Portland Renter Says Her Apartment Company Charged Her Rent Twice in One Month and the Only Person Who Answered Her Emails Then Quit

Paying rent once a month is hard enough. Getting charged twice, and then finding no human being who can fix it, is the kind of situation that keeps renters up at night. That is what TikTok creator @brandyxanderson says happened to her at her Portland apartment. She calls her video “a Portland renter PSA,” and it is a warning for anyone browsing listings and falling for a cute loft.

In her video, posted in early September 2026, she explains that the company she rents through recently charged her rent twice in one month. Getting it fixed, she says, has turned into an ordeal.

She started by calling the leasing office. Instead of a person, she says, she got an automated AI assistant that promised to forward her message to a team member who would call her back. She waited a week. No call. She sent an email. No reply.

Then a neighbor stepped in with a tip: the direct email address of a specific person who worked in the leasing office. She wrote to him and got an immediate response, which felt like a breakthrough. “Everything’s fine, right?” she remembers thinking.

Not quite. After the Labor Day weekend, she emailed him again first thing Tuesday morning. This time she got an automatic reply saying he no longer worked for the company. Apparently, she says, staff there are “dropping like flies,” adding that she would not blame them.

@brandyxanderson

She is not alone in her frustration. She says it seems like everyone in the building is upset and just wants clear communication, and that neighbors have even found her on social media to share their own horror stories about living there. Her bottom line for anyone apartment hunting in Portland is to be careful before signing.

What to Do if Your Landlord Charges You Twice

A double rent charge can throw an entire household budget into chaos, especially if it triggers overdraft fees or leaves you short for groceries and bills. Here is how to push for a fix when the property manager is hard to reach.

Document everything right away. Screenshot both charges from your bank statement or the online rent portal. Note the dates, amounts and confirmation numbers. Keep a log of every call, message and email, including dates and whether anyone responded.

Put your request in writing. Send a short, clear email or letter stating that you were charged twice, the amount and dates, and that you are requesting a refund of the duplicate payment by a specific date. Written requests create a paper trail that phone messages to an automated system do not.

Go up the chain. If the leasing office will not respond, look for the property management company’s regional or corporate office. Many larger companies list a corporate phone number or customer service email on their website. The building owner may also be listed in county property records.

Contact your bank or card issuer. If the duplicate payment was an electronic transfer or a card charge, call your bank and explain. Under federal rules for electronic transfers, banks must investigate errors you report, generally within 60 days of the statement showing the charge. Card charges can often be disputed as well. Do not wait, because those time limits matter.

Ask about overdraft fees. If the extra charge pushed your account into the negative, explain the situation to your bank and ask them to waive the overdraft or returned payment fees. Many banks will do so once, especially for a longtime customer with a clear explanation.

Ask for it to be applied as credit, if you prefer. If a refund is slow, some renters ask in writing for the extra payment to be applied to the next month’s rent. Get the agreement in writing.

Know where to turn locally. Many cities and states have tenant rights offices, renter hotlines or nonprofit tenant unions that can advise you. In Portland, the city operates a rental services office that provides information to renters. Calling 211 can also connect you with local tenant resources and legal aid.

Consider small claims court. If all else fails, small claims court is designed for disputes like this one. Filing fees are modest, you usually do not need a lawyer and a clear paper trail is your best evidence.

Red Flags to Watch for Before You Sign a Lease

This renter’s story is a good reminder that the apartment itself is only part of the deal. The company managing it matters just as much.

Call the leasing office before applying. If you cannot reach a person as a prospective tenant, it will likely be harder once you live there.

Talk to current residents. As this creator found, neighbors often know the real story. If you can, chat with someone in the parking lot or common area before signing.

Read online reviews with care. Look for patterns in complaints about billing errors, maintenance delays or high staff turnover.

Ask how disputes are handled. Find out how to reach management in an emergency, how billing questions are resolved and whether there is a property manager on site.

When she posted her video, this Portland renter still had not been able to get the double charge sorted out. Her story is a reminder that when communication breaks down, the most powerful tools a tenant has are written records, persistence and neighbors willing to share what they know.

Willow and Hearth