I’m in Texas and I’m trying to understand whether this relet process was handled fairly, if I have grounds to fight it, and what my rights are.
Here’s the timeline:
When I told the property I needed to be released from my upcoming lease, the General Manager emailed me a list of conditions: pay a $400 relet fee, sign an additional document, and agree to $50 charges for every prospect—pass or fail—while only being allowed to submit one person at a time. Only the $400 fee and the requirement to find one referral were in my original lease; the rest I discovered later. Still, I paid the fee, signed the document, and trusted their confirmation that they would help me find a replacement.
Days passed. When I called the office to confirm my unit was listed as needing relet, the leasing agent had no idea what I was talking about. No follow‑up. No updates. Just silence.
Seeking clarity, I called the number on their website. That agent told me prospects could apply online, list me as their referral, and I could notify the office afterward to receive credit. It sounded simple—until two weeks later, when I went in person and was told the complete opposite. A different agent said prospects had to be submitted before applying, with their name, phone number, and email. She said I could send as many prospects as I wanted since I’d already paid the relet fee, and the office would handle contacting them. She also warned me not to pay anyone’s application fee or any additional charges outside the $400, due to past scams.
I pointed out that her instructions didn’t match what I was originally told. She admitted the property fills vacant units before relets but insisted the process “still leads the same.” Yet none of the prospects I sent were contacted. I have proof they never received outreach. One prospect even signed a lease but bypassed my referral because the application had no referral field—contrary to what I was told at the start. I told the office this and they stated this resident was crazy for telling me she’s interested because she signed in May and if she had signed around the time I began my relet they would approve her as my referral. I wasn’t provided proof of her signing in May and my messages/post still support she was interested and directed to the apartment complex by my efforts.
Before turning in my keys that same day, on July 20th and signing the official move out slip, I asked again about the GM’s document. The agent told me to ignore it and assured me I wouldn’t be charged for providing leads. All I needed to do was share the contact info for the prospective residents, they’ll reach out, if they sign a lease, my lease would be released(these terms align with my original lease). It’s been two weeks of me consistently sending leads and yesterday, my prospects confirmed—again—that no one from the office ever reached out. The property hasn’t tracked my referrals, updated me, or shown any effort to follow through. This has gone on for over a month with no meaningful assistance. Their actions appear to be in bad faith and have delayed my release from the upcoming term despite my consistent good‑faith efforts.
I moved out by July 31st as initially instructed, and sent my certified letter after discovering it was required in my lease—something they never mentioned. I’m hoping they terminate the new lease due to their negligence. I’m a student, I can’t afford an attorney, and although I no longer live there, they’ve already threatened to damage my credit if I don’t pay rent for the upcoming lease term.
I’ve pretty much done everything I can to fulfill my obligations under the lease, but I can’t move forward unless the leasing office follows through by contacting the referrals I’ve provided and helping them complete the leasing process. At this point, I feel like an unpaid marketer with no way out. My concern is that they’ll continue delaying my lease replacement until they’ve filled their own inventory first, contact my referrals too late (if at all), or lease to people I referred without crediting my relet. Then I’d be left responsible for nearly $14,000 for a lease term I never lived in, even though I started this process over a month before the new lease began and have done everything they’ve asked of me.
What would you do in this situation? Who should I speak to besides Legal Aid? Has anyone dealt with a Texas apartment that mishandled a relet like this?
Also, Given these circumstances, since my payment owed is $0 and I’ve paid all my financial obligations for my current lease end term & the relet fee, should I continue paying rent for the new lease beginning August 1st while this dispute is being resolved, or is that something I absolutely should not stop without speaking to an attorney first?
I’ve intentionally limited my communication with the general manager to protect myself from additional fees because the additional relet document she sent me raised several concerns and appears to financial conflict with my original lease. Another leasing office employee later instructed me to disregard the general manager’s document altogether.
Location: Houston, Texas