For this Charlotte family, a common NC rent complaint could mean eviction
What began as an excited move to Charlotte has, within months, turned into rising charges, disputed utility bills and an eviction notice.
It’s part of a problem one advocate says is common across the state.
Pearlean Johnson and her daughter, LaTosha Johnson, relocated from Chicago in August and signed a lease at Celsius Apartment Homes near Northlake Mall in north Charlotte. Soon after they moved in, they said, their account balance began to change. Increased water and sewer charges were added to their ledger and the total due each month increased. Now they’re facing eviction after, they said, the portal wouldn’t let them pay the rent they tried to submit.
The company disputes that characterization.
Noticing a rising rent bill, the Johnsons said they asked management how utility charges were calculated and whether the amounts reflected their own usage. The Johnsons said they requested formulas and meter details but did not receive it.
As the balance grew, the payment portal became its own barrier. Pearlean Johnson said the online resident system would not allow her to submit a rent-only payment for December and required her to pay the disputed water and sewer charges at the same time.
The Johnsons claim that’s at odds with a utility addendum in their lease. The document states that all fees “except water and sewer charges” are considered additional rent.
This month, the Johnsons said, they received a five-day eviction notice stating they owed rent and the additional charges.
“We were super excited about moving here,” LaTosha Johnson said. “But our welcome wagon was having to fight this unnecessary nonsense.”
A representative for American Landmark Apartments told the Observer its system does not accept partial payments. This means any unpaid amount, whether utilities or other charges, can make an account delinquent because it must be paid at the same time as rent. The spokesperson said information about how utilities are calculated is provided to residents.
The Johnsons’ experience highlights a common tenant complaint in Charlotte, said Nick Macleod, executive director of the North Carolina Tenants Union: additional charges get added to rent ledgers, payment portals will not accept rent alone unless those extra charges are paid, and tenants who question the bills are pushed to default on rent.
Tenant advocate says similar complaints are common
MacLeod called the Johnsons’ situation “profoundly unjust.”
He said tenants across the state often report extra charges showing up on their ledgers. Some renters claim they are unable to submit a payment for base rent alone when other balances are listed as due.
“It’s really common, actually, that it happens through payment portals,” MacLeod said. “But the commonness of it doesn’t diminish the obvious harm that it’s doing.”
MacLeod said the risk many tenants face is that a charge can still be marked as unpaid while the issue is being worked out, and that can snowball into late status or an eviction filing even if they say they are trying to pay rent.
MacLeod said many of the complaints his organization hears are like the Johnsons’ and involve third-party utility billing companies hired by landlords. Those companies issue bills but might not clearly explain how the charges are calculated or how the amounts on individual accounts are determined, he said.
Even when tenants are willing to keep asking questions or contest charges, Macleod said, the process itself carries consequences such as time away from work, repeated notices and stress. He said tenants worry that an eviction filing, even if later resolved, can still affect them when they try to rent in the future.
For now, the Johnsons’ goals are straightforward. They hope to receive a clear explanation of their charges and to be able to pay rent without paying additional amounts they are questioning.
They hope to remain in Charlotte and in their apartment.
“I’m not leaving,” Pearlean Johnson said.
