1 /5 Dave M: Caution: Our Experience with Mr. Rubner Was Deeply Disappointing
We retained Mr. Rubner on 01/03/25 through a prepaid legal service to handle two issues: early lease termination without penalty and recovery of excessive water charges due to a persistent leak. While he did assist in ending our lease early we still were assessed penalty fees, and he failed to recover the water-related fees—one of the key reasons we sought legal help. Mr. Rubner was emailed a copy of the lease on 01/03/25 which included all contact information of our leasing company.
From the outset, we were given advice that proved problematic. Mr. Rubner instructed us to withhold January rent and notify the leasing company via the resident portal. This resulted in late fees and threats of legal action. Only after the damage was done did he inform us that withholding rent was not legally permissible under Florida law for a habitable residence.
Throughout the process, Mr. Rubner repeatedly directed us to communicate directly with the leasing company, including sending daily emails. The leasing company never responded to him and only engaged through the resident portal. This left us doing much of the legwork ourselves.
Mr. Rubner was made aware of our move-out inspection and the leasing company’s demands. He instructed us to take extensive videos and photos to document the condition of the unit. On 01/16/25, we emailed Mr. Rubner to advise that we might need his assistance with recovering our security deposit. Despite this, our security deposit was withheld to cover unpaid February rent. We sent a certified demand letter and ultimately filed a civil complaint without Mr. Rubner’s involvement. We did this out of frustration with his prior missteps and lack of responsiveness, and because we could no longer afford attorney fees beyond what our prepaid legal service covered.
When we reached out to him after the leasing company threatened a countersuit, his replies were vague and unhelpful. He ignored direct questions about further representation and instead offered generic observations. Based on this pattern of behavior, we terminated our relationship and retained new counsel.
When our new attorney requested the case file, Mr. Rubner stated he had nothing beyond what had already been emailed to us.
This review reflects my personal experience and opinion. I strongly advise others to seek alternative representation for landlord/tenant matters.
