How It Works
Built for Florida tenants, landlords, and agencies. Clear rules. Documented evidence. Fast resolution.
Overview
▶What we do
Evidence-backed claims
- Generate conservative, defensible rent refund/abatement/credit packets.
- Attach proof: PSC outages, photos, notices, repair timelines.
- Produce ready-to-send letters (PDF) and optional data CSV.
Who it’s for
Tenants, Landlords, Agencies
- Tenants: Build and send a clean proposal to resolve quickly.
- Landlords: Review, message, and approve credits in one place.
- Agencies: Free, verified portal to post advisories & closures (no private data).
Outcomes
Refunds, Credits, Abatement
- Rent refunds for full unusability days (e.g., verified utility outage).
- Pro-rated rent abatement for partial unusability (room/feature impact).
- Ongoing rent credits when tenant remains in the unit.
Tenants — Packet Builder & Scenarios
▶Builder
How it works
- Answer guided questions (address, lease dates, rent, notice dates).
- Select scenario: Stayed / Partial Use, Partial Days Away, or Fully Vacated.
- Upload proof: PSC outage snapshot, photos, repair/work orders, gov advisories.
- We compute days, % unusable, and produce letters + attachments.
Use cases
Refund / Abatement / Credit
- Utility outage refund: Verified PSC outage → day credited (cap 18h/day for defensibility).
- Partial use abatement: Room weighting (e.g., kitchen 35%) drives % rent reduction after notice/cure.
- Ongoing credits: If repairs continue and tenant stays, monthly credit proposal is generated.
Evidence
What to attach
- PSC county snapshots, utility letters, boil-water advisories.
- Photos/video, insurance/adjuster notes, contractor estimates.
- Written notices to landlord + responses (timestamps).
| Scenario | Trigger | What we calculate | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility outage | PSC proof of outage | Outage hours → day equivalence (≤18h) | Rent refund for those days |
| Stayed / Partial | Room/feature unusable | Weighted % unusable post-cure window | Pro-rated rent abatement |
| Partial days away | Temporary relocation | Nights away ÷ incident window (fairness % if paid lodging) | Daily credits/adjustment |
| Fully vacated | Termination/refund path | Pro-ration within lease window | Refund + deposit guidance |
Landlords — Secure Portal & Credits
▶Access
Portal & pricing
- Unique login for your organization; add staff with role-based permissions.
- Flat access fee: $149.99/month (unlimited cases, cancel anytime).
- View tenant packets, evidence, and computed math in one place.
Tools
Review, message, approve
- Threaded messaging with tenant (time-stamped, exportable).
- Approve outcomes: Rent refund, Utility abatement, Monthly rent credit.
- Dispute with counter-evidence or alternate dates; system recalculates deltas.
Payouts
How credits are issued
- Same-property credit: Apply to next rent ledger (credit memo + receipt PDF).
- Refund: Mark as refunded externally (ACH/check/portal) and attach receipt; tenant receives confirmation.
- Utility abatement: Record adjustment line + upload utility statement snapshot.
| Use case | Evidence you’ll see | Your action | What the platform records |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSC power outage | PSC snapshot, tenant timeline | Approve rent refund for affected days | Credit memo + receipt, audit trail |
| Kitchen unusable | Photos + notice dates | Approve % abatement post-cure | Pro-rated ledger adjustment |
| Boil-water advisory | Agency advisory upload | Apply utility abatement or rent credit | Adjustment + advisory ID linked |
Agencies — Free, Verified Access
▶Free
Who qualifies
- State, county, municipal, and federal agencies; verified non-profit partners.
- Always free for posting public advisories and operational notices.
What you can do
Upload public data
- Post boil-water advisories, evacuation orders, unsafe structure tags.
- Report road closures, debris pickup schedules, utility restoration ETAs.
- Attach source links/IDs; we time-stamp and index by ZIP/county.
Privacy
Read-only boundaries
- No access to private tenant/landlord case data.
- Future: request anonymized aggregates for planning (counts, timelines).
Pricing — Snapshot
▶| Role | Plan | What’s included | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenant | Per-packet tiers (Basic / Plus / Pro Max) | Packet PDF, evidence attachments, optional CSV | See full pricing |
| Landlord | $149.99/month | Secure portal, unlimited cases, messaging, approvals, receipts | Org login w/ role-based access |
| Agency | Free | Verified upload of public advisories/closures | No private case access |
All figures USD. Taxes/fees may apply. Terms subject to change.
Messaging, Receipts & Audit Trail
▶Threads
Built-in communication
- Tenant ↔ Landlord threads per case; attachments allowed.
- All posts time-stamped; export to PDF for records.
Receipts
Proof of action
- When a credit/refund is issued, system generates a receipt with details.
- Receipts show method (ledger credit, ACH, check), dates, and references.
Compliance
Conservative math
- Outage day cap at 18h for evidentiary defensibility.
- “Effective End” = earliest of condition end, repair completion, promised completion, or estimate, clamped to lease dates.
Support
▶- Email: support@rentreliefapp.com
- PSC Lookup tool for outages: open tool
- FAQ: common questions