“Dear PoPville,
I have been a resident of Highview and Castle Manor in Columbia Heights for since May 2020. I learned last week that I have paid $9,000 in “air conditioning unit fees” ($150/month) that other residents are not charged (of 8 I’ve spoken to, none of them pay it). These two ancient AC units don’t run during winter have had no maintenance, and cost less than $250 brand new. It’s completely unreasonable to expect this to come out to $9,000 over the course of five years.
When I moved in 5 years ago, the property manager told me these fees were actually to compensate for the fact that my apartment was under market value due to rent control, not actually cover AC. I assumed this applied to everyone then. Is this not fraudulent?
The property manager is refusing to remove this fee and I don’t expect to see any of this money back. I am wondering what my best options are (other than moving, which I plan to do this summer). Is withholding rent, or at least refusing to pay these specific fees and the rent increase, a terrible idea?”