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So, I think we fell for it.
You know when you move into an affordable apartment, it has some nicks and dings but is pretty good all around, about two steps above trashy? And you say to yourself, "Well with how well we cleaned all year and how subpar it was when we moved in, we have to get most of our deposit back, easy."
How wrong we were.
I believe we are dealing with the landlord that reams you for the deposit and probably invests none of it into unit.
My girlfriend and I are mildly OCD with cleaning. We clean each room every week, and do deep cleaning monthly (floors, dusting, windows). But not good enough!
My old landlord sends me an email of a list of reasons why the apartment is in such bad shape. About a whole 5 things. He even complained of crumbs in one drawer. Reach all you want, good sir. But his main obsession is with the oven. Somehow grease or whatever got in between the window glass unit. I don't really understand how that happened. Sounds like a result of simple use. Bad luck? Design flaw? He complains because it was a "new" oven. It was new because we had to get him to replace the old over where 2 burners didn't work and the hinge to the door springs up randomly and nearly took off my girlfriends arm. And this was not "new," this was one of those refurbished ovens that someone had nonetheless fixed up real nice-like. So he wants to charge me for that... because you can see it. It's not structurally damaged in any way whatsoever, but oh god, the faint smudge inside the 6x6 window!
![[image loading]](http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii107/capcom72688/MeltingFace.gif) Maybe this is what happened to him when he looked at the smudge
Then he says the following words: "It looks the oven has never been cleaned." Very insulting to a neat-freak like me, and a germaphobe like the girlfriend. A gross exaggeration on his part, but all the more infuriating because I challenge you all to find a cleaner looking stove (I guess I have to go back and take a pic? That would sure solve my problems). He keeps calling it new, but it not new, and it certainly is less so after a full year of use. I mean frequent use. We cook all of the time. Thus we clean it all of the time. We have to. You can't cook on a dirty station (not to mention the smoke from the shit on the burners if you don't clean them). I can't believe he gave us a death-trap broken-burner oven and then complains that his un-new oven is no longer "new." He also mentions how much he said he spent on that oven. Would you believe it's equal to our deposit? Interesting.
Then he complains that the fire extinguisher was discharged. You gave us an unserviced extinguisher when we moved it, you bastard! You never checked it or had it serviced after your last tenant. Also that's his responsibility, if he thinks he can bill me for a service that's not my fault and not my responsibility, he's nuts.
He offered to meet and "discuss" things. I of course am going to, but I'm pretty sure I'll lose my cool. Not violence or yelling, but perhaps colorful language, like, "that's bullshit, sir." He may hold the cards (as in, my deposit), but if he's going to drain my money for this why not just put up a fight on the way down? I'm tempted to cut my losses here, but man, maybe if he made up something better, like carpet damage, or needing new wall paint.
I didn't expect much of our deposit back, I never do, some people don't get a cent and get over it. But just to be told a bunch of bullshit, just to find any reason to keep our money. Oh man if you think I'm pissed, wait till the gf opens her inbox. Holy shit. I might need some popcorn for that.
 
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TLADT24920 Posts
wow that sounds pretty bad >< I can see how that can be hurtful especially because you guys clean a lot. If he plays the deposit card, well, you were already prepared to not get anything back from it so no reason not to try and fight it if you can. Good luck and let us know what happens!
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Yea my last landlord was a dick with the deposit too, when moving out we took the bed sheets/duvet/pillows, it didn't seem like someone moving in would want to use the same stuff we did, even clean after they'd been used for at least a year. Apparently not, and though I can understand being charged for it as it was there when we moved in, £200 for a couple sets of bedding is fucking ridiculous.
and we lost another £200 for cleaning services like you mentioned with the oven, apparently the white goods and rooms were not at an acceptable standard, its not like I went over all the floors the morning I handed the keys over or anything. The flat was a massive dust magnet, after a day of not being touched everything gets covered, I have no doubt they didn't check the place until like 2 weeks after I moved and so everything looked dusty.
Fuck landlords
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I have an artilce saved from the San Jose Mercury news stating from this year that tennants do NOT have to pay for normal wear and tear on their units. However, as noted in the article, even if a contract says the tennant must pay for wear and tear THIS IS FALSE. Only something like a carpet cleaning can be asked for if stated so in the contract. And you can do this yourself any way you see fit. The landlord can NOT take money out of your deposit for this unless you approve. According to the article anyways.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/0DipV.jpg)
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So let me get this straight, if the oven was indeed new when you rented the apartment, he's complaining that the oven is no longer new?
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Switzerland8970 Posts
I got in that kind of situation a couple times. Now I take tons of pictures when I move in and do the walk through, then include them with the inventory that is signed by both parties. Fuck abusive landlords.
edit : 5/5 for the gif
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Luckily in australia deposits are held by a third party organisation that mediates disputes like this. Still, the tenancy act is pretty shithouse for tenants rights and you can get shafted over a lot of things
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Ouch, first Kwark, and now you? 
That gif is indeed fantastic. I am also sort of OCD and being told that kind of shit is unacceptable. People can just be downright idiotic and abusive to one another, yeesh. :/
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On September 05 2012 15:04 Lyter wrote:
Yea my last landlord was a dick with the deposit too, when moving out we took the bed sheets/duvet/pillows, it didn't seem like someone moving in would want to use the same stuff we did, even clean after they'd been used for at least a year. Apparently not, and though I can understand being charged for it as it was there when we moved in, £200 for a couple sets of bedding is fucking ridiculous.
and we lost another £200 for cleaning services like you mentioned with the oven, apparently the white goods and rooms were not at an acceptable standard, its not like I went over all the floors the morning I handed the keys over or anything. The flat was a massive dust magnet, after a day of not being touched everything gets covered, I have no doubt they didn't check the place until like 2 weeks after I moved and so everything looked dusty.
Fuck landlords
Thats the stupidest fucking thing i have heard today, you took something that didnt belong to you and then you say you understand why he charged you. How is the guy a dick you STOLE from him, and said yourself you understand why he would charge you.
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Tell your landlord to watch Judge Judy, he can not hold all or part of a deposit for normal wear and tear. It is his responsibility to have the place professionally cleaned after you leave and you are not responsible for the bill.
What were the other reasons? The only thing you are responsible for is damage to the property, ie you knocked a hole in a wall or something.
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What are the other 3 things?
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- wrong thread the fuck - (delete plz!)
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Actually, the best solution here would be to fill your toilet with bleach, then piss in it and quickly close the lid. The bleach and urine will react to form hydrazine, chlorine gas, and chloramines, all of which have the same effect as mustard gas on the lungs (e.g it will fuck you up.)
Do this right before your landlord comes in for a final inspection, and right as you guys have moved everything out. When your landlord goes to open the lid of the toilet, he/she will get a nasty surprise, if not suffer permanent lung damage.
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EPT
