How Common Is It For Agency/owner Not To Return Deposit

[polostar88]

I've seen quite a few posts about this. Wondering how common it really is.

 

[mc kenna]

As common as it is getting your property wrecked by the tenants

 

[polostar88]

As common as it is getting your property wrecked by the tenants

Is it possible to post on this forum and get a straight answer?

 

[ajoknoblauch]

Is it possible to post on this forum and get a straight answer?

That may well be a straight answer. That said, I don't we've ever failed to return full deposit to any of our short-term renters, even when there was some (minor) damage. That may be partly due to the fact that one of our nephews, rather than a professional property manager, was doing the checkout.

 

[Noruega]

I just got my deposit back one hour ago! Am happy! It was a short-term rental. It is my impression that you have a somewhat bigger change of not getting the deposit back with the two-year contracts than with the temporary rentals. Personally I do not know any foreigners with temporary rentals who have not got their deposits back, but I do know two locals who have not (with long-term contracts.) Not a significant sample, I know.

 

[jbeas176]

think noruega's response is about as close as you can get. the percentages are low but it does happen. if the agency has the deposit your probably going to get it back, the owner is a different story. I still want to know what type of guns people rob you with, revolver or semi-automatic but waye won't come back. ha ha

 

[ben]

think noruega's response is about as close as you can get. the percentages are low but it does happen. if the agency has the deposit your probably going to get it back, the owner is a different story. I still want to know what type of guns people rob you with, revolver or semi-automatic but waye won't come back. ha ha

Disagree about low, I've seen a lot of it. And unscrupulous agents are not substantially rarer than unscrupulous owners. It's a common enough ocurrence that not paying final month's rent, or several last months' ABL, has started to become a somewhat common tactic to deal with this in advance.

 

[polostar88]

Disagree about low, I've seen a lot of it. And unscrupulous agents are not substantially rarer than unscrupulous owners. It's a common enough ocurrence that not paying final month's rent, or several last months' ABL, has started to become a somewhat common tactic to deal with this in advance.

Thanks. If you were to put a $ value on an owner who trusts you, lets you stay without deposit, lets you pay late (don't need it but they would), and is trustworthy/you can call if you need something etc., what might this be.

 

[ben]

Hard to say, depends what sort of premium you place on these things.

As far as the deposit is concerned, the maximum possible value is by definition <100% of the value of the deposit. As far as paying late is concerned, well, that depends on how important subjectively that is to you. Trustworthy owners? That can be important. Things can always go wrong and it's important to have a responsible and responsive landlord. That said, hard to put a value on this, I think, beyond your own instinct.

A neighbor and friend of mine, on account of repairs made in the building, had his apartment flooded and spent a while without electricity in half the apartment including the kitchen, bunch of stuff wrecked, etc. Owners are not bad people but weren't on top of things. If when sh*t happens, having owners who will be on top of things is important.

 

[RodalfoWalsh]

I think most argentines find it abhorrent to give a customer money. They took that cash, spent it like they did the rent, and neither hell nor high water will get them to open their wallet again.