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AIBU?

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Original poster

To keep their deposit!!

1000 replies

LivFG · 15/11/2023 03:20

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?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Lostthewilltolive1970 · 15/11/2023 20:49

You seriously need to get a grip!

MargotBamborough · 15/11/2023 20:49

LivFG · 15/11/2023 19:53

There has been a concerted attempt to derail this thread and to turn it into an attack on me. I am absolutely shocked that illegal drug taking is apparently so accepted. I’ve held up my hands and have refunded the deposit (how many more times?). I do think it’s disgraceful that the law is apparently on the side of people who take illegal substances.

Of course I am concerned and sick with worry. For all I know, they’ve been taking illegal drug deliveries and the address will now be on the radar of drug dealers. How do I know the property won’t be raided by the police or be the target of vandals? Drug dealers hardly have a reputation as upstanding members of the community!!

I really wish this was a ’wind up’ thread because the last 24 hours have been hell.

OP, you have absolutely fuck all evidence that the law has been broken in your property.

You have also admitted that you and your husband have broken the law yourselves, and in a much more serious way than someone smoking a bit of weed.

Sit down.

JMSA · 15/11/2023 20:51

What the fuck? Of course you need to return their deposit.
Maybe they should have stayed put because they don't believe in the ethics of AirB&Bs!!

Mumaway · 15/11/2023 20:51

Why would you now need to do more than a basic clean (apart from the fact that you should probably be doing this anyway between renters)?

BlackFriYay · 15/11/2023 20:54

I spoke to your previous tenants OP, they said don't worry it's not marijuana. It's spice.

Give it a sniff to be sure what sort of 'spice' it is 😉

hardyloveit · 15/11/2023 20:57

Oh grow up! Even if it is a bit of weed.

Thousands of people get it LEGALLY prescribed through private GPs here in England.

Give back the deposit and you are not going to enjoy doing air bnb if a tiny bit of what's probs mixed herbs is left on the sink

TrishIsMySpiritAnimal · 15/11/2023 20:58

LivFG · 15/11/2023 19:53

There has been a concerted attempt to derail this thread and to turn it into an attack on me. I am absolutely shocked that illegal drug taking is apparently so accepted. I’ve held up my hands and have refunded the deposit (how many more times?). I do think it’s disgraceful that the law is apparently on the side of people who take illegal substances.

Of course I am concerned and sick with worry. For all I know, they’ve been taking illegal drug deliveries and the address will now be on the radar of drug dealers. How do I know the property won’t be raided by the police or be the target of vandals? Drug dealers hardly have a reputation as upstanding members of the community!!

I really wish this was a ’wind up’ thread because the last 24 hours have been hell.

No one is derailing. it’s very serious to not protect a deposit then try to steal it.

You don’t even know if they were taking drugs!!! And if they were - no one is saying it’s acceptable. They’re saying it’s nothing to do with YOU.

Bless you in your middle class bubble - you don’t even know they took drugs yet you think a splodge of brown is evidence of a drug den 🤣 FYI - drug dealers don’t tend to use properties they clear out of in a heartbeat to trade from.

On the subject of breaking the law - why won’t you address the issues that YOU broke the law? At least we aren’t speculating based on nothing. You actually did! And also I’d be more worried about the consequences for YOUR law break than I would for the non-issue of maybe-weed

Takenobull · 15/11/2023 20:58

Have a day off will you and get a grip! I’ve never heard something so ridiculous.

Firstly, it’s not your home when you rent it out. And what about your abuse of trust when you’re throwing out two perfectly good tenants on a whim in the hope that you’ll make more money. Where are your morals if you’re getting on a high horse about someone else’s?

Secondly, what exactly does it have to do with you what they get up to in the privacy of their own paid for home? What do you think is going to happen for a tiny bit of weed?

Honestly, you need to have a think about your mindset on something like this. The whole world and his wife smokes the stuff (not that I agree with it particularly). You sound really ignorant.

ApocalypseNowt · 15/11/2023 20:58

I was thinking it might be a laugh to stay in your Airbnb but I don't want to leave a smear of marmite and get accused of being Pablo Escobar.

TrishIsMySpiritAnimal · 15/11/2023 20:59

Drug dealers hardly have a reputation as upstanding members of the community!!

Neither to thieving crooked landlords.

You think you’re better than other criminals? You’re not. You’re the same.

Thecatinthehatwalkedintoabar · 15/11/2023 21:00

Did you taste the residue? Maybe it was coffee or marmite?

Mamabear48 · 15/11/2023 21:00

Wow get your head out your arse and don’t steal their money you terrible person. So what if it’s your property. They are paying to live there and they can do what they please. Hope karma gets you and they sue for way more. AND I forgot to add you don’t even have any evidence that it’s weed and so what if it was it’s not like it’s a class A drug sounds like you need some to relax!

whatdoyouthinkplease · 15/11/2023 21:01

I don't condone smoking weed.

However, you are unreasonable on many levels:

  1. you don't know for definite it's weed

  2. you were happy with how they left it until you saw this

  3. it's very common for people to smoke weed

  4. you didn't give them a proper contract

  5. you didn't protect their deposit

  6. you kicked them out of their home because you've decided you can get more money from renting it a different way

You're very lucky they didn't do more than leave something that could (or could not) be a bit of weak!

