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?

Pretty sure you’re skating on thin ice legally by not having the deposit in a formal scheme. I’d choose my battles if I were you.

Just refund and move on. 🙄. If you haven't registered the deposit, properly, then you are the only one subject to legal process.

I am a landlord op. A decent one, who uses a very reputable agency and look after my properties. I’m finding this thread excruciating. The level of naivety.

The citizens advice doesn't have a page for what to do if you think someone may have smoked some cannabis but here's the one about landlords who don't protect the deposits.

Hopefully your dh has had time to get insurance etc.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/renting-privately/ending-your-tenancy/taking-your-landlord-to-court-if-they-havent-followed-the-deposit-rules/#:~:text=You%20could%20get%20back%201,the%20property%20and%20your%20deposit

I don’t agree that by renting it becomes their home. If you buy a seat on a plane, you don’t start claiming you have a right to the aircraft! Yes, of course it’s important the house is in a good and liveable condition (and I can assure you it is) but renting doesn’t give someone the right to break laws, or treat me/the property with total disrespect.

You’ll all be delighted to know I have sent back the deposit. I was very tempted to tell DH to take the property off AirBnB, but since we already have bookings I don’t feel that’s an option. I will be writing a list of rules and leaving it on the kitchen table for check-in - including no illegal use of drugs - and a threat of prosecution should this rule be broken.

Thank you for all of your good wishes (not).

How on earth do you think you are going to police whether people are using illegal drugs when they are there??

You haven't answered any of the questions pertaining to gas safe certificates and electric safety.... Have you complied with any of these?

Have you registered the air bnb correctly?

I sincerely hope your greedy plans come back and bite you in the arse, I really do. You sound like terrible landlords and a batshit person all round

Why do you feel entitled to good wishes when you failed to do the bare minimum legally as a landlord? Educate yourself on the laws you're so in love with-it is the renter's home, while they live there. FFS.

You just get worse with every post. The law specifically grants tenants the right to quiet enjoyment of a property - so yes it becomes their home in the eyes of the law.

Plus you broke the law as well. Hypocrite.

And the police will laugh at you if you call them up to say people have been smoking weed in your Airbnb and you want them to arrest them. They won't give a shit.

You really are an inept landlord in every way. Hopeless.

I'm imagining a post in a few weeks "air bnb hosts put hidden cameras all over the house"

Glad to hear you have refunded the deposit but in terms of further advice I really don’t think you should be a landlord given how many laws you appear to have broken and also the next time you find some weed you might benefit from indulging a bit to help you unclench

I believe what you propose is against the law.
Moral judgements about tenants' lifestyles is not a factor in withholding a deposit.

If you going to do AirBnB you will have to allow for cleaning up, parties, much worse drug using, and the whole place being trashed from time to time plus regular complaints from neighbours who will find your address.

No way can someone who doesn't put their tenants' deposit into the protection scheme be a "very good landlord" - nor is kicking your long term good tenants out so you can maximise profits via air bnb.

Still hope they realise the deposit wasn't protected and take you to court. The reputation of landlords is bad enough without people like you making them look even worse.
Awful.

You kick them out their home so you can make more money and you want to keep their deposit when they've done absolutely nothing wrong.

People like you make me sick.

including no illegal use of drugs - and a threat of prosecution should this rule be broken.

😂😂😂😂

Agreed @Tortiemiaw - this is the one thread in all my years on MN that I have ever hoped that a Daily Mail journalist decides is worthy of using! Fingers crossed that this inept landlord's previous tenants recognise the situation and start looking into where if their deposit was protected correctly and the pearl-clutching-scum-landlord gets their comeuppance!

How on earth do you think you are going to ensure a prosecution, @LivFG? It isn’t up to private citizens to prosecute criminal behaviour. You can threaten to report them to the police, but there is no guarantee that they will investigate, or that the CPS will prosecute.

And why weren’t you going to do a proper, in depth clean, after your tenants left, regardless of any herbal or sticky deposits you found? I would be disgusted to walk into a home I was renting, whether long-term or on Air BnB, that had only had a quick wipe-over and vacuum. As the landlord, you should be making sure the property has been deep cleaned.

Christ you're a fucking nutjob 😂

I sincerely hope this thread is a windup.

You legally have to protect their deposit.

This has to be a wind up, right?

Jesus, and people wonder why landlords are hated. I had an arsehole landlord when I was younger who tried to keep my deposit for no good reason. She obviously thought being young I'd just put up with it, I took her to the small claims court and she ended up having to pay me 3 times as much. She was also totally batshit!

Oh, come on....what in the world is there to be crying about?? I can't wait until you post after your first AirBNB stay! LOL

I'm not sure you are temperamentally suited to being a landlord, if this is how much this incident has upset you.

This is aside from the issue of an unwillingness for you and DH to fulfill your legal requirements to tenants. You shouldn't need to be told about this stuff on a thread. A google would have highlighted your obligations. There's a lot of talk from you about the tenants transgressions, and any suggestion of you and DH's is written off as 'twisting the situation' from you not having done anything wrong. You clearly are in the wrong, whether you approve of drug use or not.

It doesn’t matter if you return the deposit immediately, you have broken the law by not putting it in the tenant deposit scheme in the first place. They can now take legal action against you.