THE CRAPBOOK

First they take a huge deposit in multiples of 10. If you pay 10k rent you shell out 100k of your hard earned money as security deposit. Which as the name suggest is in

 DE(e)POS(h)IT ~ DEeP ShIT

Let’s leave that there. Although you don’t get any interest, it’s reasonable from the owner’s side to keep some amount in case the tenant is trouble some like this one.

(Just when you guys thought the Landlord saga is over)

But for families like mine, where it’s just the two of us, we have taken care of the house just like ours. But that doesn’t seem to pay off as I am doing the paying.

To make things clear, I am moving out of my house to an apartment. The current landlord has told me that she will deduct 9k for painting + cleaning charges which will come around 500Rs.

Now that sounds very very unreasonable as the painting wouldn’t take more than 6k. Also the place doesn’t require any painting as well. 

So her crooked mind has this plan. 

1. Make some easy money. Deduct as much as possible from the existing tenant when they move out.
2. Don’t paint the house.
3. Rent it out to an unsuspecting family.
4. Go to point 1.

Asking around, I learned that this is the trend in Bangalore. Almost all my colleagues who have moved out once earlier have lost out at least 5-10k to the landlord. They list out damages which have not happened during their tenure.

How greedy can people get? Doesn’t the landlord know that this is hard earned money that we are talking about? As far as my income goes, it is not growing on a tree.

But for her it’s the tree (us tenants) that the money grows on.

Let take this example. You rent a car and you drive for 100kms. The car company will charge you rent for the day and check if you have made any damages. If not they would not charge you any extra money on it.

Now the car would have undergone wear and tear, like the life of the tyre would be now less (total life in Kilometers minus 100kms).

(The wear and tear) + %car’s price + profit = Rent.

Imagine if they say “Well, you drove for 100kms so you have to repaint it” or “Replace the tyres.”

That sounds unreasonable right?

Let’s leave everything, even if the LL wants to repaint it, why doesn’t she ask for a reasonable amount? The actual painting cost?

My landlady,

Is greedy.

She is an old lady,

 But still greedy.

Just when I thought that the robbers and terrorists are criminals, I have one staying on the 1^st floor.

“Yeah I have told the carpenter to fix it”   said my landlord. (One of our cupboards needs to be fixed).

“You need not worry about it” she adds with a smile. 

Me “And the lock?”

Landlord “Yes that too! You need not worry about it”

Me “And the forest behind our kitchen?  The plants out there are getting denser”

Landlord “Yeah I will ask my servant to clear it. You need not worry about it” 

The reason I write this blog is …. We have this conversation on the 5^th of every month. That’s when I pay THE RENT. She repeats this every month and nothing happens. 

I guess I should give her THE treatment.

6^th of Next month

Morning  Landlord “I was checking if anything is wrong”

Me “I am fine thank you. My wife is fine too.”

Landlord “I dint get the rent, I have to pay the loan” (I am just foreseeing this would be the next dialogue, coz this is what every landlord usually say. They won’t say something like ‘well give me the rent …I have a party today’)

Me “I will. You need not worry about it” 

Landlord “By today???”

Me “You need not worry about it”

Landlord “Okay bye then”

Me “You need not worry about it” 

Evening 

Landlord “Hi….”

Me “You need not worry about it” 

That should teach her !!!