A Denton tenant says her rent jumped $450 in five months with zero explanation, and every ignored email is now going straight into a lawsuit

A Denton, Texas tenant named Skylar Ashton (skyyashton) is preparing to sue her landlord, the Martino Group, over unexplained rent increases and mystery charges that have added hundreds of dollars to her monthly bill. Ashton, a content creator, has been documenting her experience on TikTok, where her video has already gained over 270,000 views.

According to Brobible, her base rent is $1,350 a month, which usually comes to about $1,450 with standard fees like water. But starting last October, her total bill began climbing without any explanation. By December, she was paying between $1,500 and $1,800, and by March, her rent had reached $1,900, a jump of $450 in just five months.

“Every time I see an unfamiliar charge, I screenshot, send it to them, screenshot, send it to them,” Ashton said. She added, “They can’t tell me what the f— these charges are for.” According to her, the landlord has been ignoring her emails and phone calls since October. “This has been going on since October of last year, and they still refuse to speak to me,” she said in her viral TikTok video.

Tenants preparing legal action as ignored complaints and mystery charges pile up

One charge Ashton could identify was nearly $450, linked to an incident where she accidentally left a simmer pot on, causing the fire department to open her door. She says there was minimal damage, just a cracked door frame, but she was charged a $355 “maintenance trip fee” plus around $93 based on two Ace Hardware receipts.

“What am I paying rent for? What am I paying insurance for? I didn’t know it cost $355 for somebody to do their f—ing job,” she said. When she’s not dealing with landlord disputes, Ashton creates content ranging from lifestyle topics to some of the best movies streaming on Netflix right now for her followers.

Other tenants in her building are reportedly seeing similar charges and getting the same silence in return. Emails go unanswered, calls are ignored, and there is no on-site leasing office, meaning Ashton has to drive several minutes just to attempt an in-person meeting, usually without success.

At least three tenants, including Ashton, have now joined together and are working with a legal team to serve papers to the Martino Group. Ashton believes the property manager and owner are deliberately avoiding communication. “Every time you think you’re about to get served, you go and do some other s—. And now we have to add that to the suit,” she said.

Her TikTok following has grown significantly through this saga, drawing comparisons to dramatic storylines seen in Ryan Phillipe’s most notable films and TV roles.

Under Texas law, any late fee must be clearly written in the lease before it can be collected. These fees are capped at 12% of monthly rent for smaller buildings and 10% for larger ones. If a landlord overcharges, they can be held liable for $100 plus three times the excess amount, along with attorney’s fees.

For mid-lease charges that are not related to late rent or security deposits, the legal situation is less clear. Landlords are required to provide itemized deduction lists when withholding from a security deposit, but this protection typically applies at move-out.

Texas law also protects tenants from retaliation, barring landlords from raising rent or threatening eviction in response to good-faith complaints for six months. Experts say documenting everything, screenshots, emails, and dated records, is essential for building a strong case.