Deducting from the security deposit
Deducting from the security deposit
I've never done this before, but have to as a result of last weeks guests and the state of the houses when they (eventually) left. I'm charging 13€ x 6 hours for the extra cleaning inside and outside, plus a sum for a couple of breakages. I don't know whether to charge a small amount for the fact that they didn't leave the house at 10am - we had to go in and start cleaning round them while they were still packing and eating their breakfast - they eventually went around 11.30am. Is this going too far? I never want to see any of them here again, so goodwill and future business by word of mouth don't come into it.
Susan like you I wouldn't worry about word of mouth from them, you really want their friends or family again.
Charge additional costs for delayed entry for cleaning at the normal rate. It is not your fault they left late, adding additional pressure on to you to do your clean properly for the following guests.
Charge additional costs for delayed entry for cleaning at the normal rate. It is not your fault they left late, adding additional pressure on to you to do your clean properly for the following guests.
-
Normandy Cow
- Posts: 2687
- Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2004 7:14 am
- Location: Normandy
- Contact:
damage deposit
Why is it that we find it difficult to get recompense even when people use and abuse our hospitality?
I'm in my 2nd yr of renting out & the first year I found it difficult to charge. But I became unhappy about being 'nice' about damage and it being unappreciated. So - a major re-think. I now am much harder but I still don't like doing it!
After the mid-week clean I leave a 'departure note' which asks for the place to left in a reasonable state & then I itemise what will be charged for; Cleaning the BBQ - £10, Removing kitchen rubbish - £10...etc. I also say any furniture/bedding damage will be charged at the full replacement rate.
It has helped to clarify things in our guests mind as the villa is being left in a much tidier state
I would definately say charge - they deserve it. And include the waiting around time for the cleaners (I had to do this once last year).
Yes they may kick off (I was once threatened with a solicitors letter for deducting £80) but they really don't have a leg to stand on - they really pushed the barriers of acceptable behaviour
Do it and let your conscience be clear.
good luck!
Mouse
(and I hope they don't come here next year!!!)
x
I'm in my 2nd yr of renting out & the first year I found it difficult to charge. But I became unhappy about being 'nice' about damage and it being unappreciated. So - a major re-think. I now am much harder but I still don't like doing it!
After the mid-week clean I leave a 'departure note' which asks for the place to left in a reasonable state & then I itemise what will be charged for; Cleaning the BBQ - £10, Removing kitchen rubbish - £10...etc. I also say any furniture/bedding damage will be charged at the full replacement rate.
It has helped to clarify things in our guests mind as the villa is being left in a much tidier state
I would definately say charge - they deserve it. And include the waiting around time for the cleaners (I had to do this once last year).
Yes they may kick off (I was once threatened with a solicitors letter for deducting £80) but they really don't have a leg to stand on - they really pushed the barriers of acceptable behaviour
Do it and let your conscience be clear.
good luck!
Mouse
(and I hope they don't come here next year!!!)
x
-
Normandy Cow
- Posts: 2687
- Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2004 7:14 am
- Location: Normandy
- Contact:
Mouse, well done for sticking to your guns, on this and on the other thread about refusing to accommodate 11 in your villa which sleeps 8. I too am becoming much more hard-nosed after 3 years of renting out.
I like your idea of an itemised list of charges for things like cleaning the barbecue - it does make it much clearer for people to know what is expected of them. I may think about doing something similar next year!
I like your idea of an itemised list of charges for things like cleaning the barbecue - it does make it much clearer for people to know what is expected of them. I may think about doing something similar next year!
We have a clause in the contract that reserves the right to charge $50 an hour if someone does not vacate the premises at the agreed time. We justify this on the basis of the cost to us to have our cleaners standing there doing nothing.
Also, our contract entitles us to take their deposit in full if they throw a party. In the circumstances you describe about partying that went on night after night until the small hours of the morning, including lots of extra people he invited over to use your property even after you told him they were not supposed to be there, there's no doubt they broke your terms and conditions in a big way.
Add to that the damage to your neighbor's fence and extra cleaning, and birthday boy can't possibly be expecting anything back. In fact I'd go further and say he doesn't care. The modest amount you took off him was well worth losing for him to get his own way.
