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?

Oh give over.

I'm as anti drugs as they come and I've never tried weed. But you are hugely over reacting.

They're gone. It's not happening anymore.

And you should be deep cleaning it's between long term tenancies anyway!

Jesus, chill down. You think you have detected "weed residue" - whatever that is. The whole place does not need to be bleached and sterilised, even if it is this so-called "weed residue", which it probably isn't.

Return their deposit. Pray all your casual tenants are as clean and decent as these were.

Very good landlords don’t break the law by failing to protect deposits and then evict their tenants for their own gain, using notice that was actually invalid due to your law breaking.

So no, you are not a very good landlord.

You’re a prime example of why deposit protections were brought in in the first place, and also a prime example of why grabby amateur landlords are despised on MN.

If you are in Scotland, you will need to register your property to allow you to AirBnB.

Exactly!!! She was in tears?!!! This post cannot be seriously real?!!.
What about tenants being chucked out because the landlords are greedy money grabbers?. On the make...greedy landlords... massive bugbear of mine. Poor tenants. No morals some landlords

This has to be a joke. No one this bothered about cleanliness would evict decent tenants in favour of AirB&B. You'll be dealing with FAR worse (and I have zero sympathy)

You think you found a substance that could be related to weed.

OP, Im assuming from your reaction you haven’t used weed so what makes you so sure about this nom descript, mystery residue?

Also, good luck with the Air BnB….my experience of them is absolutely sex, drugs & rock n roll 😂

What an absolute arsehole you paid are!

”I was in tears earlier…” mellow dramatic bullshit. You live in 21st century Hyacinth Bucket!

Refund their deposit and never private let again, you and the air bnb life are suited to each other!

🤣🤣

Oh dear. This is a bit ridiculous OP.
Clean up the gunk and move on.
If you'd said the whole place stank of weed/smoke that would be one thing and I would have sympathised with that, it's a hard smell to get rid of.

Forget illegal, forget the whole thing, give these people their money and get on with your life.

Make it clear going forward that drugs are not allowed on the property.

I wish I had a method of contacting the young couple you booted out of a flat in favour of making more money on AirBnB that they could go after you for 3 times their deposit because you Didn’t Get Around to putting it in a protection scheme, frankly. Get a grip and give them their money back!

If this is real, you're a shit landlord.

There could have been endless amounts of illegal activity going on in there OP….

The fact is, you don’t know. You’re clutching at straws to think of a reason to keep their deposit.

Give them back their money.

It wasn't your home while you were renting it to them. They paid you, it was their home. All your posts stink of entitlement and self-importance.

And this is from someone who is also a landlord and has never done drugs.

You guys aren’t serious. Didn’t even follow the law and protect their deposit in a scheme? Let’s hope they do a check and find out so they can claim 3x the deposit.

Give them their money and stop being ridiculous

You’ve illegally let the house, failing to provide the safeguarding of deposit that’s LEGALLY REQUIRED of landlords. Why is your crime so morally superior? Can’t you just look in the mirror, tell yourself well fuck me I’m an irredeemable criminal reprobate just like them, since that’s what you judge people as for one minor misdemeanour. And pay their deposit back or I hope they take you to court for failing to put it in the scheme.
informal renting counts as renting in the courts eyes, by the way. LEGALLY.

I think you ahould scoop up some of this residue, smoke it and chill the fuck out.

I honestly don't think you should be doing Air b n b. I have 3 friends who did it. One had a Welsh long house and rented a room at the far end. Beautiful house, beautiful room. Room was trashed by a couple who stayed one night. Other 2 friends stopped renting after all the utter hassle ( people changing the arrival time repeatedly, leaving horrendous mess, inviting multiple other people to stay, having loud parties, cancelling at the last minute and sending vile emails when the money wasn't returned). Everything you could possibly think of from mildly annoying to mind bogglingly dirty, foul, disrespectful and vile will happen in your property. A nice ,quiet tenant who paid the rent and smoked a bit of weed will seem like a dream.

You aren't a good landlord and it's actually you who has broken the law. You do it 'informally' and don't put the deposit in the scheme you are legally required too eh? What else do you cut corners on? Gas checks etc?

Personally I hope they find out that because YOU didn't put their deposit in a protection scheme that they go after you for 3x the amount, which they are well within their rights to do. The weed is a total non issue, what you have failed to do as a landlord is however.

Good luck pearl clutching about 'weed residue' in court.

You can't clean it now , the only sensible thing to do is burn the property to the ground, also makes sure the police won't find anything . In any other properties you have fit CCTV in every room ideal for keeping an eye on the tenants and any illegal activity.

🤣

Imagine back in the real world a landlord like this existed and was going to rent Air B&B style. They would have a shock to come eh? Deserved all they would get tbh. Greedy feckers.

It’s not your home- it’s theirs. That’s the point of being a tenant. You are paying for a home!!!

You absolutely can’t keep their deposit because you ‘think’ you might have found weed. Good luck on air bnb. I don’t think you sound like good landlords and this is why tenants are always better off renting through estate agents!!!

A good landlord would have taken care of something as fundamental as protecting the deposit.