Question:
I rented an apartment in Rotterdam for 3 months through Rots Vast. I extended the contract 4 more months through the landlord and she told me tell her one month in advance. I told her again on April 12th, that I would be leaving and she says she’s keeping half my deposit because I didn’t give advance notice (although I told her in January I was leaving in April). She is also now saying that fixing the toilet is my expense. No inspection check at beginning and none planned for end (29th Apr). Advice?
Answer:
There are several questions in your mail. Most rental contracts are explicit about when notice can be given and how that notice must be communicated. A typical clause might state something like ‘you may terminate the rental agreement after an initial period of so many months (often 6) with a notice period of one calendar month. Furthermore, there is often the requirement to communicate that notice by registered letter to the owner and/or their agent. Of course, this is the formal side and a not every owner sticks to the letter of the contact accepting, instead, notice by email, phone or post-it. Fixing the toilet at your expense sounds unreasonable but the owner may cite cause. If, for example, you washing machine breaks because your have stuffed 20KG in instead of the 5KG limit, then you should pay. It a washing machine breaks because it’s a classic 1972 model and its best days are long-gone, then this would typically be an expense for the owner. I have answered several other questions in Expatica’s Ask-the-Expert section on reclaiming deposits and providing notice. Please search further in this blog for additional tactics on handling deposit recovery.
