Renter Battles

In a move to equip the younger generation with essential financial lieracy skills, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hosted a 30-minute “Financial Adulting 101” webinar designed to empower young people to make informed decisions as they navigate the complexities of credit and learn to protect themselves from identity theft and how to spot and avoid scams.

During the webinar, taught by Consumer Education Specialist Terri Miller, she explained what a credit report is, how to obtain a free copy of the report every 12 months from each of three credit reporting companies and why they’re important for detecting financial faud.

“Your homework is to go to annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228 and request your free credit report,” said Miller. “Once you have them in hand, go through each section, making sure your personal information is correct, the accounts listed are the ones you recognize and they accurately reflect hw you’re paying your bills.”

An accurate credit report is important because it affects an individual’s ability to borrow money-and how much they’ll payto borrow money. It also may affect getting a job or insurance or renting a place to live. She told participants to look for signs of possible identity theft, such as inaccurate personal information or accounts they haven’t opened.

To dispute errors on the report, contact the credit bureau reporting the error and the business that supplied the information, who are required to fix it or free. The credit bureau has 30 days to investigate after a dispute is filed Visit ftc.gov/credit for credit bureau contact information and sample letters.

“The bottom line here is the sooner you work on fixing the mitake the sooner you’ll see the results,” said Miller.

She also explained to teens that creditors use credit scoring systems to figue out if they’d be a good risk for credit cards, auto loans and mortgages. Credit scores usually fall between 300 and 850 and unfortunately, unlike a free annual credit report, there’s no free annual credit score. “A higher score equals “good” credit and a lower score equals “bad” credit and the higher score means you likely pay your bills on time and businesses look at that score for credit risk,” she said.

Individuals hoping for a quick fix o make their bad credit disappear should be wary of credit repair companies promising the world. “Fixing your credit is going to take time and anyone that makes grandiose promises is probably a scammer so walk away,” she said. “The best way to improve your credit score is to pay your bills on time every month and make sure you’re not taking on additional debt.”

If you’re considering using a credit repair company, red flas include: the company insisting you pay them before they help you, telling you not to contact credit bureaus yourself, disputing accurate information on your credit request and encouraging you to lie on your credit and loan applications.

The last website Miller shared was consumer.gov where individuals can find practical information about how to create a budget, tips for buying your fist car and opening a bank account.

In Plant City Apartment Complex

Plant City resident and single mom Carrie Rutter has been living a nightmare, grappling with hazardous living conditions in her apartment and waging a battle against a mold infestation while seeking assistance from housing authorities. She moved into her two-bedroom apartment in Woodbridge at Walden Lake Apartments in May 2019 and receives rental assistance through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program. She recognized that something was wrong with the apartment right away.

“My clothes started smelling musty and mold was popping up in my bathroom above the shower head and my daughter started having health problems,” she said. “Maintenance came in, poked it with a screwdriver, told me it wasn’t a problem and just caulked over it,” she said. “The mold kept coming back and eventually the wall felt soft.”

According to Hillsborough County’s website, the mere presence of mold isn’t necessarily a code violation. Florida’s heat and humidity are conducive to growth of the unsightly, and sometimes dangerous, fungi, which, while most are harmless, some can cause flu-lie symptoms or breathing problems.

Plant City’s Code Enforcement website states: “Mold growth itself is not a code violation. However, the presence of mold is sometimes related to building problems that are code violations. Plant City Code Enforcement Inspectors do not investigate complaints of mold inside buildings, unless contributing factors are present such as a leaking roof or leaking plumbing. If you suspect you have mold growth, attempt to identify the cause of the mold. If you are renting or leasing your residence, inform your landlord before contacting code enforcement. If your landlord is not properly responding or fails to address the cause of the mold in a timely manner, code enforcement may be able to intervene on your behalf. Please note, inspectors will not issue notices of violation for mold growth- only the property maintenance issue causing the mold, if visible.” After three years, frustrated that the property management company wasn’t fixing the issues, she reached out to Plant City Code Enforcement in April about the mold and moisture on the walls and a roach problem. Upon getting the city department involved, a code enforcer inspected her bathroom and noticed the soft spots on the drywall. The property manager hired a contractor to open up the bathroom wall and they discovered a leak from the bathroom of the upstairs tenant. The leaking plumbing was repaired and the wall patched. “It took three years for me to get them to open the wall,” she said. “I am getting tired of hearing it’s not an issue, I still have concerns that there’s mold in my utility closet and this is sucking the life out of me.”

Rutter said her woes aren’t over because the mildew smell still permeates her apartment. While sharing her story on the Next Door app, she had other renters reach out to her to share their problems with mold, rats, roaches and more. “I was putting the pieces together and realized that this is much bigger than just my apartment,” she said.

Brittany Bregnan rented a three-bedroom unit in April. She had lived in the same complex years ago. “I got in there and they didn’t give us a walkthrough, it was vulgar, rat poison on the floo, a strong mold smell, it was absolutely deplorable,” she said. After living in the apartment complex two months, she moved out earlier this month. “It was two months of pure hell and we couldn’t take it anymore, we left our keys on the counter but there are people living there who have nowhere else to go,” said Bregnan. Attempts to contact the owner of the complex were unsuccessful.