Action on bad landlord

THIS year I had a major problem with my landlady who refused to return my deposit despite me giving her proper and timely notice.

As I recall she cited my “failure to find a tenant to replace me and fix a leak in the flat” as reasons for her refusal.

Of course there was no clause in the contract giving me this great responsibility of find my replacement should I leave.

As for the newly found broken item, this was news to me as they had already found the place to be in good condition after the contractually required inspection.

The more I spoke with the landlady, the more she came up with excuses not to return my deposit – all of which was expressed in increasingly offensive terms. There were a few letters from both sides and a few accusations and counter accusations culminating in a blatant and unashamed refusal to abide by the contract we signed.

Then the old tactic of not answering one phone call and not returning calls.

I had heard about the rental tribunal and decided to contact them and explained what had happened in great detail.

They informed me of the powers invested in the tribunal which includes the authority to subpoena and arbitrate between the parties involved.

It helped a great deal that I had a signed copy of the contract in my possession and had kept to it every step of the way.

Eventually the tribunal exercised its powers, thereby compelling the offending party to return what was due to me. All of this at no financial cost to myself as the service comes free of charge.

Crooked landlords beware, your days are numbered! — Phethum Soga, via e-mail