I have been a resident of the same apartment community in Charlotte, NC for five years. Many of my fellow residents have lived here up to 10 years. Recently, our community was purchased by a new property management company and our lives have been turned upside down forcing many of us to move. 

Our rents were raised anywhere from 20-40%. On top of that, we are now obligated to pay over $200 worth of mandatory fees; some include services we don’t want or need. There is no buy out option for the lease, locking you in the entire term.  If you have a change of circumstances, you are obligated to pay the entire lease term with no option to reduce the costs to buy out of the lease.  Maintenance requests are taking months to be addressed.  One of my neighbors, who is a senior citizen, has not had hot water for 2 months. 

Many of the residents have broken appliances, issues with mold, apartments that have flooded, etc.  There needs to be better defined laws so when issues like this occur, tenants don’t need to spend even more money to get a lawyer to protect their self against the management company with millions of dollars. Landlords need to be held accountable to provide safe and habitable living conditions. 

This is not just about us; it's about all tenants who face similar issues with their property management companies. According to Zillow, The average rent for apartments in Charlotte, NC, is between $1,449 and $1,802 in 2024. For a studio apartment in Charlotte, NC, the average rent is $1,449. When it comes to 1-bedroom apartments, the average rent in Charlotte, NC, is $1,488. For a 2-bedroom apartment, the average rent is $1,802.

According to a report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, renters in North Carolina need to earn $15.79 per hour—more than twice the minimum wage—to afford a two-bedroom rental home (NLIHC). Yet, many property management companies continue to raise rents and impose unnecessary fees without consideration for their tenants' financial situations.

We call on local lawmakers in Charlotte, NC to strengthen tenant rights against such practices by property management companies. We urge them to establish regulations that prevent unreasonable rent increases and unnecessary service charges while ensuring timely response on maintenance requests. We also needs laws allowing tenants to break a lease for any reason with reasonable buy out fees. 
Applications should not be legally bond to a lease. 

Help us make renting fairer and more humane for everyone in Charlotte, NC – sign this petition today!