I moved out October 31. Now it’s the 12th business day and still no return of damage deposit. I called your secretary a week ago requesting to come pick it up as I live right up the road from your office. No response.
I called and left the landlord a message on his cell phone and then followed up with an email last week. No response. Then I drive up there on my lunch today and he and his secretary were also gone to lunch. So I called his cell phone again that you didn’t answer so I again left a message.
A dozen days later I’m still waiting, and I will be at you office at 4:30 again today looking for my cheque. Wouldn’t be so mad if you let me know what the hell was going on. —Still Waiting
This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2010.
Ditto. Cept there is no secretary, or anyone, or paper trail. First apartment, naturally I got screwed over,
Oh this sounds like my former landlord. What a bunch of douches. Don’t quote me on this, but I’m pretty sure they only have 10 business days to return your damage deposit or file charges for damage, so check that out and threaten to take them to the tenancy board if you have to. That’s what I had to do to get my damage deposit back.
Gimme some moneeey… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-BYzaDwNoE
When I used to rent.
It became obvious if you had a deadbeat landlord or not.
I’ve said it before, when the last month’s rent is due, just pay them half.
THat way when you move out, you don’t have to chase your damage deposit…they can use it for the half months rent you owe.
Then they’re out nothing & you’re not chasing a dead beat.
More’s got a valid point. I like that idea. Too bad I can’t do that with my bank on the mortgage 🙂
More- the only problem with that is, it’s against the tenancy board rules to only pay half the rent and expect them to take your damage deposit for the other half. Although, it seems like a great idea, what about if there were damages?
Hollah! you’re right, they do only have 10 business days. I would definitely report the landlord.
It took me 3 weeks when I left my apt for my new house…and my place was perfect…spotless and I only got back half. Friggers!
Ha, sebastian got a house and SUV but can’t find a date still.
you didn’t have fleas did you?
I have a flea-exoskeletal-coat
it took 2.5 billion of the suckers but it’s pretty durable and keeps me warm.
To get your whole damage deposit back for you and the landlord need to do a “move in” inspection report (with digi photos if possible) and a “move out” inspection on your last day. Make sure they are signed and dated. If there’s damage they keep your money; if there’s no damage there’s no grounds for not returning the money.
One landlord I had charged my roommates and I for ‘leaving garbage out back’ when it was actually our neighbours’ shit instead. My roommates did leave some but the neighbours left a couch, book shelf, desks and other things. When I tried to discuss it with the landlord she’d yell at me and state that she was in our place enough times to know who owned what; she showed the place twice to others so she must have photographic memory. The neighbours got the bulk of their deposit back and we got about half. I still debated with her over the amount coming back to us (she charged $30 to clean the stove) and it didn’t go anywhere so I told her I’d be more than happy to write about our experiences on rental agency websites and public blogs for people looking for apartments in HRM. Still didn’t change anything.
Landlords are douchebags, I would be suprised if you see any of your damage deposit. Taking it to the tenancy board is useless, they are there more for the landlords than tenants, and if you don’t have in and out inspections with photos then you are out of luck. I agree that only paying half of your last months rent is the best way to ensure you get your damage deposit back. No landlord is going to take you to court for a couple hundred dollars, it’s not worth their time or effort, especially if the appartment is left in good order. I’ve been doing it for years and I’m batting about 10-0.
Purple fire my last rental, there was an agreement that a professional rug & floor cleaning company had to be used.
The land lord was a @#$%&*#^ witch. I knew I would have trouble
The tenancy board will /can do nothing to you if you do your own video of leaving….mine even had shots of the cleaning company doing the floors.
I left a copy of the paid receipt. I photoed each & every wall, she had a problem with “holes” I made none every nail/screw was there when i moved in & had the same paint as the whole place on them to prove it.
Aslo
I left a note telling her to keep the damage deposit check to cover the missing rent.
Always remember to cover your ass !
IF
And its a slim if, you do get summoned ,your video, the cleaning company records are all in your favor.
The rules you quote that “your not suppose to” or “your not allowed to”
Can be deflected by…” I’m sick & tired of chasing my damage deposit, who’s going to pay me for my time ?”
I’ve been in a tenacy board hearing more than once, I won.
Cover your ass people, you got an asshole for a landlord like I’ve had…chances are the tenancy board has already heard of them !
Man am I ever glad I own a place, & don’t have to deal with that shit ! ! ! !
I have great landlords!
*ducks*
Last time I moved out, it took our previous landlord nearly a month and a half to get us our damage deposit back. She claimed that we didn’t leave a forwarding address. When we did get it back, of the 500 or so that we were supposed to get back, we got maybe 150. Having entrance and exit inspection photos, we launched a complaint through the Tenancy Board. After paying various complaint fees, the Board found in favour of the landlord; citing that the proof we had was inconclusive. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the Tenancy Board is there to protect the Landlords, not the Tenant.
And More, the landlord can actually sue you for the remaining part of your rent, and you would end up with the legal fees, costing you significantly more than what your last month of rent would cost, or they can outright evict you for non payment, which can actually damage your credit rating.
Dr Fever she did try that & the Tenancy board ruled in our favor. I had no lawyer, neither did she. She basicly came in & said there was damage, no photo’s no pictures, no witnesses …nothing, but her ‘word’
Might have had something to do with the carpet cleaning company witness & the video I had, the people who helped me move & clean the place.
I had been there for 18 months. She was nice when I inspected the place & when I signed the lease….problems started with the first ‘problem’ I had, which was a bathroom fixture leaking my first month. The place was over 30 years old & stuff wears out. She tried to say we broke it… how do you break the inside workings of a faucet ?
Plus she wasn’t out any rent, I paid half & the other half came from the damage deposit. Simple . The tenancy board doesn’t always rule for the landlord. That’s B.S.
I think the landlord has up to 30 days to give it back to you.
There is a specified time period, Pip Squeak, but not sure if it’s a month…in any event, they have to give it back to you with interest, too.
According to the Res Tenancy Act, the landlord has 10 business days to return the deposit from the day the lease terminates (not the day the tenant moves out). So your LL is in the wrong but the most you can do is contact the Residential Tenancies Program and pay $30 to file an application to get the deposit back. Nice huh?
The landlord sounds like a douche – in fact, I’ve had my fair share of experience with douchbaggery – tenants, roommates, landlords, property managers – it goes on and on. Guess it just boils down to the fact that there are a lot of useless, deceitful twats in this world.
A friendly bet says you’re dealing with a guy whose surname (inappropriately) rhymes with “care”. He’s seen the inside of a court room more than once. Just go ahead and sue him. Your patience wins you nothing.