Ex-landlord refusing to return part of deposit - cleaning fee: “it’s dirty”. Anything we can do?

Legal Legal - Real Estate & Housing
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Had to keep the characters in the title down… it’s not dirty! She says it is. And that she needed to pay a cleaner.

It was dirty when we moved in and we left it in a much better state than we found it! We also took a video before moving out as an “inspection” - her suggestion because she was out of town. She saw this and said it was ok! Now is trying this when we’ve already moved out and can’t do anything about it. Really love to know if there’s any way to fight this.

I’m also aware it isn’t really a thing to even clean apartments that much prior to moving in/out of a place in Taiwan?

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Landlords always do that. I spent days cleaning my flat and they billed me for “dirt on the floor”

Make the most of it: shit on the walls

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3

tell her you need the receipts for rent payments for your tax deductions.

if she refuses, which she will, just mumble something about “oh im sure the tax department can figure something out…”

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4

That’s a great idea. Especially if you have proof of all your bank deposits for rent for the tax office you can just amend the return

5

Do that after you get the deposit back, and do it for all previous years

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great advice. unless you are the unlucky one who has the unicorn of a landlord that actually pays taxes on rentals.

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Ok so first I should have added that I only speak to her through a middle man (a teacher from my old buxiban) and it’s over Line.

So you’re saying that I imply I’m going to get her in some sort of trouble over unpaid tax, so that she gives me my money, or that I should get her in trouble over unpaid tax as revenge?

Open to both haha

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The first sounds more practical…

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She can’t charge you for the place being dirty unless it’s hoarder class of dirty. Contact with www.tmm.org.tw for free legal advice.

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Thank you! I was hoping there was some sort of legal protection - this is very helpful! I’ll contact them first thing on Monday

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11

We believe you.

I always had to spend hours, or even days, cleaning before moving in. They always complained when I left it in (much) better conditions.

Except once, but that was because the apartment was brand new.

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12

no. taiwanese dont often take ultimatums very well. they are reasonable in different ways. that crosses a line and makes an otherwise normal human into a vengeful peice of shit.

You dont tell them anything. You mention, as an aside…with smile on face, at a later date (in order to give them time to face save their way out of it) you will file paper work for tax credits. make it a face loss for yourself (taiwanese are experts at this form.of passive aggressive assault by the way, they will get the point!) and that when you get the tax refund from the many years of renting here I can afford to pay for the security deposit loss.

or along those lines.

basic rule in Taiwan. point the finger to a person, especially publicly, prepare for a fight. point it at yourself and blame the situation for the issue, while everyone knows damn well who caused the situation.

alternatively, have loads of evidence and fuck them hard. this needs to happen more, but the year or 3 of small claims court and stress probably isnt worth it. and that is exactly what they are counting on, you backing down. thus, the backward way of playing pity while eventually costing them more money tends to be the unofficial starts quo of Taiwan.

in my opinion.

worth noting. I go into housing rentals with the assumption my deposit isnt given back. but I dont live in an expensive city. my parents are 3000~6000 depending on the place. 2 month deposits on all of them. for me, because I hate fighting and stress, I just walk away knowing they will steal it and just take it as a medical expense for happiness. if it were much more money I would fight to prove a point based on principle, but I also dont want to die of a stroke.

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I’ve generally resolved the issue by letting them check the place a month before and just telling, not asking, the landlord that I won’t pay for the last month and we call it even to ‘make things simpler’ So far it’s worked ok in 3 places.

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That can work if the landlord is around and of normal mental state. Not always the case though. Plus usually safety deposit is 2 months now.

for me a 10k deposit lost over say a decade of renting is worth more than gold in comparison to living nearby the landlord and all their weird concepts of law and privacy.

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I’ve always moved every 2 years when I get bored of an area so I’d be losing money left and right :grin: luckily my landlords have a been great

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16

go touch some wood.

to unjinx yourself, of course.

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