To keep their deposit!!

[LivFG]

DH and I have a couple of properties we rent out. We have been renting to a young couple who always seemed like good tenants. We gave them notice a couple of months ago as we are going to start renting on AirBnB instead as DH thinks we will get more money (don't get me started).

Anyway, they moved out on Saturday and everything seemed fine. Today I went to get everything cleaned and I found (what I think to be) weed residue next to the sink. I'm Furious. I feel completely violated and uncomfortable being inside the property. I'm sick with worry that they have been using illegal drugs in my home and what the legal ramifications could be!!

Obviously we have their deposit. I was planning to refund it this week. After my discovery today, I now feel incredibly reluctant to make any sort of refund. The idea of supporting/funding their lifestyle makes me very uncomfortable. And they never would have been given permission to abuse my property in this way.

DH seems to think none of this is a problem and seems to completely miss the point - it isn't about cleaning it up - it's about the abuse of our trust.

AIBU?

Hands up those who’d rather deal with a bit of illegal weed residue than a landlord who illegally fails protect their deposit and threatens to keep it as punishment. 🤚🏽

either this post is fake or you are mental

surely this has to be a joke! In which case bravo to you as you’ve got people to discuss it for 20 pages 👏👏👏 Brilliant!

I referred to having to thoroughly sterilise the property because I do not want any other tenants entering and finding an illegal substance!! I certainly don't want them to think that DH or I are the ones who left it - or that we condone illegal behaviours.

What other type of cleaning in between tenants is there? A quick wipe? A hoover? You should be sterilising it anyway!

It is attitudes like some of those shared here that have resulted in the normalisation of illegal behaviours. I find it all very concerning tbh.

You're in the wrong business then, mate. You became a rogue landlord instead of a police officer. Easy mistake to make.

Next time you rent make sure you follow the guidelines and protect someone’s deposit, a little bit of weed is nothing compared to you being a shoddy landlord

You broke the law. You’ve actually owed up to it by stating that you didn’t put their deposit the legal deposit scheme, a criminal act.
However, you’re still howling at the moon because you think but can’t actually prove there might have been ‘weed’ in the property, after turfing out perfectly good tenants due to your greed.
Landlords like you make me long for greater controls on how many properties people should be allowed to own and rent.

Why on earth does it need to be "bleached and sterilised", any differently to how you would normally have a full end of tenancy clean done?! This makes no sense. They've hardly shat up the walls. I'm very anti drugs, and this would not bother me in the slightest. Just give them their deposit back, clean up the "weed residue"/oregano, and get on with your life. Oh... and cross your fingers you don't get in deep shit for not having their deposit in a scheme, as that is a legal requirement.

🖐

Are you for real ? Clean the property as you should between tenants pay the deposit back and hope you have squeaky clean air bandb guests ! 😂🤣 if this is true then you are utterly ridiculous not to mention money grabbing.

Absolutely no one will go to prison for smoking weed on private property.

I've only read OPs posts, this shit is wild 🤣 no one goes to jail for doing a bit of weed in their own house. Be lucky they were decent as smoked it outside otherwise it would be even worse of a clean up!

Of course you're in the wrong, OP.

You literally started a thread asking whether it would be unreasonable of you to withhold your tenants' deposit because of suspected, but unproven, drug use in the property.

I'm glad to see you have taken on board the feedback from other posters and understand that you would be extremely unreasonable to even attempt this. But since you were considering doing something both immoral and illegal, quite obviously you can be accused of wanting to do something which is both immoral and illegal.

If you are too busy to observe the legal obligations which apply to landlords, such as protecting your tenants' deposit, you are too busy to be a landlord and you should not be letting out your property. This is not mere admin. It is fundamental to your legal responsibilities as a landlord.

The reason why you have a legal obligation to hold your tenants' deposit in an official deposit protection scheme is precisely so that you cannot withhold it at the end of the tenancy for entirely spurious reasons such as there being, in your completely inexpert opinion, "weed residue" in the property. You would have to demonstrate that the tenants had actually caused damage to the property in order to withhold any part of the deposit, and they would have formal legal recourse if they disputed your decision.

