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Apartment Management sent me $100 late fee for October

Leros

Leros

Lifer
I just got a letter from my apartment management company. They mailed it on January 19, 2009 as is written on the letter.

They are demanding $100 for a late rent payment in October. I don't even remember what happened that long ago. They are also charging me a $20 maintenance fee and I have no idea why.

I called the property manager asking her what the charges were and she said something like "your rent was a month late in October and you requested a maintenance call last week for no reason".

The letter (and my property manager on the phone) said that unless they had a check for $120 tomorrow by tomorrow (when they aren't even open), that they will punish me to the full extent on the lease. I looked up my lease and that means eviction.

Any ideas on this? Should I just cave in and give them their money?

 
Maybe you should try keeping better records of your financial transactions, genius. I'll bet when you posted this you had no idea you would need your flame-retarded suit. 😉
 
The date I wrote on the check was 5 days before it was due. I then mailed it in. The date the check was deposited was 9 days after my rent was due. The claim in the letter is that the postmark was after the due date, which I can assure was not the case unless the mail got screwed up.
 
Look up the date when you wrote your check. If your bank is like mine, they will have a scanned copy of the check when your apt cashed it.
 
Originally posted by: Leros
The date I wrote on the check was 5 days before it was due. I then mailed it in. The date the check was deposited was 9 days after my rent was due. The claim in the letter is that the postmark was after the due date, which I can assure was not the case unless the mail got screwed up.
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wait, so they told you it was over a month late yet you have proof that they deposited it 8 days (takes a day to clear) after rent was due?
 
Originally posted by: JohnCU
why are they just now telling you about this?
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That's what I'm wondering. They've sent me numerous bills throughout the time between October and now.

The property manager does not like me at all. I had a clogged sink problem that went on for the first three months I moved in. I would call their maintenance person twice a week for those three months. He would fish a wire down the drain and it would stay unclogged for a few days.

After getting really frustrated, I hired a real plumber (which is against my lease). They plumber realized that I had a root growing in my pipe which was causing the problem. I sent the bill to my property manager asking her to deduct the cost from my next rent payment. She got angry and told me how I'm not allowed to do any maintenance on my own.
 
Originally posted by: Gothgar
Originally posted by: Leros
The date I wrote on the check was 5 days before it was due. I then mailed it in. The date the check was deposited was 9 days after my rent was due. The claim in the letter is that the postmark was after the due date, which I can assure was not the case unless the mail got screwed up.
Click to expand...

wait, so they told you it was over a month late yet you have proof that they deposited it 8 days (takes a day to clear) after rent was due?
Click to expand...

My October rent is due on Oct 1st.
 
damn that sucks, sounds like they just need some extra money and are going back through their records trying to figure out a way to find something
 
Originally posted by: Leros
Originally posted by: JohnCU
why are they just now telling you about this?
Click to expand...

That's what I'm wondering. They've sent me numerous bills throughout the time between October and now.

The property manager does not like me at all. I had a clogged sink problem that went on for the first three months I moved in. I would call their maintenance person twice a week for those three months. He would fish a wire down the drain and it would stay unclogged for a few days.

After getting really frustrated, I hired a real plumber (which is against my lease). They plumber realized that I had a root growing in my pipe which was causing the problem. I sent the bill to my property manager asking her to deduct the cost from my next rent payment. She got angry and told me how I'm not allowed to do any maintenance on my own.
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Well there's your answer, they're trying to get rid of you.
 
I wouldn't pay. I"d ask for proof that the postmark was after the due date. I'd also contest the "maintenance fee" too. If they try to evict you, take them to court.
 
Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
Sounds like they're either trying to jack up the rent on you (without breaking the lease terms) or are trying to get rid of you.
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They're certainly doing a good job of that. I've got a 1.5 years left on my lease and I lose an $800 month of rent and a $800 down payment if I break the lease early. No way I'm doing that.
 
Originally posted by: KLin
I wouldn't pay. I"d ask for proof that the postmark was after the due date. I'd also contest the "maintenance fee" too. If they try to evict you, take them to court.
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:thumbsup:
 
Originally posted by: JS80
Well there's your answer, they're trying to get rid of you.
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🙁

Last week I sent her an email asking her if she ever got the fridge shelves they were supposed to install in September. My fridge has had no shelves since I moved in.

Maybe that is the $20 maintenance fee? And I guess that annoyed her enough to send me a late October bill.
 
Originally posted by: Leros
Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
Sounds like they're either trying to jack up the rent on you (without breaking the lease terms) or are trying to get rid of you.
Click to expand...

They're certainly doing a good job of that. I've got a 1.5 years left on my lease and I lose an $800 month of rent and a $800 down payment if I break the lease early. No way I'm doing that.
Click to expand...

But this sounds like them trying to break the lease, not you.
 
Originally posted by: compuwiz1
Maybe you should try keeping better records of your financial transactions, genius. I'll bet when you posted this you had no idea you would need your flame-retarded suit. 😉
Click to expand...

QFT.
 
Originally posted by: Leros
Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
Sounds like they're either trying to jack up the rent on you (without breaking the lease terms) or are trying to get rid of you.
Click to expand...

They're certainly doing a good job of that. I've got a 1.5 years left on my lease and I lose an $800 month of rent and a $800 down payment if I break the lease early. No way I'm doing that.
Click to expand...

Damn.

With that kind of money and it sounds like they're going to be major pains in the ass, I'd probably pay them now and contact a lawyer. Play dumb and see what they do. You might even consider sending your payments via registered mail and sending any complaints that way as well. I wouldn't goad them into anything, don't tell them about contacting a lawyer or anything, let them be the asshole and then have it ready to slap them if/when they do something.

I'd definitely document your issues, make sure to get pictures of everything in your apartment as well. That's the very least.
 
Originally posted by: alkemyst
Originally posted by: compuwiz1
Maybe you should try keeping better records of your financial transactions, genius. I'll bet when you posted this you had no idea you would need your flame-retarded suit. 😉
Click to expand...

QFT.
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when'd you get back?
 
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