Shouldn’t be a issue since landlords never lie to keep deposits right?

  • vfreire85@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    1 month ago

    normally in brazil you have three alternatives:

    • find someone who sponsors you: increasingly in disuse, since your sponsor needs to have property paid in full within municipality’s limits, metro regions or in neighbouring cities, and a monthly income that is at least 3 times the rent and other associated expenses;
    • pay an insurance: generally it amounts for an increase of 10-25% on top of your rent. however, by the end of the contract you won’t have it back;
    • traditional deposit: most tenants and real estate agents will charge you three rents in advance, since normally contracts have a standard 30-month length. after an year elapses and you decide to leave, you will receive your deposit in full with the inflation that incurred during that time. if you decide to leave before that year, you will have to pay a penalty of your rent multiplied by the number of months that are left in your contract divided by 10 (e.g. if you leave with about 24 months left, the penalty will be rent * 2.4). this penalty is usually waivered after 12 months. however, if you didn’t really trashed out your former house, they will charge you painting and cleaning expenses (sometimes even if you paint and clean yourself, depending on how much son-of-a-b*tch they are).
  • meliante@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    39
    ·
    1 month ago

    They have a deposit protection scheme in the UK where neither the landlord nor the tenant have full control of the amount. It’s very useful. Much better than the landlord having the money in his possession.

    • brewery@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 month ago

      This, the limit on how much it could be, and the ban on charging any additional fees, absolute game changers! The changing them not being able to tax deduct mortgage payments has also changed behaviour. I mean, landlords are still a huge drain on society and rents are mental but these steps help

    • ladydragonfruit@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      1 month ago

      This was a big change when we moved to the UK. It makes sense to have a third party involve with photos of everything before you rent. Should be standard really.

  • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    9
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 month ago

    It’s different in my region.

    Landlords have been challenged to show when and why they withold deposits. It’s not guaranteed but when brought to the board the tenant often wins unless the landlord can present a good case.

    Then again, we only rent from companies for a reason.

  • Grool The Demon@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    1 month ago

    Check unclaimed funds with states you’ve lived in. No shit. I did it last year and found like 1500 bucks just in deposits past landlords said I didn’t deserve. The landlords might be shady but their accountants aren’t.

    • Limonene@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      1 month ago

      I had to sue for my security deposit once. It’s very common in the US for landlords to fraudulently keep some or all of the security deposit.

      • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 month ago

        How annoying was that? My last landlord claimed some pretty indefensible justifications for keeping our deposit (among other things, $300 to “sweep and vacuum the attic”) but I’m not convinced that I’ll actually wind up ahead if I’m missing work to go to court.

        • Limonene@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          1 month ago

          It was during the pandemic, so the courtroom was a teleconference. For $300, it’s not worth the stress (unless you can also claim statutory/punitive damages). But it is worth knowing you’ve deprived a leech of committing theft, if that appeals to you.

          Small claims court is not too hard and doesn’t require a lawyer, but do try to find some free legal advice before your court date. Housing issues usually have free legal advice in most jurisdictions.

  • cattywampas@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    1 month ago

    Check your local laws and ordinances, your landlords may be required to provide itemized expenses to you within a certain time frame. Where I am, it’s within 30 days.

  • KestrelAlex@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    14
    ·
    1 month ago

    In Canada your landlord is required to pay back your deposit with interest, so if you gave them a $1000 deposit and stayed for 10 years and interest is at 5% they would be giving you back about $1600.

    Very few actually do this and most of the time interest is so low nobody bothers to fight for it.

  • BJ_and_the_bear@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    1 month ago

    You can demand itemized receipts for everything they want to take from the deposit, at least I’m California

    • gonzo-rand19@moist.catsweat.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      1 month ago

      Security deposits are a type of refundable fee where a tenant pays a specific amount (often many hundreds of dollars) to a landlord to “ensure” that they don’t damage a residence while living there. If the residence is damaged, the landlord keeps the deposit. The term is derived from contract law where “security” just means a way to make sure that a party to a contract meets their contractual obligations.

      There are many instances where a landlord illegally keeps the deposit over damage that was either already existing or minimal (also referred to as “wear and tear” damage, which is expected when you live somewhere long-term), so OP is calling for the courts to determine the extent of damage to prevent landlords from taking advantage of tenants.

      In some jurisdictions (like the one I live in), security deposits and most other related deposits such as key deposits (i.e., a refundable fee paid to obtain a key to the residence) are completely illegal in order to eliminate the possibility entirely.

    • Trent Hellacious@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      1 month ago

      Sorry, still new migrant. Just wanted to say I have never seen the descriptions of the emojis before! I was getting some of them SO wrong! 😱

  • Scott_of_the_Arctic@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    1 month ago

    In Norway your deposit is payed into a special account in your name and both parties have to agree to it’s release or settle in court. If the landlord takes some for repairs to abnormal damage (can’t charge for “normal wear and tear”) they have to provide proof that they used it for that (receipts etc).

    • Apytele@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      1 month ago

      eh if I took up travel nursing I’d probably still want something similar to a house or apartment to rent for 3-6 months because most hotels aren’t really designed to be lived in that long but I also don’t want to buy a wholeass house then worry about selling it in 6 months. but that’s splitting hairs, at what point do you just call that an extended stay hotel? but also at what point does an extended stay hotel become a rental property?

      but every time I hear a “property owner” complain about how hard and expensive it is to own other people’s homes I’m just like my guy no one is making you do that if it’s so damn hard just sell it to the person who lives there except deep down you realize how good of a deal you’re getting you’re just mad everybody isn’t acting like you’re not a prick for it.

  • MisterFrog@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    22
    ·
    1 month ago

    Wait, this ISN’T how it works where you live?

    Where I live (in Victoria, Australia), the bond is held in trust by the residential tenancies bond authority. At the end of the lease the landlord can try make a claim, but you can take them to VCAT (a small claims tribunal) to argue against it, and until either all parties agree, or the court orders it, the bond doesn’t get paid out to anyone.

    Our laws are far from good, and still favour owners too much, but damn. Just trusting them to pay you out of their own pocket?

    • MimicJar@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 month ago

      Just trusting them to pay you out of their own pocket?

      Assuming US, it actually depends on the state (may be all states, but I can only speak of those I’ve lived in). The law is that the money must go into a separate interest bearing account and that is the money that is to be returned. So the money isn’t supposed be their own pocket.

    • valtia@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      1 month ago

      Just trusting them to pay you out of their own pocket?

      actually the opposite! everyone here just expects to never see their deposit ever again