Ripped off by Landlady! Stole reservation money

[Napoleon]

Are you already IN the apartment?

If so, stay and change the locks while you look for a new place.

 

[TrevorCito]

You should let her know you will spread the word, report her to AFIP and Secretaria de Turismo. Just so she realizes how much business she will lose, also report the property to soloduenos and let them know the scam they are advertising.

Agreed, forget the lawyers. Solve this problem the Argentine way.

 

[Roxana]

By any chance, do you have an original copy of the documents you signed to the landlady?

 

[French jurist]

Indeed, the documents are interesting, what do they say exactly regarding the nature of the money you were giving to them ?

 

[thuy.ashtango]

Sorry to hear about your experience!

I've lived here for 4 years and have not had a single positive rental experience. Rental offices have denied me service, which I hear is common if you have a foreign accent. I've been told by 2 of my landlords that AR is not like the UK or US in that here contracts are "fluid".

My advice, get a lawyer. show them your email correspondences. Hopefully the threat alone will put her in line.

Good Luck!

 

[gouchobob]

Sorry, but welcome to Argentina.

 

[Amargo]

Hmm, is this for real or just another frustrated expat with multiple nicknames trying to vent up his/her frustration?

Where is anna?

 

[Elpanada]

This sorta sounds like a misunderstanding gone wrong and also a case of "asshole senile apartment owner syndrome".

Letting a tenant in who has only paid a low insurance deposit is in one word "stupid" so she either had some sort of a miscommunication with you and intended all along to recieve the 700 plus the 400 upfront before you moved in or she simply has not done this before and told you first that it was ok that you'd move in after just paying the 400 only to realize later how stupid it was and go back on her word. Either way a messy situation that would best be resolved without further unpleasantness.

My best advice to you is talk to her again and ask her to just pay you 350$ of the 400$ back and tell her that everything will then be okay, if she says no then drop to 300$ and if it's still no then make the threats of talking to all these officials and spreading the word and such.

If this fails then find some big mean looking mf'er and pay him 50$ to talk to this lady with you and when you do demand that she repay you the 350$.

 

[Elpanada]

But man these fucking tenant motherfuckers sure as hell can be a pain in the ass, I once had this friend of mine show this room to some filthy migrant workers and these shithead young boys come and take a look at it.... four boys to look at one room, "if they're coming in such a big group only to look at it, I bet I'll get a nice quiet tenant who never tries to have any parties there if I give it to him(not)" and lets say the room was advertised for 350$, this stupid fucking boy that comes sees it says "I'll give you 250$ for this room" in a manner of speaking and tone that suggest that he actually gets to decide what the room goes for. Naturally my friend didn't want to start any problems so he told these fine gentlemen the usual "don't call us we may call you line" and his hope was that it would be the end of our communications with these people. But no they call like 3 or 4 times asking some silly fucking questions and then they go over there talking crap acting like they actually have some "right" to rent the room and like we are somehow "obliged" to rent it to them and why on earth? Because they took the time of day to portray themselves like the none-respectable trash that they are? I don't think so.