Unfair charges from Landlord!

[mnk123]

Hi Friends,

I need some guidance from you all. I have recently moved out of a rented apartment and moved into a new one. My Previous landlord says that there is a curry smell in the house so they will have to repaint the house and do ozone treatment for which they are charging me $120.
I had cleaned the apartment at my best, actually i returned it in a better condition than what they had gave me.

I think the charges are not fair, what can i do in this case?
Do i have to blindly accept what ever charges they put on me?
They said if i don't pay them they will send the issue to recovery company

Please advise.
Thank you in advance

Regards,
mnk123

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

What state do you live in?

Gail

 

[mnk123]

Phoenix, Arizona

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

You can write a letter disputing these charges and "demanding" that they be taken off your record.

Some landlords/management (especially those in large rental units) will often skip the process of attempting to file a lawsuit and simply turn the charges over to the collection agency that they keep on retainer.

If they were to file against you in a court of law, they would have to prove that you left damages above normal wear and tear.

I do have to say that I've read a fair number of postings from landlords who had tenants who used curry in cooking and they did find they had to both prime and repaint the walls (used an odor blocking primer) to cover the odors left from this spice. This does not mean the tenant left the unit dirty but rather that it appears this particular spice tends to leave a lingering odor that is difficult to remove from porous surfaces such as drywall.

Gail

 

[mnk123]

Hi Gail,

Thank you for your reply.

What happens if they hand the issue to Collecting agency,do i still have to pay them or the collecting agency will keep on calling me or anything else they will do?

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

Collection agencies can be pains in a low spot. That's their job; to attempt to get you to pay what management claims you owe.

In a sense, it would be better if management filed a lawsuit against you; you would then have a chance to present your case to a court and let a judge decide the issue.

Gail