When you are away from home, everyone will encounter the trouble of renting a house. It is not an exaggeration to say that renting a house is also the first test of entering society. Of course, as a tenant, you definitely hope to find a suitable house and meet a fair landlord. You hope to get your deposit back when the lease ends. However, after you have rented a few times, you will find that no matter how cautious you are during the renting process, the landlord will always find reasons to deduct your deposit or even the rent when you move out.
Since graduating, I have rented a total of five houses. I can say that the first few times were very much in line with my wishes. Some of them didn't even ask for a deposit from the beginning to the end, and as long as I informed them in advance, I could move out normally when the lease expired. I can say that the landlords I encountered were very good.
The most recent time I changed houses was during the National Day holiday. Originally, I didn't plan to move out this year because I was used to living there. However, at the end of September, the landlord told us that the house needed to be renovated in October and we had to move out as soon as possible. As a tenant, although the lease had not expired, I didn't think the landlord's request was unreasonable, so I wanted to find a new house quickly. I went to see if there were any suitable rental houses after work for a few days, and finally found a suitable one before the National Day. I thought that the next thing would be as simple as handing over the keys, returning the rent, and getting the deposit back.
When I handed over the keys, I found that the landlord actually brought new tenants to see the house instead of renovating it as previously stated. Well, it's their house, so there's nothing I can do. At the same time, the landlord asked me to give him the lease agreement. Since I paid the rent quarterly, the landlord still owed me three months' rent and the deposit. I was cautious about this, so I didn't give him the agreement. I told him that I would wait for a week to get the rent and deposit back. After all, as a tenant, the most important thing is to get back your own rent and deposit, so I waited for a week.
Interestingly, after we moved out, his house was not rented out:
By now, it had been almost half a month, and obviously he had no rental income during this period. He is a sub-landlord, so he must have suffered some losses during this half month. It feels like he brought it upon himself. The next step is to collect the rent:
During this time, although he didn't return my rent and deposit, sometimes he replied to my messages and sometimes he didn't. But fortunately, I had the lease agreement in my hand. After all, what's written on paper is clear. I believe it can be used if necessary. So I didn't worry too much. Therefore, if you rent a house, never give the lease agreement to the landlord.
Then, it dragged on until this week. Finally, this week, he found a reason to withhold the deposit. He said that without a deposit receipt, the deposit cannot be returned. However, since the deposit and rent were not paid in one lump sum, I argued with him and he didn't reply to my messages on WeChat anymore.
Finally, this week, I made an appointment at a location. Of course, as a landlord, he would try various reasons to deduct the rent and deposit. The first thing he asked for was the lease agreement. He brought a woman with him and said she would check if the agreement was correct. I firmly refused to let her see it because my intuition told me that if the agreement was lost, this rent dispute would definitely end in failure. So subconsciously, I realized that the lease agreement was the most important thing in this rent dispute, and it was also what the landlord feared. After all, he had breached the contract. We discussed how to resolve the issue in his car. He deducted too much, which I couldn't accept. Then he said, "Let's find another way to resolve it." When we left, he said, "Let's discuss it properly." Actually, there was nothing to discuss, because the rent and deposit were originally mine. But at this point, I had to negotiate, because getting the money was the most important thing. In the end, he agreed to refund the rent and deposit with a deduction of 400 yuan. I handed over the agreement, and he immediately tore it up. I was lucky that I had given him the agreement before, and his true colors were finally revealed.
Although I didn't get the full amount of rent as I wished, I still achieved my goal. I plan to see if he has rented out the house. How can I tell? When I paid the gas bill, I used Alipay. If he has rented it out, the gas bill should be different from when I moved out. At least the gas bill should not show any arrears, because usually people require the gas and electricity bills to be fully paid before signing the lease agreement. So let's see if there are any arrears in the gas bill:
As expected, the gas bill still shows arrears, just like when I moved out. Of course, the water and electricity bills and gas bills will be deducted from the deposit. The house has not been rented out for nearly two months. As a sub-landlord, he must be feeling a bit heartbroken. When I calculated it, it seems that he has suffered a big loss. As the saying goes, if you help others, you are helping yourself. He brought it upon himself. Finally, based on this experience, I would like to summarize some lessons for renting a house:
- If possible, make agreements in the lease contract instead of verbally.
- When paying the deposit, make sure to get a deposit receipt or indicate in the lease contract that there is no deposit receipt.
- Keep the lease contract and deposit receipt safe. Do not give the lease contract to the landlord before receiving the rent and deposit.
- When moving out, follow the normal procedure and make sure to receive the deposit back and inspect the house for any damages.
- Be firm in your attitude and avoid unnecessary compromises.
- The lease contract is really important, the lease contract is really important, the lease contract is really important.
I hope that everyone who rents a house away from home can find a suitable house and meet a fair landlord. If you have similar experiences, please leave a comment to share.