That is why it is illegal not to put your tenants' deposit in the deposit protection scheme, and that is why they can sue you for three times the value of their deposit if you are unable to produce a certificate proving that you protected their deposit at the start of the tenancy. I very much hope somebody points this out to them within the limitation period and you are forced to cough up. It would serve you right.

Good luck with the Airbnb. You'll need it.

Look it's a tough time to be a renter please do the right thing and give them their deposit in full. I'm old and still renting and you know the worst thing. Not having your own home but living your life in someone else's. Do you know have they found somewhere.
The market is shocking atm

Too busy is not an excuse for breaking the law, stop blaming your DH, you're equally to blame!

Disgraceful, illegal behaviour and you should be thoroughly ashamed!

Lots of pearl clutching over what may or may not be marijuana.
Maybe they had swinging parties as well when off their heads on weed or maybe even coke😂
Think of the bodily fluids that could be lurking!
Not sure how you are going to cope with an Airbnb, some of the things that go on in those ......🥴

Most people who don’t have the moral compass of a Siamese cat are likely to find your behaviour significantly more problematic than that of your tenants.

You’re right that pot is technically illegal, but possession has effectively been decriminalised. Contrary to your belief, there is no prospect of anyone going to prison for smoking pot in their own home. And you don’t even know if that’s what happened - forgive me if I’m wrong but you don’t seem to know the first thing about pot, and you’re condemning your tenants on the basis of some kind of ‘residue’ which might be nothing more sinister than dried herbs.

You, on the other hand, have evicted good tenants so that you can make a cash grab via AirBnB, despite the fact that AirBnBs destroy communities and make it incredibly hard for private renters to access affordable properties.

You failed to protect their deposit, which is against the law. You’re very quick to demand people’s understanding of your ‘poor admin’ while simultaneously condemning your tenants, even though dodgy landlords failing to protect deposits is a much more significant societal evil than smoking pot.

You then considered stealing from your tenants as some kind of vigilante punishment for lifestyle choices you don’t approve of. You’re blaming them for the fact that you have to clean the property even though this will need to be done in between each of your AirBnB guests anyway.

Believe me, your behaviour is significantly worse at every turn than your tenants’ has been. The Karmic justice, of course, is that you’re about to discover just how horrendous tenants can be now that you’re replacing the good ones you’ve had with a revolving door of unknown factors, at least some of whom are definitely going to smoke, drink, do drugs and trash the place.

If I knew the people who were renting I would bloody tell them to take you and your husband to court. 'Never got round to putting it in a scheme'? Unbelievable

This!

That does not wash. My DH was meant to but... the tenant can claim 3 times the deposit. I hope they know this since you want to shit on them.

Your illegal act was never putting it in a scheme, doesn’t make a difference if it’s now returned to them, they can still sue - and I hope they do!

So would I.

Perhaps then he would be 'imprisoned'. It's more likely than your former tenants being imprisoned.

His crime is the bigger one.

Your behaviour as a landlord is extremely unreasonable and you should really take this as an opportunity to reflect on it.

Good luck with your air bnb - I feel karma coming on bigtime.

are you ok in the head? firstly how do you know it's weed? secondly it's a cat c and most people don't get even a caution for possession for personal use now. you need to get a grip it's not like they used it as a meth lab. loads of people use weed, it's no worse than having a glass of wine.

Slum landlord gets upset because something that could be weed was found....
I hope they take you to court for not protecting the deposit.

OP when you let someone a property it becomes their home. You are not entitled to tell them how they can behave - and yes that extends to illegal behaviour. You must have to hope they do - which it sounds like they do.

Finding a bit of herbal tea on a sink does not require the whole place to be bleached. I’m not well versed in drugs, I didn’t ever get into drugs but I sure weed residue isn’t a thing