Hi everyone! My boyfriend and I are in the process of renting an apartment in Baltimore and wanted some advice before sending over the security deposit.
We met the landlord in person, toured the apartment with him, and he had the keys/access codes to the property. He told us he owns and manages the building himself, rather than going through a property management company.
We were initially a little hesitant about sending such a large amount directly to an individual through Zelle, so we did some digging:
We checked Maryland’s official property records, and his name is listed as one of the owners of the building.
The mailing address in the property records matches the address on the lease.
The property has rental licensing records on Baltimore City’s official housing portal, including a completed renewal, although we haven’t confirmed the current expiration date.
We found an established real estate professional profile associated with his name.
The Zelle account shows his full name, matches the email on the lease, is marked as a business account, and has been active since 2021.
We received a detailed Maryland residential lease through an online signing platform, which we’ve signed. We’re requesting a copy signed by both parties before paying.
The lease lists a property entity as the landlord rather than his personal name, although the property records also show a historical connection to that entity.
The rent is $1,575/month, with a $1,575 security deposit. He’s asked for the deposit and first month’s rent, which seems pretty standard.
The issue is that Zelle has a $500 limit for new recipients on our account. He suggested Venmo or Cash App instead, and we’re considering splitting the deposit across a few transactions if necessary.
We’ve also asked him for the current rental license, lead inspection certificate, and written receipts for payments.
Everything we’ve checked so far seems legitimate, and he hasn’t been pushy or suspicious. We’re just nervous about sending that much money through payment apps with limited buyer protection.
For anyone familiar with Maryland rental laws or private landlords, is this a normal and reasonably safe way to pay a security deposit? Are there any additional checks we should make before transferring the money? Would a check or another payment method be safer?
Would really appreciate any advice. We’re trying to be careful without overthinking what may be a completely normal private rental arrangement!

Location: Baltimore, MD

So about a month ago I took our 6 year old dog to the vet for a wellness check-up. I had noticed a small lump on the side of his body and asked the vet to take a look at it. The vet brushed it off and said it was too small to aspirate and didn’t document any of this on my dogs vet records. The lump has now gotten significantly larger in size.

After that appointment we signed up for pet insurance, if I were to take my dog to another vet and the lump was cancerous, would filing an insurance claim be fraudulent? I think yes, my brother thinks no. But we knew this could be a problem even if the first vet brushed it off and didn’t document it.

we recently wanted to undergo interior work for our new home and looked into this one interior designer who seemed trustworthy at the start and we even deposited rs. 1lakh for an advance, but later he never communicated with us properly and now despite a month of discussion he hasn't shown us the final drafts and design plans.

so we decided to opt out and find someone else.

But now he's refusing to refund us the money, despite the transaction only being last week, And he's practically threatening us saying he has political connections.

What should we do?

LOCATION: India

A few years ago, a group of police officers traveled from California to Indiana, essentially as a mercenary force, to do a favor for a wealthy friend who had a civil complaint about a Batmobile replica he had purchased.

Whatever happened with that? Were the officers held accountable for their actions?

i am just 19 years of age and was assaulted by a man in a mixed gender inpatient facility that i stayed at for about a week . i want to sue them because this stay was involuntary-i didn’t consent to go their my family didn’t believe it was necessary either but i was sent there because i had previous history of being inpatient in hospital twice before . although that was two years ago . i left feeling more traumatized and heartbroken by my assault than when i entered .

how can i sue this place and get my dignity and respect back and make sure they’re held accountable ?

location: for context im in new jersey and this place has extremely low ratings anyways- it wouldn’t be hard to prove they’re negligent towards patients .

LOCATION: MICHIGAN

I bid on an item on an auction site and win the item (have screen shots). After a few days, I saw the item re-listed on the site. I contacted the auction company and they said the had to cancel the item due to not having a title yet. It was immediately re-posted on the auction site and is currently for sale again.

No one ever contacted me, I have screen shots of being the winner, the highest bidder, and I would have waited for a title.

Do I have a case?

Location Ohio, during certain months of the year Ohio has burn regulations.

Now what these are meant for is Farmers doing large-scale open Burns in a field and to prevent unnecessary spread. What they are not meant for is people having a campfire in their backyard...

A friend of mine who lives in an HOA And as a neighbor who likes to haul and make plates against him constantly had the fire department called on him when he was using his store-bought fire pit in his backyard.. And they forced him to put it out..

I told him the usual, keep a pack of hot dogs with you and tell him to get lost but he didn't want to do that either..

The only direct experience I have with this was I had a whole bunch of Wood and large branches, and I started stacking it up like a small log cabin near the front of my yard, 40 ft. From the street, and by by small log cabin I mean it was probably 5 ft square and close to 8 ft tall when I got done and when I lit it up, it definitely lit up...

Not long after the fire department showed up and asked me what I was doing, I said well. Obviously it's a campfire, they got a bit pissy and then said I at least had to bring my garden hose nearby. Otherwise they were going to put it out..

Ohio Revised Code 1503.18 Prohibits most open burning in unincorporated areas in March, April, May, October, and November between 6:00am and 6:00 pm. Open burning during these times may be permissible if conditions outlined in the exclusionary text are met. This code is under authority of the Ohio Division of Forestry.

