Is it legal for apartment companies to charge so much money when you move out?

Jeanice
i live in texas and i moved out from my apartment and got a house, before you know it the apartment company charged me 1300 in damages to the apartment. when i left the apartment i cleaned and vacumed i dont get it they say they replaced the carpet and did other work. now it is in my credit i tried to dipute it with no luck. is it legal for them to charge all that and where can i complain and any ideas to get it removed from my credit fle? the problem is im trying to refinance my house and that collection account making it hard to refinace?

Deandrea
If you did not do a "walk-out" with the landlords on the day you moved out everything and get something in writing from them stating what they were complaining about, then yes they have the right to charge you for whatever they have had to replace whiile you were there. Unless you happen to have pictures of the place as you left it. Then go to small claims court and counter sue them.

Georgene
I am an apartment manager in Houston, TX... Did you give the proper notice to vacate? Was your lease contract up? If you said no to one or both of these then yes it is legal to charge you. It is not considered as damages though. If you do not give a notice the apartments can charge you a reletting fee which is 85% of what your rent is. Also if your lease is not up you can be charge full rent for the remainder of your lease contract as well as the reletting fee. About the carpet... How long did you live there? When replacing a carpet you have to charge by how long the resident lived there.. for example if you live there for 2 years and the carpet replacement was $1000 I could only charge you a percentage of the cost because the duration of the carpet is 5 years... so I would only charge you $600. Do you see what I mean?To dispute a charge or to find out more go to http://www.taa.org/ find your city, go to their website and contact them they always have a complaint/questions line. Good luck!!

Gaynelle
You may want to check with an attorney. If they are charging you for normal "wear and tear" you might have a case against them. If they are charging you for damage beyond normal "wear and tear", you may have a viable counter suit. Get legal advice.