring replacement is already happening because of the water intrusion issue.

Los Anglees, California - Hey everyone, I’m looking for some advice because I’m not sure if I’m being reasonable or if I’m asking for too much.
About three weeks ago, I signed a lease for an apartment and paid a holding fee so they would hold the unit for me. They agreed to hold it from August 1st until my move-in date on August 20th. Because of that, the unit has been sitting vacant for about 20 days while I was paying to reserve it.
During those three weeks, I asked multiple times if I could see the unit before move-in. Every time I was told I couldn’t because it was being cleaned or wasn’t ready yet. At no point did anyone tell me there were any issues with the apartment.
Then, three days before my scheduled move-in, they called and told me the unit was no longer available due to “unforeseen maintenance issues.”
When I spoke with the general manager, he admitted they had dropped the ball and that it was completely their fault. He told me there was a pest infestation and that the unit should never have been put on the market in the first place. If that’s true, it seems like they knew long before they notified me.
Now they’re offering me:
A temporary unit that’s smaller than the one I leased.
One month’s rent free (about $2,900).
The problem is they’re also running a new resident promotion that’s worth about $2,600 off the first month. So it feels like I’m really only getting about $300 more than someone signing a brand-new lease today.
On top of that:
I had to take time off work for my move.
I already had movers and my move planned.
I’ll now have to move twice. once into the temporary unit and again into the permanent unit once it’s ready.
The apartment I originally picked was a first-floor corner unit, which I specifically chose because I really liked the location and layout. The temporary unit isn’t comparable.
I told them I think a fair resolution would be to honor the current new resident promotion plus provide one additional month of free rent to compensate for the disruption, having to move twice, the last-minute notice, and everything else that’s happened.
Am I being unreasonable by asking for that? Has anyone dealt with something similar? If so, what compensation did you receive, and is there anything else I should be asking for before I agree to move into the temporary unit?
I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences.

I really need some advice!! I continue to feel very sick being in my apartment!

My father rented a house for 10 years and passed away in it last year. Due to financial issues, I was also on the lease so my dad would be able to get the house. During those 10 years, the landlord never did a walk through nor did my dad reach out to him to fix anything. He paid rent and never missed it once. My dad was a hoarder and was uncomfortable with the landlord coming in and took on any maintenance issues himself. If an appliance went out, he’d buy a replacement or something to use instead of the appliance.

Although my dad was a hoarder, we cleaned everything up and I had a cleaning clean come in as well.

I didn’t do a final walk with the landlord just because it was two months after he passed and I wasn’t mentally okay with it.

He hasn’t reached out to return the security deposit nor has he reached out to me since I confirmed we were locking the doors with the keys on the counter as he requested.

My concern is that he hasn’t rented the house out in almost a year. We deep cleaned the house but there was mold issues in one room due to old pipes, appliances that no longer worked, carpet that needs replacing due to mold just in one room (my dad replaced all the other carpet out of pocket a couple of years ago), water stains on hardwood floors, ac unit was in bad shape

We didn’t have any other damages and like I said, we deep cleaned the house. I’m just worried that the landlord hasn’t rented out the house because he is planning to somehow sue me for something. He isn’t a nice person from what the neighbors and my dad said.

Any thoughts on the possibility of this?

Condo in unsafe condition. Landlord wont fix. I dont know what to do ?

I moved here in 2023. My house is in unsafe conditions. Mold, mildew, holes in walls, outlets sparking/ falling out of walls. everytime
I report an issue i get ignored. I have over 40 emails of issues over the year and they just dont care. Ive been trying like hell to find a new place so i can move forward with L&I but its soo sooo hard right now my credit isnt the best and landlords are choosing all the other tenants. We have all the symptoms of long term
mold exposure and my daughter and mom developed serious health issues. I tried calling lawyers but they want money upfront which i cant use any of the deposit i have saved to move. I dont know what to do. Ive been anxious and crying i feel so afraid and unsafe.

