Friend called me this morning he has to head to Thailand for prolonged medical procedure and has decided to move there at least for 12 months.
He has been renting same apartment for 5 years, through Covid his monthly check went haywire and his rent was two months in arrears going on three by the time it was sorted his landlord moved him into a cheaper apartment $600 a month until he paid then when paid back into a better one $1,200. He has just given notice and the landlord says well I cannot give you back your $3,600 deposit and advance because you broke the lease by late rent. Bloody big interest and surly not legal since they didn't boot him out. I was of the belief late rent interest is something like 3%. He was relying on his deposit to help cover his relocation but I am guessing he hasn't much of leg to stand on. Anyone had a similar problem or he just has to walk away.

3 months deposit!!! dam,never heard of that
well, he broke the lease by not paying monthly so....
Legal??? not much he can do but next time DONT pay 3 months deposit!

Make he could say so we don't have to get the police involved give me back 80% and they settle around 50% with each side unhappy but better off than now.

If he fully paid up seems like he made good and the landlord shouldn't keep all of it.

I’ve never heard of anyone using a % for late rent, it’s usually a set $ amount per day, it was in the US where I stayed and the same in the contract I signed here in Cambodia.

But like a previous poster stated, three (3) months deposit? It should be only one (1).

What does it say in his contract concerning late fees?

his lease was 2 months deposit one month rent advance

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Wed Sep 27, 2023 10:22 am 3 months deposit!!! dam,never heard of that
well, he broke the lease by not paying monthly so....
Legal??? not much he can do but next time DONT pay 3 months deposit!

I'd say the landlord didn't consider lease broken since they didn't kick him out just relocated him till his payments came through anyway I don't think he has a shot but tough landlord keeping all that $$$$ not like covid situation was his fault and he made it all right when his funds arrived . Disappointed in the landlords attitude , in Thailand I would expect it they are ruthless

verdebandit wrote: ↑Wed Sep 27, 2023 10:44 am Make he could say so we don't have to get the police involved give me back 80% and they settle around 50% with each side unhappy but better off than now.

If he fully paid up seems like he made good and the landlord shouldn't keep all of it.

told him don't involve police only cost him more $$$ likely best to say to landlord I wonder how much tax your paying monthly given you have 5 full apartments !!
almost sure they don't declare the rentals they are getting

Just a case of a landlord not returning the deposit (reason given irrelevant). Some landlords never do.
It's a big enough sum to get lawyered up.

BTW, this is why we should never pay more than one months deposit (or pay more than 600 in rent imho).

I wonder how you can spend $1200 rent per month into an apartment in Cambodia. Given that he had done that for 5 years, those are roughly $72k. Looking at it from that point of view, crying about the additional $60 per month ($3600 / 60) makes no sense to me, since this guy seems to have money to throw away anyway