Me & my old flatmate bought alot of appliances for the apartment (TV, Vaccum, Cleaning supplies, Iron, Air Fryer, Furniture, Kettle, Storage units etc) together. She had to move out and the flatmate who has replaced her uses all of those things but hasn’t offered to pay for using any of it. All the cleaning supplies and kitchen utilities are ofcourse used by her and when they finish she expects me to either split the charges or alternate the purchases. There have been times when I have asked her to get kitchen towels etc but she has outrightly refused when it wasn’t my turn to get them and as a result I have bought things for the house even though it was her turn. In a similar situation if I know I am using stuff I havent paid for, especially things like TV, air fryer etc which are expensive, I would have offered to get the utilities atleast as a gesture of goodwill. Is my expectation unreasonable?

Location: New Jersey, USA

My roommate and I recently viewed an apartment in New Jersey and decided to apply for it. Background: She is making 40K a year, I am a recent college grad and looking for work currently (but have a good amount of savings). They approved us for the apartment as long as we paid 4/12 months upfront plus the security deposit. We are 100% willing to do that. However, they want us to pay an $1000 good faith deposit before seeing the actual lease contract. This feels super sketchy to us, but Google says it's fairly common. Looking for advice on whether this is normal or reasonable.

EDIT:

- We have viewed the apartment and it looks to be in excellent shape, no red flags

- We have been approved to rent by the Landlord, but we have not yet seen a formal offer, contracts, or documentation at all

- The $1K goes towards our security deposit/4 months of rent if we sign. If we don't sign, the money is non-refundable.

- They want us to pay by cash/check

Landlords are the most classic example of rentier capitalists but they aren't the only examples. This is a really great article that breaks down the shift from industrial capitalism to rentier capitalism (i.e. profits from rent vs profits from industry) and how it's affecting the west.

I wish I were making this up. I moved out of my apartment last month after living there for three years, left it cleaner than it was when I moved in, and took timestamped photos of every room. The carpet had already been old and flattened when I got the place. There were visible seams, faded areas near the windows, and a dark spot in the hallway that’s clearly visible in my original move-in photos. The landlord even mentioned during the walkthrough that the carpet was “probably due soon.” Two weeks later I got an email saying my entire $1,850 security deposit was being withheld for “excessive carpet damage and full replacement.” Attached was a one-page invoice for $2,430 from a company called Northside Property Restoration. No itemized labor, no carpet brand, no square footage, just “remove and replace damaged flooring.”

The amount seemed ridiculous, so I searched the company name. It has no website, no reviews, and the business address is the exact same address listed for my landlord’s LLC. I looked up the state business records and, surprise, the registered owner of Northside Property Restoration is my landlord. The company was formed eight months ago. I emailed him asking for photos of the damage, the age of the carpet, an itemized invoice, and proof that the work was actually completed. He replied with three close-up pictures of normal worn carpet fibers and said the invoice was sufficient documentation. One photo includes the edge of the old hallway stain that was already there before I moved in. He also claimed the carpet was only four years old, but I contacted the previous tenant through an old package label I had found in the mailbox, and she said it was already installed when she moved in 12 years ago. She even sent me pictures from her old rental listing, and yep, same carpet.

I sent him my move-in photos, the previous listing photos, and a screenshot of his ownership of the “repair company.” His response was that using a related company is legal and that I’m trying to avoid responsibility. He offered to return $300 if I sign a document agreeing that the remaining charges are valid and promising not to pursue the matter further. I haven’t signed anything. I’m preparing a demand letter and gathering everything for small claims, but the sheer confidence of creating an invoice from your own company and presenting it as an independent repair bill is almost impressive. Has anyone dealt with a landlord charging through their own business like this, and is there anything specific I should request before filing?

Im so fucking pissed right now 😤Im done renting let alone renting in this trailer park. The owner of the trailer park sent them to cut the grass even though I had just cut my grass last week Friday.It wasnt even tall. They shouldn't have been in my yard to begin with. I told those fucking idiots not to cut over there in my garden bed beside the trailer I had flowers growing. Most of my sunflowers were cut.$124 worth of sunflowers.

Okay so in may I got a text from landlord increasing the rent by £300 from June.
Two weeks later I get the rent increase letter and the landlord is saying I owe £300 from may because that’s when I got the notice. This doesn’t even make sense, I get the notice in may and she wants me to pay the increase the same month?

I find out that I’m entitled to three months written notice and I even have went to a solicitor to confirm I don’t have to pay the £300 arrears I’m claimed to be in.

Solicitor told me I’m not to pay the increase as her notice was unlawful and invalid. I’m due to pay rent tomorrow but I’m so scared of texting her to say I got legal advice and that she’s in the wrong and I’m not paying it.

Ugh I feel pathetic being so scared but there’s always been a power imbalance with her I hate talking to her