Physicist Haoyu Qi and his spouse moved from New Brunswick to Toronto over the winter for work, however earlier than he may retrieve a $2,000 safety deposit he had paid on his Moncton condominium, he was informed his landlord was making a $500 declare on the cash for cleansing and injury prices.
That stunned Qi, particularly when he was proven footage submitted by the owner to justify the cost.
One image appeared to indicate filth and chipped paint on a ledge by a window however Qi mentioned there was no ledge like that in his unit.
“I really feel like not one of the footage have been from our condominium,” he mentioned in an interview.
A second picture confirmed a dozen holes in drywall in what Qi guessed was from an outdated wall-mounted tv set up, however he mentioned he and his spouse didn’t personal a tv throughout their two-year keep.
A 3rd image confirmed a large number in a cabinet that Qi mentioned couldn’t have been his as a result of his spouse, who he describes as “germ-phobic,” wouldn’t have tolerated it.
“That is undoubtedly not our condominium,” mentioned Qi. “My spouse did a cleansing earlier than we left, and he or she truly did a number of fixed cleansing of the entire condominium. We maintained it in fairly good situation.”
Final yr, New Brunswick dealt with 489 challenges over the return of safety deposits, with landlords making claims towards departing tenants for injury, cleansing and different prices. One tenant who prevailed in his case has ideas about how you can head off disagreements.
Qi’s condominium was in Moncton’s new Encore Residences, a downtown growth by native businessman Trevor Ritchie.
In an e mail to the Tenant and Landlord Relations Workplace, Kate Marecki, who made the declare on behalf of the owner, cited the dirty condominium footage she submitted as proof the request for $500 of Qi’s safety deposit was affordable.
“On this case the tenant has left the unit in exceedingly dirty situation,” wrote Marecki, who additionally submitted a receipt for the price of 28 hours of cleansing after Qi and his spouse moved out.
Qi was offended by that.
“It harm a little bit bit. I lived there for 2 years It may have resulted in a really pleasant approach, not like this,” he mentioned.
Qi, who works within the discipline of quantum computing, had initially supplied to settle the dispute for $100 however after seeing the photographs and studying the outline of the mess he was accused of forsaking, he rescinded that supply.
In an e mail on March 18, he informed the Tenant and Landlord Relations Workplace, which holds safety deposits in belief and was mediating the dispute, that he believed at the least three footage have been phony.
Qi wrote that “false proof has been introduced on this case” and forwarded a video his spouse had taken contained in the condominium the day they moved out that appeared to indicate variations between his unit and footage submitted by the owner.
Primarily based on that, he lowered his supply to settle the matter to $50 and agreed to a full listening to if the quantity wasn’t accepted.
Encore Residences didn’t immediately reply to Qi’s accusation, however the next day, on March 19, the corporate backed down.
“The owner needs to drop the declare,” wrote Marie-Josée Corbin, the provincial agent coping with the matter.
In an interview, Kate Marecki mentioned she believes the photographs she submitted in Qi’s case precisely depicted his condominium however didn’t take them herself and can’t say that with certainty.
A number of tenants have been shifting on the identical time and it’s not clear if a mistake might need been made due to that, she mentioned.
“I submitted the photographs provided to me,” mentioned Marecki. “I do not know if the photographs acquired blended up.”
She mentioned a ultimate joint inspection of the condominium ought to have been performed with Qi’s involvement and since it wasn’t, a choice was made to drop the declare towards his safety deposit.
“Communication is finest,” mentioned Marecki in acknowledging Qi’s case ought to have been dealt with otherwise. “I’d wish to do a stroll by means of.”
Disputes between landlords and tenants over the return of safety deposits are frequent in New Brunswick. Based on the province, Qi’s case was one in every of 489 that required mediation within the final yr.
New Brunswick holds greater than $52 million in tenant safety deposits in belief. When a tenant strikes, landlords have seven days to make a declare for injury, extreme cleansing prices or unpaid payments, together with unpaid lease. In any other case, the deposit is returned in full to the tenant.
Landlord claims are sometimes profitable, with 28 per cent of safety deposit refunds issued by the province final yr going to condominium house owners, amounting to $3.5 million.
The Tenant and Landlord Relations Workplace won’t touch upon Qi’s case particularly, however on its web site the company does suggest landlords and tenants collectively examine an condominium previous to a transfer and attempt to agree, if they’ll, on its situation and whether or not any cleansing or repairs needs to be carried out.
Qi and Marecki each agree that could be a good suggestion. Nonetheless, Qi additionally recommends tenants take their very own detailed photographs of an condominium as they depart in case a dispute does come up.
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