Even though I have never done this to anybody, I would be tempted to send him a very brief note saying that you will not be returning his deposit for obvious reasons, (don't even account for it), and furthermore have referred the matter to your solicitor for further action against him for loss amd damage to your property and your neighbor's property. Then leave him hanging.
It might make him think twice before he does the same thing to some other unsuspecting landlord, so you would be doing all of us a favor.
Also, our contract entitles us to take their deposit in full if they throw a party. In the circumstances you describe about partying that went on night after night until the small hours of the morning, including lots of extra people he invited over to use your property even after you told him they were not supposed to be there, there's no doubt they broke your terms and conditions in a big way.
Add to that the damage to your neighbor's fence and extra cleaning, and birthday boy can't possibly be expecting anything back. In fact I'd go further and say he doesn't care. The modest amount you took off him was well worth losing for him to get his own way.
Even though I have never done this to anybody, I would be tempted to send him a very brief note saying that you will not be returning his deposit for obvious reasons, (don't even account for it), and furthermore have referred the matter to your solicitor for further action against him for loss amd damage to your property and your neighbor's property. Then leave him hanging.
It might make him think twice before he does the same thing to some other unsuspecting landlord, so you would be doing all of us a favor.
Thanks for that tip Mouse! During the last 3 years I have had to replace so many sheets which have been permanently soiled with henna tatoo stains (at my own cost)....so I am now going to mention at the 'meet and greet' that henna tatoo stains are permanent on bedding and if sheets/bedding need to be replaced it will be deducted from the damage deposit.I also say any furniture/bedding damage will be charged at the full replacement rate.
Thankyou everyone for your advice. Joanna, I don't have that clause about the extra hourly charge in my contract at the moment, so I don't think I can use it, but I'm going to add it in future. We did in fact go in and start cleaning around them, which isn't easy. I've never had anyone not leave by 10am before. Mouse, I'm going to charge for everything I can think of, they did in fact clean the BBQs, but left a lot of rubbish and in two of the houses there were sausages left in congealed fat in the grill pans in the ovens.....yuk. I will also up the cleaning charge CatherineS!
I have to say I have let the cottages together before and never had a problem, but I think I need to look at the contract and in future charge a higher security deposit.
I have to say I have let the cottages together before and never had a problem, but I think I need to look at the contract and in future charge a higher security deposit.
In the end I was soft and only deducted £66 for the deposit. I wish I had kept more, here is his response. I am fuming at the moment - I've written a reply to his comments, but what do you think? I'm tempted to cancel the cheque completely now before he receives it.
Hi Sue
Thanks for your response although I have to say I am surprised and somewhat disappointed by the content of your email. I can only take your word on the length of additional time it took you to clean the houses, to remove chewing gum from the loungers which I am disappointed was there in the first place and to sort out the inventory. As such I have no choice but to accept the additional £11 per hour cleaning charge.
As regards the properties not being vacated at 10 am, I am sorry that this caused such an inconvenience but I am sure you will appreciate that for my family with young children it is not that easy to pack them up and put them into the car, plus everybody was making an effort to tidy up and make less work for you (obviously a wasted effort on their part!). Regarding the damage to your property, I did apologise and offer to mend your neighbours fence (purely circumstantial evidence that it was one of our party who damaged it in the first place, especially as I have been informed since that there were other young local lads roaming around and I accused my nephew who continues to deny it), the glasses along with the lilo were replaced along with the blue foam in the pool and two new footballs were purchased to replace the one which was burst. Despite your implied remarks, everybody respected your properties and your neighbours privacy, indeed so much so that the smokers only smoked outside and noise was kept to a minimum throughout the week.
From my side the main disappointment I have however, over what was ultimately a successful week, was the feedback I received from family/friends after leaving on Saturday. They all found your attitude on Saturday Morning to be nothing short of rude and indeed were very upset at your implications that some of the property had been stolen e.g accusations of cushion covers, throws having gone missing (their words not mine). At the end of the day this was a business contract between you and me and any grievance should have been directed towards me not at the people I invited to Brittany.
