I’ve been in Taiwan for 5 years and lived in the same apartment for 5 years.
I’ve had some personal issues while being in this country and my apartment has always been pretty untidy.
A week ago, my landlord came into my apartment to survey some changes he planned to make to the building and he said (on the basis of untidiness of my apartment) that he wanted to terminate my contract and that I should move out within a week.
My apartment has admittedly many problems (flooring that has come loose, a fridge that has stopped working, a mattress that bears the imprint of my body after 5 years of my sleeping in it), but in my own opinion (ha) these problems are more due to the natural wear and tear of my living in the apartment for 5 years than they are due to me. (While I lived in the apartment, I never asked the landlord to repair anything.)
However, now I’ve moved out the landlord is asking for 65000 to repair the apartment (I’ve just quit my job, can’t really pay)- “otherwise he will sue.”
Does anyone have any advice here? Do I have to pay? What is the likelihood of the sueing taking place? How much more money than 65,000 will his putative sueing cost me?
There has been no mention of a deposit returned to counterbalance this fee. You can probably tell from my tone that I do not intend to pay, but I posted this to seek advice about my situation.
Not a lawyer. But I’d say a mattress imprint is wear and tear along with a refrigerator broken. Floorboards are iffy depending if he can prove you broke them. (Moving heavy stuff over it or leaving liquids on it)
Immediately take dated pictures of the whole apartment. All of it clearly from top to toe.
Do not tell the landlord that you have done that. Make sure you have a copy of your lease agreement. Then let him take you to court and show all the pictures. Take a video too. It’s even better if you have a witness with you when taking the video and pictures but do it anyway. You could also pay someone a small amount of money to access the floor repair cost.
I wouldn’t normally suggest such underhand tactics but tired of seeing tenents getting ripped off here. Also email him in Chinese asking him the reasons. Save all responses. You can also call the citizen help hotline but only after you get all that evidence. He had 5 years rent from you too.
Get a really strong cup of coffee and clean it up too. Or pay about 3000 for a cleaning company to clean it. A good witness too ha
Maybe you can ask @Taiwan_Luthiers to help you out he is generally good at sorting things out like that. He can help access damage and talk to the landlord in Mandarin. He might even help you to get that place in order.
I suppose there are two sides to the story. Landlords aren’t interested in your personal issues; they just want their rent paid and the apartment looked after (landlords in Taiwan are a lot more anal about the latter than their equivalents in the West, where tenants have all the legal leverage). We can’t tell, without seeing it, how bad it is, but there does come a point where “messy” crosses a line.
However.
My gut feeling is that something else is going on here. I doubt your contract allows your landlord to eject you ‘within a week’. Why was he ‘surveying’ the building, I wonder? Is it possible he’s going to sell it and just wants you out?
My suggestion would be to first remove the reason for his complaint. Get it bloody well tidied up. The fridge obviously isn’t your problem, the mattress might be if your very, um, large (I’ve never seen that happen to a mattress, although perhaps it’s a horribly cheap one) and the floorboards could be either, depending on what you’ve done to them. Fix whatever you think genuinely needs fixing, and then tell the landlord you will compensate him for reasonable expenses when your contract says that you have to move out.
People are always threatening to sue each other in Taiwan. Don’t take it too seriously. The fault may be on both sides, but a few pai says and a willingness to make good will take the wind out of his sails, and he will have to find another excuse if he’s just trying to kick you out for nefarious reasons.
He needs to pay you for breaking the contract. Tell him that you are staying and that he needs to fix the fridge and change the old mattress, all by email so you have proof.
Have you already returned keys, signed any close contract agreement (assuming you had a contract)?
Did you sign multiple contracts or just stay after the first expired?
This is not a valid reason for termination and might not be a valid notice period, depending on your contract and how frequently you paid rent. Somewhat moot point now as it appears you accepted it and moved out.
Landlord should always be informed of defects in a timely manner, whether you consider them requiring repair or not.
How much are we talking here? Are your utility bills up to date? If you still have access to them I suggest get photo’s of your electricity, water and gas meters asap.
You’re not responsible for normal levels of wear and tear, you’re not responsible for earthquake or other damage (you may have some if there was a long term water leak you did not inform the landlord of), you’re not responsible for any furniture or appliances that are not listed on the lease. Before any “suing” you can go to your local council offices where they have mediators for this, they’ll advise both you and the landlord where you stand and try to get an agreement.
I suggest you go talk to https://www.tmm.org.tw/ they are extremely knowledgeable and helpful, phone or call in person they generally don’t respond to email or web contact.
I think there’s a lot going on here. There’s the landlord trying to make you move out immediately, then trying to make you pay damages. After being in the place for so long, it’s going to depend on what your contract says. You also have rights though. I’d recommend contacting Tsuei Ma Ma and asking them about the situation first. They’ll provide some free legal consultation, but get your documents in order first so they know where to begin.
The fridge stopped working and u didnt contact the landlord about it? So what did you do…? Why would you not contact the landlord its his responsibility to fix or replace that and you need a fridge.