OHIO EPA INFO You may have a fire for cooking, warmth, pleasure, ceremonial or similar purposes without notification and/or permission from the Ohio EPA and Green Fire as long as: • burn only clean, dry, seasoned firewood; • the fire is no larger than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high; and • fire is not used for waste disposal.

Larger ceremonial fires are allowed with these guidelines: • use only clean, dry, seasoned firewood; • the fire is no larger than 5 feet in diameter and 5 feet high; • the fire burns no longer than 3 hours; and • fire is not used for waste disposal.

Location: Ohio
Someone I know (a therapist) received a restraining order from someone else for a “sexually oriented offense.” I saw this restraining order in passing and they hadn’t told me about it. My first reaction was to freak out because is this person sexually harassing someone?? But then I thought maybe I’m misunderstanding the nature of this, since I don’t know anything about restraining orders. Does receiving one automatically mean you’ve done something wrong? Can a therapist receive something like that from a patient if they are mentally ill and confused??

Greetings. Im 20 Year old. i do a little bit of Lewd modelling so I do end up in nsfw groups and servers to obviously promote my business. But i see so much disgusting shit happening in plain sight, ive done like 7 tips to the FBI website and im like 90% sure they didnt do shit. Even when you post your pics on Twitter. Bots under ur post plainly sell illegal material forcing you to actively delete comments or posts and its just a mood ruiner.

I have tons of internet knowledge since ive been online since childhood. i want to Bust these People and give these reports straight to authorities.

Is there a way i can start?

LOCATION: NOT APPLICABLE

Hello everyone,

My wife is the leaseholder for our apartment in Texas; I live with her but am not on the lease. On Saturday, Oct 24, our upstairs neighbor's toilets overflowed and sewage flooded our apartment. Sheetrock fell, furniture was soaked (couch, my daughter's bed/mattress), and the unit was uninhabitable. The complex paid for a hotel Saturday and Sunday nights only, capped at $150 total.

On Sunday, the neighbor turned the water back on and caused more damage. No remediation crew came Sunday.

On Monday, Oct 26, the manager told my wife:

- The carpet will only be cleaned, not removed (the pad was eventually partially replaced (but the remediation crew said that moving furniture is not their job) and the carpet sanitized (only in certain spots), but the carpet itself was not replaced).

- No further hotel payments, period.

- Sheetrock will be replaced without drying time.

- Moving furniture for the work is our job, not theirs, but we physically cannot move furniture.

- The office will not put anything in writing, including whether the unit is habitable.

We emailed the property management company today objecting to all of this. We applied for legal aid but were denied because our income is too high. We have photos and video of the damage and the work. We are sleeping in the unit tonight because we cannot afford more hotel nights, not because we believe it is habitable.

Questions:

1. Can a landlord in Texas refuse to replace sewage-contaminated carpet and refuse hotel costs while the unit is uninhabitable? Are we entitled to a rent credit for the days we cannot live there?

2. What can we do when the landlord will not confirm habitability in writing and wants to close up sheetrock without drying?

3. Does the fact that I am not on the lease (my wife is) affect who can make these complaints or pursue remedies?

Any guidance appreciated. We are not looking for a lawyer referral, just what our options are.

Thank you everyone!

LOCATION: Wisconsin 941.298(3)c Firearm silencers.

(2) Whoever sells, delivers or possesses a firearm silencer is guilty of a Class H felony.

(3) Subsection (2)) does not apply to sales or deliveries of firearm silencers to or possession of firearm silencers by any of the following:

(c) Any person who has complied with the licensing and registration requirements under 26 USC 5801 to 5872.

Following federal court rulings and updated policies, the ATF suspended enforcement of National Firearms Act (NFA) prior-approval and registration requirements for suppressors.

Does the lack of a federal requirement mean possession of a silencer in Wisconsin, without a tax stamp, is now legal?

LOCATION: Georgia

My father passed away about 5 years ago. He had 3 life insurance policies and assets. My youngest sibling is 18 years younger than me. She was 14 and in a mental facility when he passed, and has been struggling with her mental health every since, understandably so.

His assets were split evenly among his 5 kids. His life insurance policies went mainly to our mother to pay for our youngest siblings care. Her medical care has been very expensive over the years.

She is now 19. She has a car, a part time job, and lives mainly at our mother's house, but struggles with addiction and still has mental health struggles. She has access to what's left of the life insurance policies, which is still a large amount, relatively speaking, but is quickly running through it. She has no bills and no goals.

According to our fathers will, I am in charge of her trust. It can be used to pay for medical or education only, and can be released to her when she is 24. However, she's forgotten about it. I haven't touched it except twice to pay for private tutors when she refused to go to school. She ended up dropping out in high school and hasn't gotten a GED.

Is it illegal to continue to hold it but not tell her about it until she's stabilized in her life, or until she needs it? I suspect it likely is, I'm just concerned she's going to blow it all, and it's potentially a life changing amount of money. Like, down payment on a nice house, or completely pay off college.

Just to be clear, I have no interest in the money and can clearly track every penny that has left the trust. She has access to his will, but has never read it, and no one has told her about this trust.