Yeah those are definitely unsettling--like why would you put a long shot of everything in a person's closet in a public video on the internet?

Woah!! That is so awful--I can't believe she tried to charge you 6k to move out of a severely damaged apartment. Sorry this happened to you, and I'm glad you had renter's insurance (also, a good reminder for me to sign up for that right now!)

Wow, those are truly the craziest lease provisions I've ever heard of!! And I bet she didn't show you the lease until after the 24-hour window had closed for you to withdraw your application--so that she could keep your money.

Rhode Island Legal Services says here that if you were to pursue this in small claims court (which you don't need a lawyer for) you can ask for up to twice the amount of your deposit in damages, in addition to the deposit itself. It only costs $75 to file a claim, so depending on how much time/effort you feel like putting into something like this, it could end up being pretty worthwhile. I personally am planning on filing a claim against her.

Thanks!

Oh...my god. That's horrible! I'm sorry you had to go through this nightmare situation. I'm so glad we didn't end up in a lease with her.

I'm so sorry you went through all of that! I've also found myself thinking about her involuntarily since all this happened. I feel like I'm haunted now by how intentionally cruel she was in her texts to me, while also taking all of my money. The gaslighting was intense--she was trying very hard to make me feel like what is happening is my fault, and kept talking about how I had "harmed" her by making her think I might rent her apartment for less than 48 hours.

In addition to trying to get my money back, I'm definitely reporting her to the Department of Business Regulations and the Attorney General. This has to stop! It's crazy to think of how many people this has happened to for years and years.

Also woah that sticker--I'm not totally sure, but I feel like I used to see that phrase written places when I lived in the Olneyville area (2004-2009) and didn't know what it meant. Do you know where/when that photo was taken?

The crazy part is that I grew up here! I'm moving back after a long time away, and I've never tried to rent an apartment here before--what an incredible shit show.

From here: https://wrgri.com/2017/06/06/are-pet-deposits-allowed-in-rhode-island/

"While you can’t charge more than a month’s rent in a security deposit, the law does not appear to prohibit pet premium, or an increase in your rent to cover the pet(s) and any damage."

It also says that even though you can't charge more than a month's rent as a deposit, you can try to charge a separate "pet deposit" and see if the tenant challenges it in court...so awful and sketchy.

Rose charges a $150 fee up front and $15/mo. "pet rent"--it doesn't say deposit, just "fee," which seems worse because you can't expect to get it back like a deposit (although I guess most people don't get their deposits back from her anyway!)

Thank you so, so much!! I had no idea where to go to report this. I have a paper trail of everything, it was all in writing.

No that was actually bad information a broker gave me for some reason, I edited it out of the post. Sorry to get your hopes up if you're paying pet rent!

Yeah I just looked it up and you're right, pet rent is legal (I don't know why the broker told me that? All of this is so crazy).

I think I will try to consult a lawyer, and possibly take it to small claims court--I looked over the contract again and I don't think she was in a position to cash that check, even within the stipulations of her own shady contract. Thanks to you (and everyone else) for the encouragement!