01
What the lease authorizes
We read the lease and every addendum and list the charges each one supports.
Your lease and addenda
Rental Homes
Renting from an investment company? Know what your lease actually requires.
Many single-family rental homes are owned by companies that pool thousands of houses and sell securities backed by the rent. The lease you signed, the addenda added later and the ledger behind your online portal decide what you owe. Most tenants never see how those fit together. We examine them.
The Records
What you have probably never been shown.
These records decide what you owe and who can collect it. They are rarely sent to you, and almost never explained. We request them, examine them and tell you in plain language what they prove and what they do not.
- The complete lease with every addendum
- The full account ledger showing each charge and how each payment was applied
- Who owns the house and who manages it
- The policies the manager uses to add fees
What We Check
The rules your file is measured against.
02
How payments were applied
A ledger shows whether your payment went to rent or to fees first, which can turn an on-time rent payment into a late one. We reconcile it line by line.
Account ledger
03
Fees and local limits
Many states and cities limit late fees, require notice before rent or fees change, or regulate utility billing. We identify the rules that apply where you live.
State and local law
04
Who owns and manages the home
We document the owner of record and the manager, so notices and complaints go to the party responsible.
County property records
05
Notices
A notice demanding payment has to state an amount. We check that amount against the ledger and the lease.
State law
After the Record Goes Out
What a corrected record can lead to.
We do not promise results, and every file depends on what its records show. When a dispute is documented and pursued properly, these are outcomes it can produce:
- Charges reversed or refunded when the lease does not support them.
- A corrected ledger when payments were applied in the wrong order.
- A notice withdrawn or corrected when the amount demanded does not match the record.
- A file ready for a tenant attorney or housing agency if the matter goes further.
- A record that holds up. Then you know what you owe, in writing.
See the Work
See the form your findings take.
Sample report · PDF · 12 pages
What an examination produces
This sample is a mortgage file, with every figure made up for illustration. We examine a lease and a rent ledger the same way: each charge, the term that is said to allow it, what the record shows, and a plain determination on every line.
Open the sample reportCommon Questions
What people ask.
Can my landlord add fees that are not in my lease?
A charge generally has to be supported by the lease, an addendum you agreed to, or the law. Whether a specific fee is allowed depends on your lease and your state. We list each charge on your ledger next to the lease term that supports it, and mark the ones with no support.
How do I find out who owns the house I rent?
The owner of record is in the county's property records, and it is often a company with a name you will not recognize. We document the owner, the manager and how they relate.
I got a notice to pay or leave. What can you do?
Notices have short deadlines, and an eviction case moves quickly. We can check the amount demanded against your lease and ledger right away and put the result in writing. For the court case itself, contact a tenant attorney or a legal aid office in your area.
Is this only for single-family homes?
No. The same review works for any rental where a lease, its addenda and a ledger decide what you owe.
What We Investigate
Want to know what your own records show?
Upload your documents and we will send a free summary of what the record establishes, what is missing and why it matters.