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How do I file a complaint against my property manager?

DoorKeeping team

3 min read

If your manager is licensed, you can complain to the state real estate commission. In California the Department of Real Estate takes complaints on Form RE 519 with a chronological account and documents, and in Texas the Real Estate Commission handles complaints about license holders. Commissions can discipline a license, but they generally cannot order damages, so keep a second route open.

Steps to file

  1. Confirm the manager is licensed by searching the state license lookup. A complaint must be about a possible violation of the licensing law.
  2. Write a short chronological account: what happened, when, who was involved and who saw it.
  3. Gather documents: the agreement, owner statements, bank records, emails, invoices and notices.
  4. Fill in the state's complaint form. California uses Form RE 519, available online.
  5. Submit it through the online system or by mail, as the commission directs.
  6. Keep your own copies and write down the date you filed.

This is general information, not legal advice. Licensing and trust account rules differ by state; check your state real estate commission and ask a local attorney about your situation.

What a commission can and cannot do

The California Department of Real Estate says it can investigate complaints against brokers and salespersons, may hold a hearing, and may take action on a license, and it can help resolve simple disputes through its Complaint Resolution Program. It also says it cannot act as a court of law: it cannot order refunds, contract cancellations or damages, and it cannot act as your attorney.

The Texas Real Estate Commission says it can discipline license holders for violations of the License Act and its rules. It says it has no authority to require a license holder to pay another person monetary damages, and it does not handle landlord-tenant disputes. It may order certain refunds only through an informal settlement conference or an enforcement order, up to what the consumer paid for a regulated service.

What else to do in parallel

  • Send a dated written demand to the manager for the funds or records you are owed, as your agreement allows.
  • Check your agreement for a notice-and-cure period before you terminate.
  • Ask an attorney whether small claims or a civil suit is the right route for money.
  • Look at whether your state has a recovery fund for losses caused by licensees. Texas mentions a Real Estate Recovery Trust Account and says a commission complaint is not required first.

Example a made-up owner is short $1,850 in owner payments after two months. She sends a written demand with the statements attached, files a commission complaint with the same documents and asks a local attorney whether small claims fits. Each step uses the same file of records.

Tips for a complaint that gets read

Keep it factual and in order. A one-page timeline with dates and amounts is easier to act on than a long narrative.

Attach proof, not summaries: statements, bank pages, emails and the signed agreement. California's own page calls documentary evidence especially important.

State what you want. Ask for the records or funds you are owed and say what you have already tried.

Do not wait out your agreement's notice periods. If the agreement requires written notice before termination, send it while the complaint is pending.

Keep copies of everything you send, with the date and how it was sent.

How DoorKeeping fits

DoorKeeping is not a property manager and does not change what a manager owes you. It is software for owners who manage their own units, at $2 per unit per month with every feature included. DoorKeeping never holds your money and sends a payment only when you approve it. Records of rent that reached your own bank are the kind of documents a complaint file needs.

Sources

  1. California Department of Real Estate, filing a complaint against a licensee, read Oct 31, 2026
  2. Texas Real Estate Commission, how to file a complaint, read Oct 31, 2026

Questions

Can a real estate commission get my money back?
Generally it disciplines licenses and cannot award damages. Texas can order some refunds in limited cases. Ask an attorney about getting money back.
What should I attach to a complaint?
The agreement, owner statements, bank records, emails and a dated timeline.
Does the manager have to be licensed?
The commission handles licensees. If the person is not licensed, ask the commission about unlicensed activity and an attorney about civil routes.

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