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?

Who would you like to play you in the film, OP?

I'll start on the script post haste.

"Drug Deposits"

Act 1

Karen enters the kitchen with her pink marigolds and floral apron. Shouts out of scene
"I'll just give the kitchen a quick wipe over, Gerald, and we'll be on our way. Good heavens, they spilt some extra virgin olive oil and Herbs du Provence on the sink. Oh but... Goodness Me. It can't be.... oh my..."
Karen clutches her pearl necklace "what if it's drugs, Gerald. DRUGS! What will Dorothy and Nigel at the Bridge club think. We could be raided. You'll go to prison and I'll be kicked out of the WI. Our life is ruined!"

I hate all drugs but yabvu.

This is no reason to keep their deposit

But it’s a matter of fact that you did behave illegally by not protecting the deposit! Subsequently returning the deposit doesn’t undo the illegal act, or mean you are no longer open to action being taken against you. Did you have the correct electrical and gas safety certificates? Were the appropriate fire risk assessments in place?

Your behaviour was illegal - there’s proof of that. There isn’t actually any proof to support your allegations against the tenant. It’s concerning you can’t see that, and the casual minimising of your illegal and immoral behaviour is bizarre. You are exactly the sort of dodgy landlord that governments have rightly been cracking down on.

That has absolutely no bearing on the deposit at all,you should return the deposit in full.

If they learn their deposit wasn't protected they have the lawful right to claim 2.5 × the deposit as compensation.

Oh and if you're outraged by this discovery... Good luck with Airbnb tenants.

Airbnb rentals have taken over my village to the point no families can live near the local school. It's greedy. So you'll deserve all the hassle you get from holiday party customers

I think kicking people out of a home just so you can make loads more money is far more immoral than smoking a bit of weed. I'm sure some tenants woukd find it distasteful funding your lifestyle with the rent they'd have to pay you to keep a roof over their heads.

You're a cowboy landlord. Congratulations. I hope you end up having to compensate them for not protecting the deposit.

Oh and also. You commited illegal doings in the flat by not protecting the deposit. You're a law breaker. Funny huh

Can I check do you pay tax on your rental earnings? Because your illegal behaviour with the deposit makes me wonder

Truly a bravura performance OP. Encore! Encore!

I felt it was too hammy in the first act and found it difficult to really believe the character, but you stuck to your guns and drew me in, and as the curtain fell I was actually asking myself "could this grotesque actually be real?"

Breathtaking 💐💐💐💐👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Youre acting like you have to fumigate the place over a bit of 'maybe' weed near the sink. You're trying to justify your moral standpoint and you're coming across as snobbish, hierarchical, a do gooder. Oc you were going to be attacked with this post. Nobody is suggesting that they approve of drug taking, but its a little 'maybe' ground weed near the sink...its not hundreds of used needles and burnt spoons geez. Really OTT OP. Youre not coming across very nice at all.. your attitude to shoving people out on the street to make money wont go down well here . Its greedy and other things i wont mention, morals and ethics of shoving good tenants, effectively, on the street.

The idea of supporting/funding their lifestyle makes me very uncomfortable.

You need to look up the definitions of Supporting/funding. The words mean using YOUR money to pay for something for someone else. It is not your money. It is the tenant's money.

And even as someone who is anti-drugs, even I know that a bit of weed in their own home is fuck all. It's at worst a £90 on the spot fine if you're found with it AND the police officer chooses to pursue it. Most of the time they don't bother unless you are committing another crime, have a substantial amount on you (IE a dealer) or you've got a grow going. Be grateful your tenants didn't turn your house into a cannabis farm and cut vent holes in your ceilings.

It isn't me who has broken the law.

Actually, "Tenancy Deposit Protection is designed to protect the tenant's money and the landlord's property. Deposit protection is a legal obligation of the landlord and tenants should receive confirmation of this, by way of the prescribed information, within 30 days."

Yes, you have. Bloody criminals.

I find your attitude repugnant. First you’re evicting people so you can make more money on AirBnb? WTF!!!!
secondly you ‘think’ your ex tenant may have done something you don’t agree with, so you’re going to illegally withhold their deposit!
shame on you! You have terrible morals

You honestly don’t think people will be undertaking illegal activities in the property as an AirB&B🤣. You may well have someone inviting prostitutes over and snorting cocaine off their arses ffs. You can’t control this. Police also won’t be interested in anything you think they would be. Seriously, you have considered going to the police over what you think MAY be some weed residue near a sink. They will struggle to keep a straight face if in front of you, or will just have a funny story for the others when they get off the phone. Sounds as though you don’t have the constitution to let houses under any scheme. That’s completely aside from your lack of knowledge with associated laws and obligations as seems these are not a strong point either.

Have HQ been in? Surely this is a troll thread?

I think you'll have to get S.O.C.O involved so they can 'clean' your kitchen from top to bottom with their lil duster brushes ( although might leave an offensive white powder around-for fingerprints) Sadly when the police are notified they may have to seal off the 'crime scene' with yellow and black tape too but I spos you could always trick the neighbours into thinking it's left up from Halloween. 😀 I'll pray for you OP.

You sound lovely, the two of you. Judgemental and greedy. Not to mention hopelessly naïve. I don't know what you think you were doing playing at landlords.

I hope karma kicks your backsides, frankly, and I hope your ex tenants take you to court and get awarded the three times their deposit that others have mentioned as yes, that's now the law.

You're going to be utterly fabulous at Airbnb....

YABU and a complete over dramatic drama queen over what may or may not be weed Christ on a rubber bike get fucking grip you clown as someone who lives in a privately rented home and smokes weed and who’s landlord doesn’t bat an eyelid about it your whole post is absolutely laughable and the only person doing anything illegal is you if you try and keep their deposit over this, I don’t know where you got the audacity, but you need to put it back.

You've not done what you were supposed to do with their security deposit if you don't hand it back to them they can take you to court and claim a lot more back than just the initial deposit. Even if they did smoke weed its none of your business. You state they were good tenants you cant judge them for smoking a bit of pot. Even though you said you're not sure what it is for definite. Its in the kitchen for a start off it could easily be herbs they've cooked with for all you know. I'd give it em back otherwise they could look into their rights and it'll cost you a lot more than paying back the deposit amount

Well, just in case this is real…OP;

Ground up green plant residue, found in a kitchen, is extremely likely to be a regular cooking herbs. Having a massive freak out and crying over what is likely to be oregano is the behaviour of a complete lunatic and suggests an urgent need for mental health intervention.

Even if it was weed, which it probably wasn’t, then it wouldn’t necessitate any additional cleaning.

You and your husband are dodgy landlords who have broken the law.

You are either (a) a troll, or (b) seriously unwell and a crook.

As someone who has never done illicit drugs and no intention of starting. Give them their deposit back, do what you have to do regarding cleaning and don't keep in touch. If you think this is bad wait until you start doing airbnb. Things much worse and more severe in illegality may happen. Look at poor Miriam Margoyles, her airbnb was turned into a drug drop off point. You aren't funding their lifestyle. It is their money and if you had not found the possible weed remnants would you have given it back? Don't be that landlord.

Firstly, letting the property without putting a deposit into a protection scheme is illegal, so you are being rogue landlords. Secondly, you have no proof of any illegal activity, and planning to withhold the deposit which you illegally obtained. Thirdly, you are lucky that the tenants left when you asked them to, as they could have easily stayed put and you'd have to fork out thousands for the court eviction. You and your husband seem like terrible people with no morals, karma will bite you on the backside.

Oh just wait until you're doing AirBnB someone using oregano in your kitchen will be the least of your issues.