You're not too smart.
1) changing the locks only protects yourself. opening a door with a key versus breaking and entering are two different violations. One is no problem, the other lands your landlord in jail.
2) he's not in his rights to change the locks, even when the lease is over. If he changes the locks, like someone said earlier, call the police and likely the landlord can end up in jail. The only time that the landlord can take back the apartment is when you a) hand over the keys or b) the landlord has a court order and the bailiffs come to remove you.
3) it does not add facts not in your favor. it just shows that you are not that smart by keeping locks that everyone in the world has keys to. it is the normal thing to change the locks when you rent an apartment for your own safety and protection. regardless if you agree or not, that is the hong kong way.
4) play by the rules, you are even not smarter. play by the rules then move out and give him your 13k deposit. easy sucker. please let us know which apartment you want to rent next so we can keep your deposit too. show you a piece of paper and get paid 13k, that's pretty good wages for any of us on here
You won't get your deposit back, even though you are right. The landlord just says one thing to keep your deposit, and you fall for his scam. The landlord knows not to pay you, and he knows that if you go to court, even if the court says you win, the court won't force the guy to pay you back.
So, if you want to break even on this situation. You do the following:
Change the locks, ignore this idiot landlord
Live there for one month more than your lease without paying your rent (so in the end, he essentially uses your deposit for the last month rent)
Move out
Tell the landlord to F himself
Next apartment.
I guess you're right. I just fear that if I stay in the apartment the guy will want to sue me and I'll have to lawyer up and this will cost me way more than just a month of lease.
You should change the title of the thread to "Getting kicked out because I'm a Moron"
You just won't listen, will you? Change the locks, file an opposition to the Form 22, pointing out that you didn't sublet the flat and the Landlord didn't lose any money. Don't return the keys until you have the deposit back in cash. The landlord can't just change the locks back, that'd be breaking and entering and will cost him much more than it would be worth. He is probably smart enough to know that.
Put up a fight and stop whining here about life being unfair. If you won't listen you deserve to lose your deposit. Pretty much everybody here has suggested the same to you and you still decide not to act on that. What's the point of the threat here?
Last edited by TheDocHK; 05-01-2016 at 03:05 PM.
Yeah but staying in an apartment without a lease and by changing the locks is illegal and this is on this ground that I fear being sued.Original Post Deleted
I think I'll just change the locks and tell him that I'll change them back when I get the deposit. But I won't be living in the place (mostly because I don't want to).
Are you an idiot? You are making stuff up. How is it illegal to change the locks and stay in an apartment without a lease? This is totally false.
You can stay there another 6 months without paying rent. Even if the guy sues you in small claims, you do NOT need a lawyer. I don't even think they allow lawyers in small claims court. Even if you lose in small claims court, you only have a paper that says you need to pay, whether you pay or not is up to you!
Ok cool. I'll do that. Thanks
So you're saying that even if my lease says that it ends on the 12th of January, there is some kind of law that is saying that it continues until I give the premise back? What's the point of having an end date on a lease then?
Last edited by TheDocHK; 05-01-2016 at 03:17 PM.