INDIANAPOLIS — WRTV gets almost daily emails from viewers who say they have been cheated out of money, time, and comfort because of a landlord or apartment management group.
Brandon Beeler, Indiana Legal Services Housing Law Center Director, tells WRTV, there is a way for tenants to seek resolution.
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"First, I'd tell them to seek out legal help. You can apply for help from us online," Beeler said. "Another option is taking your grievances to small claims court. In Indiana, anyone who files a claim can seek up to $8,000 in damages."
Beeler says the most important thing is making sure you have documentation of your losses so you can prove your case to the judge.
Hailey Miller-Rush and Michelle Tackett are two women dealing with issues. At the beginning of the week, Miller-Rush got quite the surprise.
"I woke up and went to go to work and my car was gone," Miller-Rush said. She soon found out her car had been towed by her apartment complex. She didn't understand why because she pays rent on time every month and that includes parking.
"I pay to park where I live. I have proof that I paid and they still towed my car."
She's out $150 and now plans to look into her legal options. She's going to use her proof of payments if she does get to court.
Michelle Tackett is in an even more dire situation. "Eight days before they were going to close the building down, they said, 'ya'll gotta leave' and I said, 'we don't have a place to go right now,'" Tackett said.
Leading up to being evicted from her apartment, she says her landlord tried to force her out by making her life miserable.
"It starts getting hot and they would not turn on the air conditioner in our room. I started having seizures while I slept," Tackett said. She has several videos showing what she says her landlord did, turning off the electricity and water. She plans to use these videos as proof if she's able to file a case in small claims court.
She has a GoFundme to help with her expenses.
Fountain Lake Villas, Miller-Rush's apartment complex, did not respond to us for this story, but we did call, spoke to someone and left a message.
We were not able to get in contact with E & L Son Enterprise, LLC, Tacket's former apartment complex.