I was totally obliging in all of your wishes throughout, from initially booking from a Saturday to a Saturday so that you wouldn't lose any revenue for the week prior or after (although you offered me Friday to Friday which was my preferred choice) to having my birthday party at the restaurant, to keeping noise to a minimum at nightime.
You may want to take on board some of my comments for the future and also realise that every relationship/contract is a two way street.
Finally, as is the right of any customer, I will be submitting some feedback to the company who I contacted initially when searching for a house and who put you in contact with me.
Regards
Hi Sue
Thanks for your response although I have to say I am surprised and somewhat disappointed by the content of your email. I can only take your word on the length of additional time it took you to clean the houses, to remove chewing gum from the loungers which I am disappointed was there in the first place and to sort out the inventory. As such I have no choice but to accept the additional £11 per hour cleaning charge.
As regards the properties not being vacated at 10 am, I am sorry that this caused such an inconvenience but I am sure you will appreciate that for my family with young children it is not that easy to pack them up and put them into the car, plus everybody was making an effort to tidy up and make less work for you (obviously a wasted effort on their part!). Regarding the damage to your property, I did apologise and offer to mend your neighbours fence (purely circumstantial evidence that it was one of our party who damaged it in the first place, especially as I have been informed since that there were other young local lads roaming around and I accused my nephew who continues to deny it), the glasses along with the lilo were replaced along with the blue foam in the pool and two new footballs were purchased to replace the one which was burst. Despite your implied remarks, everybody respected your properties and your neighbours privacy, indeed so much so that the smokers only smoked outside and noise was kept to a minimum throughout the week.
From my side the main disappointment I have however, over what was ultimately a successful week, was the feedback I received from family/friends after leaving on Saturday. They all found your attitude on Saturday Morning to be nothing short of rude and indeed were very upset at your implications that some of the property had been stolen e.g accusations of cushion covers, throws having gone missing (their words not mine). At the end of the day this was a business contract between you and me and any grievance should have been directed towards me not at the people I invited to Brittany.
I was totally obliging in all of your wishes throughout, from initially booking from a Saturday to a Saturday so that you wouldn't lose any revenue for the week prior or after (although you offered me Friday to Friday which was my preferred choice) to having my birthday party at the restaurant, to keeping noise to a minimum at nightime.
You may want to take on board some of my comments for the future and also realise that every relationship/contract is a two way street.
Finally, as is the right of any customer, I will be submitting some feedback to the company who I contacted initially when searching for a house and who put you in contact with me.
Regards
charges
Yes Sue simply take everything whatever you can get out of this charlatan
-
Hells Bells
- Posts: 13173
- Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:42 am
- Location: French Alps
- Contact:
-
Normandy Cow
- Posts: 2687
- Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2004 7:14 am
- Location: Normandy
- Contact:
Yes, I too would be fuming (in fact I am fuming, having read his pompous reply!) and I too would be tempted to stop the cheque.
But actually I think that the best thing for you to do now, is nothing - rise above it.
What's done is done, you have had to put up with the aggro, but now is the time to file the bad memories away. If you stop the cheque then you are just going to be prolonging the agony, as you will then have to carry on email correspondence with him.
Another one of my mottos (this one from Ab Fab): "In with anger, out with love". Just be serene and move on...
(PS, just for closure, you may want to contact Holiday-Rentals or whoever it was that he booked with, for a pre-emptive strike to warn them that this objectionable man may be contacting them).
EDIT: PPS. I know that David Kingsley, Sales Manager of Holiday-Rentals reads this forum, so why not direct them to the original thread about "Birthday Boy", so that they can read the whole sorry saga...
But actually I think that the best thing for you to do now, is nothing - rise above it.
What's done is done, you have had to put up with the aggro, but now is the time to file the bad memories away. If you stop the cheque then you are just going to be prolonging the agony, as you will then have to carry on email correspondence with him.
Another one of my mottos (this one from Ab Fab): "In with anger, out with love". Just be serene and move on...
(PS, just for closure, you may want to contact Holiday-Rentals or whoever it was that he booked with, for a pre-emptive strike to warn them that this objectionable man may be contacting them).
EDIT: PPS. I know that David Kingsley, Sales Manager of Holiday-Rentals reads this forum, so why not direct them to the original thread about "Birthday Boy", so that they can read the whole sorry saga...