Quite a few years ago now, shortly after I started grad school, I ended up rooming in a house near campus in Kingston, Ontario. I had my own bedroom; the kitchen, living room, bathroom, etc. were shared with the landlady and another student. As soon as I moved in, I discovered that the place was infested with fleas.

Fleas are a problem in that city. Thanks to its proximity to Lake Ontario, the winters are mild enough, despite the snowfall, that fleas survive. The landlady's poor, ancient dog had picked up some fleas sometime previously, and her idea of treating the problem was to sit on the living room floor every evening, pick the fleas off him, and drop them on an open newspaper. Although it's possible to kill fleas one-handed, it's not easy. I'm pretty sure she was just dropping them on the newspaper and assuming that they'd stay put. (If they were dead, she wouldn't have needed something as wide as an open newspaper to put them on.) So of course they just went bouncing away.

(Also, she was delusional in other ways. Her idea of "composting" was to scatter the kitchen waste and scraps across her garden.)

Maybe the fleas bothered me a lot more than they did her. But I noticed the welts and itching right away. My complaints to her led to escalating friction. I managed to get my bedroom clear, but I hated having to be careful not to bring them in, and I couldn't use the living room. Eventually, I started collecting them in bottles, and when I felt I had enough evidence, I called the city's landlord/tenant dispute centre.

They asked me to collect a few. I told them that I already had more than 200 in vials, collected over the preceding couple of weeks. After a few seconds of stunned silence, the landlord/tenant person told me that I was calling the wrong office. I needed the Board of Health.

The health inspector that came out didn't enter the place. (I couldn't blame him.) He just asked to see my vials. I handed them over, and he said "Yup. Those are fleas." He told me that he'd call the landlady and take care of it.

A few days later, he called me back. The landlady had denied that there were any fleas in the house; she said that if I had fleas, I'd brought them in myself. He told her to get the house sprayed, or else.

She did spray insecticide, but apparently not enough. The fleas were moving more slowly, but they were still bouncing around, and their population didn't seem any less. Tension between her and me jumped sharply. Communication was via written notes left for each other, and some of her accusations got even more bizarre. I'd left one of my flea vials in my room, and a couple of weeks after the stuff with the health inspector, I noticed that the vial now contained coffee grounds instead of fleas. Apparently she'd gone into my room while I was out, gone through my things, and destroyed that evidence. Not that it mattered at that point, and at any rate, I still had one of my vials in my desk drawer at the university. And, of course, could simply have collected more if I needed them. I found other accommodation and moved out a couple of weeks after that.

About three years later, while I was at the university bookstore, I encountered her. She was all chirpy: "Hi! Remember me?!" I just told her, flatly, "Oh, yes. I remember you." And walked away.

[CA] I recently gave my 30-day notice, and my apartment manager sent me a move-out letter saying:
“Carpets must be professionally shampooed and cleaned. If you decide to hire a company to professionally shampoo your carpets and to clean your apartment, you must give the receipt to the manager.”
The thing is, my lease never mentions that I have to have the carpets professionally cleaned at move-out or provide a receipt.
Has anyone been in a similar situation in California? Did your landlord actually require a professional cleaning receipt, or was vacuuming/cleaning the carpet yourself enough? If you didn’t get it professionally cleaned, did they deduct it from your security deposit?
I’m trying to figure out whether this is something they can require if it wasn’t in the lease, or if they’re just asking for it as part of their standard move-out letter.

I have been at this place for 6 years now. There are multiple problems that need fixing in the condo. We have asking here and there, as to not bombard the landlords. Also, need to mention that previously the condos were own by a family but sadly about 3 years ago they sold to a bigger property management company.
Anyways, I want to ask them to replace the 1 window ac located in the living room as it is in bad condition, and does not work properly. Second, I want to ask them to replace 5 baseboard heaters located in each room. There has been moments where one is blowing hot air even when the thermostat is set at “cold” which is the off setting. For example, a piece a plastic landed on top of the heater, by the time I found it it was melted onto it.

Ac and the heaters are from the 80s.

Question is how likely are they to say no ?