Farah♦
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Over the past 4 months, your pretty princess Farah has been in a conflict with his ex-landlord. There will most likely soon be a court case and it's going to be fun. Here's the story for anyone interested.
I started renting an apartment on May 1st, 2019. The rent was quite high: €720 for the apartment and €100 for costs including gas, water, electricity and internet.
This is pretty expensive, given that the apartment was around 30 square meters, but alright. There are some nice things to be said about it. It was in a good state, it was in the middle of the city and it had a very big roof terrace.
The apartment was basically a room in a house with a private front door. Three other people lived in the house. We all had our own toilet and bathroom. So far so good.
My downstairs neighbour, a Hungarian guy, became a very close friend. We cooked together every day, our friend groups merged and we spent a lot of time together doing our studies. Then Covid-19 came; no physical classes anymore for the both of us. He decided to return to Hungary, as he could continue his studies via the internet from wherever he was; he'd rather be with family if he was quarantined.
A slight problem: he went to Hungary with the intention to return to the Netherlands next month to move his furniture and personal belongings. The borders closed two days after he arrived in Hungary.
His apartment and my apartment were the same price. His was way better, though. He had twice the room I had and he had a way better view. So I asked my landlord if it would be possible for me to move in his apartment. This wasn't only a benefit for me, but also for my landlord; he wouldn't have to get rid of all the stuff that was in the apartment downstairs. Given that my neighbour didn't move out but just couldn't return to his apartment, it wasn't empty, nor clean.
I offered my landlord to move into that apartment. I would clean up my apartment upstairs (which I obviously did) and to do the repairs that were necessary in the apartment downstairs. I proposed this by mail. My landlord did not reply, so I called a few times. Finally they knew the answer: "We don't care, as long as we get our money. The rent will be €737 plus a bit for the wooden floor. We don't know what the actual rent will be, but we'll figure it out and you'll see it in your contract."
I gladly accepted this deal, as €737 plus a bit was less than my rent anyways. So I started moving into this apartment downstairs. I painted the walls in my old apartment, repaired everything that needed a fix, cleaned the place and thought that would be the end.
After two weeks, I received the contract I was supposed to sign. The rent was €897. That was unexpected. I immediately started looking for a new house, as I cannot afford this rent. So I was living in a place for which there was no signed contract, nor proof that there was ever any idea of a contract.
The landlord took my neighbour's deposit of €820 to pay for the rent of next month and the repairs of the apartment I was now living in. I paid €820 for my old apartment, which I wasn't living in anymore. I figured I would get that money back with my deposit.
Now, my landlord didn't do any repairs. Instead, he kept my deposit and told me he would not return it until I fixed up my new apartment. There is quite a bit of damage done to that new apartment, but I had nothing to do with that. I politely told him that I wasn't actually renting that apartment, as my neighbour was still paying for it, and I was paying for my old apartment. He then rented out my old apartment, proving that it was delivered correctly, as he didn't do any repairs.
Now the fun starts.
His administration called me. They stated that I never formally cancelled the contract for my old apartment. Ergo, I owe them €820 for that. Keep in mind there's already someone living there and he also paid that €820. The reason I never formally cancelled said contract, is because I didn't sign the email I sent them. (This does not hold in court, as they acknowledged the cancelling)
The next day, the administration called me again. This time stating that I owe them €897 for the apartment I was going to rent. Besides that, they also wanted me to repair all the damages my neighbour had caused. I told them I do not actually live there according to the law and they got fairly pissed off. They decided to send a debt collector my way. Unfortunately they sent the debt collector to my old apartment, because according to them, I wasn't living in the new apartment. Rookie mistake; it happens.
Two other noteworthy mentions have to be made, as it describes character.
1) My landlord demanded my couch be removed from the roof terrace, as it was a bad sight for his potential new viewers. The neighbours next door laughed at it and threw it in a squat next to the terrace. This may sound like a prick-move, but this squat has been a dump for the past 25 years. My landlord called me, said he bought that place and that he would hire a company to remove said couch, and give me the bill. He sent me a bill of €230 for the removal of a couch I didn't throw in there. I went to check yesterday; the couch is still there. I checked who owns the building afterwards. My landlord never bought it.
2) Me and my neighbours have been asking for specifications about the gas, water, electricity, etc. as we pay a lot more than we use. They have always denied said requests. But, last week, my neighbour got a 'specification'. According to them, he owed them €656. So I broke in yesterday and checked the meters. The numbers they sent turn out to be completely fabricated, which is fraud.
Now, this man began a lawsuit against me for €4300. If you happen to be around in the Netherlands, you are very welcome to see a greedy landlord be put in his place for once. I have quite a lot of experience with landlords and tenants' rights. It is going to be fun, and if anyone is interested, I will post updates to this thread. If not, that's allright too, I'll just spank Min34.
Greetz
Edited 6/14/2020 00:38:29
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