Got an email from my former landlord regarding the refund of my security deposit. I was owed 150,000 pesos ($3000.) and they’ve seen fit to keep all but 40,000. What made it worse was the rationale given for the ass-raping–claimed damages to the house. I left that house in better condition than it was when I moved in, paying for the improvements out of my own pocket. Stealing my deposit is a hell of a way to say thanks. Some of the itemized listings were especially egregious:
Replace damaged tiles and exposed piping around toilet where water line was repaired
by others–10,000
Yeah, the water line broke about a month prior to my leaving. But the landlord hired the clowns who left a hole in the floor after the repair, not me.
Prep and apply 2 coats of paint–35,000
Ah, that’s rich. I’m not sure that house has been painted since it was built twenty-some years ago. What I am sure of is that I did nothing to warrant paying for the paint job that should have been done prior to me moving in.
Anyway, the list goes on and on, and all of the damage was a pre-existing condition. Now, shame on me for not documenting that fact, but shame on them because they knew or should have known about the poor condition of the house I rented. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. I’ve disputed the charges but have no expectation that I’ll get a favorable response. I suppose I should be grateful that I’m getting anything back at all. I’ll be sure to spread the word amongst the expat community that you rent from these folks at your peril. I also take some satisfaction in noting that my former residence is still vacant. I hope it stays that way for at least a year, but the three months I’ve been gone already have cost the greedy bastards more than they are stealing from me. Okay, rant over.
A relatively quiet Sunday night. Started at It Doesn’t Matter. Roan had asked me to check on the Alta Vista community center availability for a planned going away party for one of her co-workers. I let her know I had made the reservation for Tuesday and I’ve been invited to join in the festivities. So there’s that to look forward to.
On my way home I popped into the Kitchenette and the place was almost full.
This is Hash Monday and the On-Home is here in the Alta Vista community center. That means making up a big batch of my chili to help feed the hungry Hashers. We’ll also be serving up some brats on a bun. And a short stumble home when the ceremonies are completed. Hopefully, the trail will be kind to my tired old body. Leech My Nuggets is the Hare, and he can be Guenter-esque. We’ll see soon enough.
And that’s the latest installment from my so-called life.
Glad to hear the Kitchenette is doing well. It’s also got a catchy name, which helps.
Sorry to learn about the ass-raping from your former landlord (landlords? can’t tell, from your post, whether this should be singular or plural, masculine or feminine… you start with the singular and move to the plural, and you don’t mention the sex of the landlord, and I’m too lazy to look this up on previous posts), but you’ve made it clear for a while now that this is an unscrupulous person/these are unscrupulous people with mysterious motivations. Like many Koreans, he/she/they just doesn’t/don’t care how foreigners are treated. And any news of this will never get beyond the expat community, so once again, the landlord/s has/have no reason to care. Angry expats? So what?
I hope that house stays empty a long time. Meanwhile, I guess you ought to document any problems in your current place!
Wow – what a bummer about the security deposit. I am guessing that as a foreigner, the odds are not in your favor in any dispute? I am sure that there are some rights that tenants have in cases like this, but again, trying to navigate the Filipino social justice system would be quite the journey.
Hope you have video taped your new digs, so that if something like this comes up in the future, you have proof.
BTW, is the new place working out well for you (other than the AC condensation drip)?
Kev, yeah I guess it is technically landlords (2 brothers and a sister), but I’ve been dealing with just the one brother of late. I’m guessing the motivation may be as simple as greed coupled with ignorance. I was prepared to sign a new 3-year lease until the sister came up with the bright idea of raising my rent for no reason other than she could. Using my deposit to pay for the repairs they’ll need to make before finding another sucker to rent the place is just the next illogical step I suppose. The two houses they currently have rented are both foreigners, and at the prices they charge for rent, foreigners are their market. I’ll be happy to share my experiences with the expat community so hopefully, others can avoid my misfortune.
Brian, technically I could go to the barangay and file a dispute, but my odds of prevailing are probably low as a foreigner versus a wealthy and politically connected Filipino family.
There is nothing really wrong with my current digs and the place is relatively new. I did a walk-through with the agent when I moved in and documented a couple of things that have already been repaired. The building was just sold so I have a new landlord now, but so far, so good.
The place is a little cramped and a bit inconvenient, but there is nothing wrong with it. We’ll see how I feel when the lease expires next year…