Know Your Rights As A Renter

I think that the majority of the people who read this blog probably currently rent their living quarters. Some people have great relationships with their landlords, and some only dealt with them when they were signing their lease and then never had to deal with them again since. Regardless of your personal relationship with your landlord, property management company, etc., there may come a time when an issue arises and you suddenly feel like you're fighting a giant.

For me this was the case back in March when my roommate moved out and we no longer had the number of occupants necessary to stay in the three bedroom apartment that we were renting. There were other issues as well and long story short I came home one day to find a Three Day Notice to Vacate.

Three days is not enough time to do ANYTHING, let alone find a new place, pack up your old place, and get everything moved from one location to another. I was so stressed and I had no idea where to turn for help.

I contacted Project Sentinel in Sunnyvale and went in and talked to them and explained my situation. They explained that one of the services that they offer is "Tenant-Landlord Mediation". They contacted the leasing office of the apartment and managed to get them to give me until the end of the month (an additional three weeks in this case) to find somewhere else to live. Not only that, but they also negotiated the whole incident not to be reflected negatively on my credit report. They helped me out a lot!

So regardless of what the issue, if you are having a problem and you are a renter, contact Project Sentinel to find out if you are being treated fairly and see how they suggest you resolve the situation.