If you try and withhold their deposit then YOU could be in big trouble for not having protected it in the first place!!!!

HolidayAddict23 · 15/11/2023 21:02

Your life must be a breeze if you refer to the last 24 hours as hell! Get a grip

TrishIsMySpiritAnimal · 15/11/2023 21:02

The last 24 hours have been hell

Get a grip.

you are so not cut out to be a landlord.

I honestly think dodgy landlords are the shit stain of our society and this thread shows why

Notwiththebullshizz · 15/11/2023 21:03

YABVU. I cannot even think of one legal ramification youd potentially face, given that it was tenants of yours possibly using drugs in your property. This seems like a really trivial thing to be upset about IMHO.

Give them their deposit back, times are really hard for folk at the moment, and quite possibly not as much for you guys with your multiple rentals you have.

You dont have to agree with peoples life choices but to illegally keep their money back because you feel as though they've disregarded your house rules (I'm assuming you specified no smoking/baking cannabis) otherwise your post is even more petty.

Just so we are clear, I am not a smoker myself, just dont quite understand why you're so upset about it and trying to withhold their money

TrishIsMySpiritAnimal · 15/11/2023 21:04

Again OP I have actually had my rental property raided for drugs when I found some - there were zero repercussions. Drug users are ten a penny and don’t have time to visit the home where the people they are looking for aren’t there any more.

Takenobull · 15/11/2023 21:04

You cannot be serious?!!!! This has to be a joke!
A little bit of weed requires you to have a deep clean? How utterly ridiculous.

Firstly you should be deep cleaning before every tenant anyway but secondly just you wait until you see the place after air b&b 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I literally can’t wait to see your posts after that!

Good luck!

Aurasauras · 15/11/2023 21:04

It's not about smoking weed though. I don't smoke anything myself. If it was school, it would be taken very seriously indeed. The police don't even come out for robberies or car thefts and the OP is completely unrealistic to not know this. People also smoke for medical reasons.

It's that OP is very unrealistic about what life is like as well as her assumptions about her role as landlord.

TiredMummma · 15/11/2023 21:05

whatdoyouthinkplease · 15/11/2023 21:01

I don't condone smoking weed.

However, you are unreasonable on many levels:

  1. you don't know for definite it's weed

  2. you were happy with how they left it until you saw this

  3. it's very common for people to smoke weed

  4. you didn't give them a proper contract

  5. you didn't protect their deposit

  6. you kicked them out of their home because you've decided you can get more money from renting it a different way

You're very lucky they didn't do more than leave something that could (or could not) be a bit of weak!

If you try and withhold their deposit then YOU could be in big trouble for not having protected it in the first place!!!!

Just to add to this, if your tenants find out they will come for three times the amount. If you rent other properties, you also legally have to give them a flyer for the deposit protection scheme, so they'll likely find out you have been acting illegally as a landlord,

And unfortunately, yes, under the law when someone rents a house it is their house for the duration of the tenancy. It's not a plane seat, although it would be equally weird if you were on a plane, popped to the toilet, came back and the CEO of easyJet was sitting in your seat and told you you had to stand for the rest of the flight because they saw you had an unopened bag of peanuts.

Lisapop1 · 15/11/2023 21:08

Its not a problem unless you make it a problem. Clean it up and crack on. If that's the worst they did was smoke a bit of weed and leave a bit of residue I'd say you've had good tenants. People will be doing all sorts in there as an air bnb and a lot harder drugs that you will be cleaning the residue away.

UndertheCedartree · 15/11/2023 21:10

You do sound very naive @LivFG I'm not convinced that you'd know what weed looked like and this 'residue' doesn't sound like it. You've completely catastrophised. Your house won't get raised by the police and if you report your bit of 'drug residue' to the police they're not going to arrest your ex-tenants. You're pretty much branding then criminals based on very flimsy evidence! All the while taking part in an illegal act yourself! That's the irony that you don't seem to see. You need to calm down and honestly get out of the landlord game if this has distressed you so much. And course when you rent a property it becomes your home. Have you never rented a property? Did you not consider it your home??

Lorski · 15/11/2023 21:10

LivFG · 15/11/2023 03:48

Clearly if it's illegal I'll be forced to give it back!! It isn't me who has broken the law. And if it is the world has gone mad. The point isn't the cleaning! It's the fact illegal activities have taken place in a property I own. That surely isn't acceptable and I have a good mind to report it to the police!

It is totally YOU who has broken the law by not protecting their deposit. I’m guessing you also plan on breaking planning law by not obtaining planning consent for letting your property as an air bnb?

this post has to be a joke surely?? So it’s perfectly ok for you to act illegally but they potentially smoke a joint in the home they pay for and they’re the bad guys? Get a grip

TrishIsMySpiritAnimal · 15/11/2023 21:10

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my fiance”
😂😂

YES JORDAN to the dressing gown hate

TrishIsMySpiritAnimal · 15/11/2023 21:11

oh fuck wrong thread. Sorry

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