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Dealing with landlords...

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    Dealing with landlords...

    hey guys, Need some quick advice -

    My landlord recently took back an apartment I had rented from him from December 08 til Apr 10.

    It seems that he is trying to find excuses to keep as much of my security deposit as possible.

    first it was cleaning costs and replacing his old TV that broke months ago. We agreed on a price when i handed over the keys.

    About 30 minutes after I left he called me claiming that I irreparably damaged the toilet by cleaning it too hard(!?) I've asked a local contractor who said they can replace it for $1100. I offered to pay the landlord $1100 to settle but now he's claiming the replacement cost is $3k.

    What recourse do I have? Do I have to pay the entire cost for him to get some fancy over priced toilet to replace the original (several years old) toilet?

    Thanks in advance!

    ps - after this is done i'm going to post up a big fat warning about this landlord and his shadiness/cheapness! :-P


  2. #2

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    send a fake solicitors letter ( write it yourself) warning him of his actions with photographs.


  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by imparanoic:
    send a fake solicitors letter ( write it yourself) warning him of his actions with photographs.
    Hmm, not the best idea.

    As someone has already mentioned, just go to the small claims court.

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by pin:
    Hmm, not the best idea.

    As someone has already mentioned, just go to the small claims court.
    most local landlord (on the basis that they have limited english understanding) will become concerned and possibly frightened by a fake solicitors letter (at most, specify your mates contact numbers so if they phone up, they can pretend on your behalf), thus, won't bother engage in sly extortionist tactics as it's not worth it.

    small claims court takes months, plus the solicitor fees and so much hassle.

  5. #5

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    You do not need a Lawyer for small claims court.



    Quote Originally Posted by imparanoic:
    most local landlord (on the basis that they have limited english understanding) will become concerned and possibly frightened by a fake solicitors letter (at most, specify your mates contact numbers so if they phone up, they can pretend on your behalf), thus, won't bother engage in sly extortionist tactics as it's not worth it.

    small claims court takes months, plus the solicitor fees and so much hassle.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by imparanoic:
    send a fake solicitors letter ( write it yourself) warning him of his actions with photographs.
    I don't think landlords in Hong Kong are that dumb. They have bought a property and so would have probably gone through a lawyer when purchasing. They would know that law firms usually use high quality letter paper and envelopes, have printed letter heads, and most have Chinese and English names and addresses. A fake letter written on MS Word and sent on cheap paper is not going to fool anyone.

  7. #7

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    Besides.. impersonating a solicitor might be grounds for execution in this town.

    Football16 likes this.

  8. #8

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    ok, if the landlord is a really big shot landlord, therefore, it will be impossible to bluff him, but if the case, it's a just a small local landlord who may only own a few properties, it may work

    i have done this before for a few overseas students in UK, they were so dodgy and such conning gits (taking advantages of oversea students limited knowledge of UK laws and standard procedures), thus, after using high quality 130gm paper and a nice laser printer for the letter head, plus some nice fancy legal wordings within the contents, they got sh!te scared and refunded their deposits without any quibbles shortly (they didn't even bothered to check the yellow pages whether this solicitor's supposed physical address and contact details is real).

    Last edited by imparanoic; 06-05-2010 at 10:38 AM.

  9. #9

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    pls, note that this advice at your own risk, i can not be liable for your actions regardless of this advice, plus, i am not aware of the actual consquences of this type of action within the laws of hk.


  10. #10

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    Cleaning costs, broken TV's, and broken toilets are all the landlords responsibility. As long as its part of normal wear and tear and not something you have damaged or broken deliberately, then the landlord is obliged to repair/replace them.


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