Frustrated in Washington (Vancouver: apartment, lease, how much)

[britd]

I just moved to Wa less than 48 Hours ago and I had leased an apartment online before I left AZ. I was SHOCKED when I got here to see it was nothing like I was promised!!!! It does not have all the features I was promised, the pictures were very misleading and worst of all it's very dirty! I am currently looking for another place and think I might have found one, so I need to know what is the legal law? How much time do you have to back out of a lease without gettting penilized severly?

[StealthRabbit]

Sorry, I do not specifically know. (sometimes as much as 72 hours, but it depends on the contract)

give Attorney General Rob McKenna a call;

1-800-551-4636 (in-state only)

or see if you can drop in on Vancouver office

1220 Main St. Suite 549
Vancouver, WA 98660-2964

Whoops... I see they want you to go here for tenant disputes
City of Vancouver - Landlord Tenant Mediation
(360) 619-1151
Email: Kevin.Carlisle@ci.vancouver.wa.us
Landlord Tenant Mediation - Community Mediation - Our Community - City of Vancouver, Washington, USA

Have as much in writing as you can drum up. Including the pics, and any descriptions / and documented conversations (with time and date + topic and text), copies of checks, Tracking numbers... Do as best you can to re-create a paper train. It will help remove the emotion, give you credibility, and offer the mediator tangible evidence to work with. Be calm and reasonable, it will go a long way in your favor. Don't get upset till you know the full results. If they are not fair and reasonable, THEN you can rip their scrawny little heads off

These offices are probably in the rented space near Van Mall, basically across from the Heathman Lodge. Call first and find out, as offices are kind of spread out, while the city sold their office and has their favorite developer building some new space they can lease back...

[Sweating in Florida]

Check with the Attorney General Office(consumers??) and any renters hotline for Washington who can tell you your rights, options and how to deal with fraud/misleading information. Also, I think there are laws/policies with sanitary standards of places that are allowed to be rented out. Hurry there may be a deadline for renters/consumers to make a complaint after purchase or payment(rent). Make sure to tell the Attorney Generals office that you have already complained to your landlord/owner and that he or she is aware of the problem. Also, put it in writing and fax it to your property manager for your proof of this. I think that this a letter is required and usually the first step according to the Attorney General. They do this because they need to know for sure it cannot be resoved at your level and you have "communicated" with them with no resolve whatsoever. You also have to let them know you will or have contacted the Attorney General with a complaint.

[theresnoplacelikehome]

Originally Posted by britd

I just moved to Wa less than 48 Hours ago and I had leased an apartment online before I left AZ. I was SHOCKED when I got here to see it was nothing like I was promised!!!! It does not have all the features I was promised, the pictures were very misleading and worst of all it's very dirty! I am currently looking for another place and think I might have found one, so I need to know what is the legal law? How much time do you have to back out of a lease without gettting penilized severly?

Can I ask what area this is, as I am also searching the Vancouver area, and do not want to be in that kind of environment either. Thank you.