Lodger freakout deposit IDKif i can do this anymore

[ForOliveTiger]

Lodger is insisting on deducting her deposit from this months rent before leaving the house. It's now incredibly awkward and I have to live with her for another 3-4 weeks.

We have been going round in circles for hours. She has run up a £1,000 British Gas bill by having 1 hour shower every night. I feel like she's trying to bully and intimidate me and I really don't feel comfortable with her in my home anymore. The fact she is so insistent makes me think there IS damage she doesn't want me to know about.

I have unreservedly reassured her I will refund her deposit but she won't have it.

So £600 over 6 months for showers? That doesn't make a total of £1000/6months unreasonable. On average a two person household spends about £1700 a year, with more of that in the winter. So an additional £400 for her other electric and gas use for the last 6 months would be a fairly conservative estimate.

I know someone who became a landlord after her husband and child died in an accident and still got called greedy scum after she didn't want to live in their family home. Odd people about!

Playing devil's advocate, you saying "if its immaculate" maybe triggered her, as she goes on to talk about "flawless". Earlier, she mentions you go in there and take what you need (? What's that about?).
Maybe you saying "if it's immaculate" when you clearly have access to the room made her think you were going to withhold her deposit unfairly

If she has a lease agreement then you can't just throw her out.
Avoid her as much as possible for a few weeks, I'd probably allow her use the deposit so she'd piss off peacefully.

we have no contract and no lease agreement. she is here informally

Is it possible that she literally cannot afford to pay as she needs that deposit for her next place..?

That was how I interpreted her tone.

(But also, if she’s trying to do a deal and pay only the difference, then you should add the £500 bill payment to it and suggest that then you’d be even.)

Id also just ask to check her room now, if it was all clean and well taken care of, I wouldn’t assume any ulterior motive. She prob just ran out of money.

I can see why she is itchy about it, she has absolutely zero protection apart from small claims court if you refuse to pay her, it is a bit of trust exercise, what is in her contract?

Why can't you tell her to pay now, and you will go through everything on her last day, and you'll refund her what she is owed before she leaves the property. then take this month to make sure there are no outstanding debt, any issues with how she has left everything.

@TheWonderhorse But the utility bill is for the period of the last 6 months- so from the beginning of January. It's probably correct and they have actually used that amount of gas and electric.
When flat sharing, the only fair way really, is to just split the bill between the number of occupants, so it's very reasonable for the lodger to pay her half of the bills - from her deposit if necessary.
Stick to your guns OP. Tell her she needs to be out by tomorrow at 5pm if she's not going to pay her rent up front by 10am tomorrow morning, and get your locks changed during the day. Have someone else there with you to back you up.
You could suggest that she pays you a week up front and move out in a week's time if you are feeling generous.

Why?

I agree, telling her you will pay after she has left by bank transfer if its immaculate is unreasonable.

With no contract as this set up is I would be expecting to pay my lodger (and I am a landlord) their deposit in that scenario (ie lodger, not Tennant) in cash before they left.

Also it is unreasonable to expect perfection, when letting property you have to allow for fair wear and tear. The lodger is probably thinking they are not getting it back whatever, hence stalemate.

I wouldn't trust that you would give me the deposit either, your text replies are iffy.

It must have a nice relationship at some point if she left her door open for anything you needed.

Every renter fears a deposit return as the next place requires one, it is difficult to make up first month/deposit while waiting on old deposit.

Social economics again, I feel a bit sorry for your renter.

Next time, ask for bills plus rent.

im not a charity i have a fucking mortgage

Still flabbergasted by £1,000 for one persons bills over 6 months for a 30sqm property. @ForOliveTiger keeps avoiding that one.
Im a landlord by the way so hopefully I’m allowed to post on the thread.

You're not a charity, you are a landlord and you should be acting like one, not doing things off book, blaming your tenants for running up huge bills, and holding them hostage over their deposit.. which you clearly don't want to give back.

You sound like a fucking cowboy.

So draw up a contract like a fucking adult rather than behaving like a slum landlord renting out 30 shared sqm to a foreign woman you plan on threatening with your boyfriend and kicking out over night

cry me a river.

Who said you were a charity? A deposit is not your money and shouldn't be counted as your money unless the tenant causes damage, until then, it is the tenants money, you hold.

What happened to "i have a heart"?

The deposit should be in a tenancy deposit scheme. The op is a rogue landlord.

there is a bill that she agreed to pay and refused so i decdied to. let it go and deduce the deposit

😂

💯 OP is a nightmare landlord.

So you weren't planning on paying back her deposit if "it is left immaculate", then?

We have in the past deducted the deposit from the last month’s rent - it is quite common if you are sure no damage has been done. Just have a look?

think ive got my answers. thanks all for participating