deposit return

[Polemi Dave]

That's personal to you though, I got the impression we were talking about Cyprus in general here not about you

I understand Photolady, you could give your personal experience as a tenent (and you did), but you would rather landlords did not participate. Should read your own posts.

Just not good enough to say in Cyprus everyone breaks the contract. If you are a crook you break the contract, but then you expect landlords to honour their side. Shame on anyone who signs a legal contract with the intention of breaking it.

You guys who are only tenants have no idea what debts and damage bad tenants leave landlords. So the common view here is "screw the landlords because they might withhold the damages". Don't sign a contract guys if when you sign it you intend to renegue on it - that is FRAUD. Exactly the same as a landlord who unreasonably withholds the damages deposit.

[PhotoLady]

Not at all..... I also speak from experience of friends and colleagues during the 12 years we were in Cyprus.
Most of our friends have moved properties on at least 3+ occasions - all due to bad landlords.
Most of my colleagues have moved more times than this - again, all due to bad landlords.

Friends who also painted and decorated their property and kept it in tip top condition, even digging over the garden and planting crops then got told they needed to get out with hardly any warning whatsoever.

We were the only people who stayed in the very same property we started out in....

I worked in Property in Cyprus for almost 12 months and yes, I've seen some of the state the properties have been left in but based on my personal experience over a good many years, my experience is that the landlord almost always has the upper hand

And again, I reiterate - our Landlord told us not to pay any more rental fees once we told him we were leaving.... We DID NOT renege on our contract!

What I meant was, you carry out that process personally.
But for sure, there aren't that many other landlords who do...... they would rather put the cost up and leave a property sitting empty rather than taking the steps you outlined.

We were lucky, we had an absolute gem of a landlord and for that, we were very grateful

[trevnhil]

And that is exactly why it is a good idea to withhold the last months payment and not require the deposit back..

Trev..

[Royal]

We found our unfurnished rental property through an agent in Kissonerga and paid one months rent as a deposit and one months rent in advance direct to the agent. Most, if not all agents charge Landlords one months rent as a 'finders fee' so they legitimately withhold the deposit at the start of the tenancy agreement as the Landlords' payment to them. This does not absolve the Landlords responsibility from returning the deposit at the end of the rental period to the tenant (assuming no damage of course). However, some unscrupulous Landlords think that because they never held the deposit in the first place, that they have no obligation to return it to the Tenant, using fictitious losses or damage as the excuse, which effectively leaves the tenant as the ones who paid the agents their finders fee.

We have good Landlord and I expect to be able to negotiate with him towards the end of our agreement that if he does an inspection at the minus 3 month point, we would have the final two months rent free. I don't see this as a particular problem as our house is unfurnished.

[Macattack]

When we first rented in Cyprus in 2008 for 6 months we paid the full amount up front (Naive) through Paphos Direct. Our Deposit was returned to us in full a month after we left, as we had left the property in excellent condition. We have since rented 3 times through Owners Direct (3 months rentals) and had our Deposit refunded in full each time as we left the properties in immaculate condition. We may have been lucky!!

[Uncle D]

Back in the 1950's there was no paper to be had, just cigarette packets.

[Polemi Dave]

When we first rented in Cyprus in 2008 for 6 months we paid the full amount up front (Naive) through Paphos Direct. Our Deposit was returned to us in full a month after we left, as we had left the property in excellent condition. We have since rented 3 times through Owners Direct (3 months rentals) and had our Deposit refunded in full each time as we left the properties in immaculate condition. We may have been lucky!!

No you were not especially lucky, we also have a holiday let through owners direct. We have done it for 5 years, never have we kept any monies back, normally we refund within 24 hours of departure. Other owners with Owners Direct are just as honest. The only real reason to keep back a deposit is behaviour like putting the TV in the pool. Or as sometimes can happen deliberately removing the mattress protector then having accidents or pure drunken stupidity involving the owners having to replace the mattress. Things going wrong minor breakages etc are what owners expect. Truth is an owner or landlord must take a deposit, not with the intent of keeping it, but to focus the mind of the tenant, towards reasonable behaviour.

Reading the responses of those who wish to break written contracts, no way we would let to you - so good job you have now bought your own houses, and I feel for you should you ever have to let them out. Reality can be a shocker.

[trevnhil]

And of course from (in the past) a renters point of view, no way would I have paid anyone 3 months rental in advance. There are plenty of rentals out there to choose from, so choose your landlord with care.

Trev..

[PhotoLady]

Bearing in mind of course that Owners Direct is aimed more towards holiday rentals, which is quite a different kettle of fish to long term renters.... (I tend to feel 12 months is long term). There will always be a deposit with a holiday rental and sadly, there are very bad stories which come out of there too but not generally for withholding deposits. Holiday complaint sites are full of bad stories but for different reasons mainly due to breach of contracts and lack of advertised services. The deposit rules are quite different to a long term rental contract.

We rented our place privately from an advert we saw in the Cyprus Mail. It was always our job to go and pay our landlord each month, he never ever came and knocked on our door for the rent money..... We had a large 3 bedroom semi-detached bungalow in one of the Limassol suburbs about 12km out of town with a large front patio, huge side yard and a small garden containing fruit trees and an olive tree at the back. Totally fenced off and safe for our dogs and cats.

As soon as I saw it along with 2 friends who were also looking for a rental, we all knew it was "just the ticket". My 2 friends didn't find a rental during the week we took in Cyprus to try to locate a property each but as we were all moving out together on the same flight and sharing a container, we asked our landlord if they didn't find a place between going back to UK and our one way flight a couple of months later, would it be okay if they shared with us. He told us it was no problem - "it's your house, you can do as you like with it".

It was absolutely perfect for us and we actually had a list of people who wanted it from us should we have decided to leave!

I believe we were very lucky with it indeed as many of my colleagues and several of our friends have moved from pillar to post due to bad landlords or problems with their rental accommodations in general.

If you find a good landlord - stick with them It sounds like Polemi Dave is one of them

[merchant_banker]

And of course from (in the past) a renters point of view, no way would I have paid anyone 3 months rental in advance. There are plenty of rentals out there to choose from, so choose your landlord with care.

Trev..

Totally agree. We would never pay 3 months deposit in Cyprus.

We had a long term let via Owners Direct in Mandria the deposit was £200. UK landlord - he told us to deduct the deposit from the last months rent.