This has just been a nightmare from day 1 and any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm ready to get my head out of the sand on this. Ill probably cross post to /r/legaladvice but wanted to see what I can do from a PF standpoint too. State of Florida if that matters.
In December 2015, I was wrongfully evicted after a security guard at the apartment complex started harassing me and we got into a verbal altercation. He claimed I hit him, which I obviously didn't, but I was arrested anyway. Charges were dropped (because I didn't hit him, it was just a shouting match) and I ended up incurring additional costs for legal representation (felony charges).
When I posted bail and went back home I found a note on my door that I had 1 week to move out or I'd be evicted because of the "battery". I've never been in any sort of trouble before, so I freaked out, got all of my stuff together, scrubbed the apartment clean, took photos, and left the keys on the table. I was too embarrassed at that point to even do a walk-through which I now understand was a huge mistake.
So I moved out, nothing happened for a while and I did not request my security deposit back or anything. I then got a letter from the apartment demanding $1500 in damages. I had an attorney friend (who has since retired) draft up a letter just asking for a justification for the charges hoping they wouldn't be bothered.
They came back with photos of a damaged apartment with stains and cabinet damage that were not consistent with how I'd left the place, and stated that the keys were gone (I left them on the counter), and it just seemed really fishy. I asked my attorney friend to write a follow up letter and he asked for specific labor records, receipts, etc to prove damages but they never responded so I thought they'd just drop it. (Again, mistake.)
I drive past my apartment almost daily on my way to work for the next few months (before moving again) and notice that it's vacant. Like, hasn't been touched, not being rented or made ready to rent out. The blinds are still in the exact same position, etc. I was afraid they were just going to eat up my lease and charge me for rent without even trying to get it ready. They didn't do anything to try to re-rent it for 4 months. I had my girlfriend call asking if they had any units available to rent and they said no! Even though my unit was vacant. On month 6 (one month before my lease was originally up) it was reoccupied.
About a year after I moved out, I got a collections mark on my credit report for $7600. I can only assume they tacked on rent and bogus charges but they never responded to my attorney friend's second letter.
He has since retired and I no longer have the photos on my phone of the apartment (phone got damaged before I backed them up. Another mistake).
I couldn't afford to pay $1500. I already had to pay $2500 for legal representation for the bogus charges. I certainly can't afford $7600. I dont know what to do so I've been avoiding it. I'm ready to try to fix this but I don't know how.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Submitted May 23, 2017 at 09:20AM by 90Days_Lex http://ift.tt/2rd7vd9
