How to deal with evil landladies?

[Balderdasha]

This is part a request for advice, part just a rant.

I have fortunately just moved out of a flat with a particularly unhelpful and unpleasant landlady, but we are now attempting to get our deposit back and it's proving a little tricky.

At the beginning of the tenancy, she had a company come in and carry out an inventory check. All fine and good except that they were cowboys and didn't check everything - so we went round, checked ourselves and added our own comments to everything, then sent it to them and they confirmed they'd received it.

Now, they've done another inventory check at the end, and surprise surprise picked up loads of stuff that was there at the start, but which they didn't see then, and are blaming it on us. Also, they claim to have no record of the comments we sent them last year.

Fortunately I have e-mail records proving that they received the comments back then, and this should get us out of having to pay for some of the problems that were there last year.

Unfortunately, we didn't pick up on everything either. There are some problems which I am 100% positive we didn't cause yet neither the inventory company nor us picked up on them last year, and now they say they're our fault. Basically we're screwed aren't we?

[Gerontophile]

How to deal with evil landladies?

Dont know.

Did you take pictures? Are there any major 'stains'? Have you talked to the Citizens Advice Bureau?

Cant help otherwise, sorry.

Rental agencies are cunts. I would rather sleep in a box.... ah. irony abounds.

[Balderdasha]

How to deal with evil landladies?

Didn't take pictures foolishly (I've never had to deal with this level of cuntishness before).

The thing they've discovered which we didn't cause is a 'stain' under the sofa cushion (didn't check there).

Haven't talked to the CAB, but will do.

I don't really expect anyone to be able to help, just needed to rant. Thanks for listening.

[Tubby Isaacs]

How to deal with evil landladies?

I didn't have you down as a user of the word "cuntishness" before, so must be bad. Sorry to hear it.

How much is she trying to retain? Some friends of mine a few years ago took out an action in a small claims court to get money back. They paid up instantly, and my friends wrote off the £70 it cost to get the action going because it was better than losing £1,000 in combined deposits.

I don't know nearly enough about the procedure (and have a horrible feeling New Labour have put the fee up to some silly amount) but might be worth bearing in mind.

[matt j]

How to deal with evil landladies?

We had nearly the identical situation when we moved out of our apartment. I don't think I've ever been so completely and absolutely livid with another person before. I think I've told the story about the 'stains' on the stove.

I have no advice, unfortunately, other than your security deposit is probably worth less than the amount it will cost you if you commit murder.

[Balderdasha]

How to deal with evil landladies?

The additional tricky part of this is that I was sharing the flat with two flatmates.

I and one of the flatmates would probably just write off the deposit on the basis of it being far, far too much hassle to deal with.

However, the other flatmate is incredibly tenacious and has a rigid sense of fairness and will fight, probably for years, to get what she thinks is hers. Which would all be fine and good, except that she will expect me to put in an equal amount of rage and effort, and I just don't think I can.

Losing the money would be annoying, but I could handle it. Losing a friend over it would just be very sad.

Anyway, I'm off now, but any more tips would be greatly appreciated!

[Tubby Isaacs]

How to deal with evil landladies?

As I say, the small claims court thing didn't cost too much effort. I'm not saying it's the right thing to do (obviously CAB advice needed) but I reckon you could handle that.

[mafu]

How to deal with evil landladies?

Is it a very expensive sofa? How much are they trying to keep back?

I would look at the original inventory papers if you still have them and check to see what you presumably signed - eg if it says the sofa was in great nick you might struggle to get out of paying for that. but if it just lists a sofa as part of the furnishings it might give you a bit of leeway.

[jason voorhees]

How to deal with evil landladies?

Not sure where you are now B-dash, but everyone's talking about small claims with me.

I never had luck with the deposit. I lost $1200 to Susana "Soo-sana no here rhi noooooowwwww" Wang in 1994, and I recently lost $1000 to my landlord in New Orleans after we found that the paint that was peeling all over the floor that our baby was trying to wat was lead-based paint.

Everyone says we can call the Department of Health, and small claims, and get a lawyer to threaten everything under the sun. However, I'm happy not to see that no-chin's face again (or at his restaurant where he's the chef, Cafe Degas on Esplanade Avenue.)

[Max Payne]

How to deal with evil landladies?

Brought a wry grin from Mrs Max and myself reading this. We were conned by a Wimbledon Agency when living in London in very similar circumstances. The inventory girl at the beginning listed the bed as fine and mattress fine. There was though a small blood stain on the underside of the mattress which she hadn't picked up on. Mrs Max was a bit freaked by the stain and we contacted the lettings agency to request a replacement mattress telling them about the stain and that it was generally clapped out. They said no initially then agreed to go halves but we let it lie by this stage.

Of course the stain was then "our" fault by the exit check and they hit us for a new mattress. Twats.

Personally given that it was us that had to pay for the inventory, these inventory companies should be held more accountable for the cack handed reports they produce.

That said it's obvious this is a common con. The laws of Libel should be relaxed to allow the naming and shaming of these lowlife scumbag petty thieves. So it's lucky for you then, Woollens of Wimbledon that I can't name you, you cunts.

[Mitch]

How to deal with evil landladies?

The nasty trick my last letting agency pulled on me was to use a third-party assessor for my leaving-check, who was obviously being paid commission on the amount of the deposit she could claw back. It was almost surreal with the stunts she was trying to pull: a mark on the lounge wall half an inch long was going to require the entire room to be re-plastered and repainted at one point!

It's not really good advice or anything, but I left with 95% of my deposit purely by completely going mental on the phone to the agency, and pointing out the fact they were blatantly scamming me. I think I got lucky in that I was the first tenant they'd tried this tactic on.

[Tubby Isaacs]

How to deal with evil landladies?