The family of Rusnė and Algirdas (real names known to the editors), who rent a spacious apartment in Vilnius, were surprised to see what kind of apartment was left by the tenants who lived there for two years. “When the man called and told me what he found there, I didn’t really understand. But when he sent the photos, I sat down,” says Rusnė.
Those who believe that there is nothing simpler than renting out an apartment and collecting rents as soon as they buy it, will change their minds after reading the stories of the mentioned people.
Moldy handrails, the entire width of the wall of the room is fused, the upper edges of the doors have fallen off, there are stains and holes in the oak parquet, the bathroom cabinet is swollen from water, the walls are heavily scratched and scratched, the plasterboard wall in the pantry has melted, because it turns out that the washing machine has been running water for a long time, there is moldy food in the oven…
Algirdas saw this scene in his house when he came to collect the keys from the tenants.
He and Rusna calculate that the deposit of 1,800 euros is not nearly enough to cover the repair costs – at least three times the amount is needed. However, the former tenants do not agree with this and explain that the dilapidated – you can’t call it anything else – housing looks like this due to natural wear and tear.
Rusnė says that a large family of foreigners lived in the apartment.
“Since the house is obscenely large and spacious, with a large terrace, we did not expect it to be rented for a decent price for a couple – we knew that there would be a family with children, maybe with animals, etc.,” the woman recalls.
The new tenants – a couple with three children – decided to rent the apartment immediately for a year. The first impression was not bad: people are nice, sociable, speak Lithuanian, children study in Lithuanian schools and kindergartens.
Rusnė and Algirdas were worried when they heard that they were from Afghanistan. But he looked at it philosophically: you need to trust people.
He trusted, signed the contract. A year later, he visited the apartment, but did not notice anything suspicious – as the interlocutors recall today, the order at that time was even surprising, considering that there were already four children growing up in the family.
A year later, the tenants decided to move out, but the story did not end there. As already mentioned earlier, Rusnė and Algirdas found their apartment destroyed, and when they said that they would not return the deposit, they heard from the tenants that they filed a lawsuit.
“More – never. No matter how human and trusting we are, the lesson has been learned. It’s better – cheaper, better – to wait longer, but choose people only with recommendations, with the right attitude and prepare contracts very properly,” Rusnė advises others today.
It caused both shock and nausea
The experience of Jaunius is no better. Six months ago, he rented a completely newly furnished loft in Vilnius Naujamiestis. The tenant is a neat-looking girl.
“We signed a contract and a series worthy of an unexpected Russian film began,” Jaunius wrote.
The tenant was late with payments, she made payments for rent in three, sometimes four orders, she was late in transferring money for utility bills.
Three months later, the tenant’s mother called unexpectedly. After reporting that her daughter did not live alone in the apartment, but with a boyfriend, she told the owner of the apartment that the girl would no longer live in the loft, that she would not be able to get back 2 months after breaking the lease. rent deposit.
“What I saw when I arrived after 3 months of living as a dream couple caused me both shock and nausea. My tiny but extremely cute apartment, where every item is brand new, where every piece of furniture was assembled by my own hands, was completely unrecognizable,” said Jaunius. “I couldn’t even take a picture – I just locked the door and drove home.”
I think that’s how drunk people drive – somehow I automatically went back home and lay straight on the couch staring at the ceiling.”
The white sofa, which is only half a year old, is covered with black stains that cannot be cleaned, the vacuum cleaner robot is damaged, the new TV console is lost, there is a lot of dog hair in the house, the blinds 4 meters high are damaged, there are black stains on the wooden floor that cannot be washed, the bathroom sink is clogged and does not work, the wardrobe drawers are broken, the door of the shower cabin is broken, and since the tenant also lost the keys, The young man had to change two locks on the armored door, as well as repaint the walls.
The total loss is 4.5 thousand. EUR, not including lost income due to idleness, costs for a lawyer and a bailiff’s fee.
“Those who consider renting a house as passive income are comedians. I also realized how good it is to have a decent lawyer. I also learned that next to absolute scoundrels who have no decency, there are still decent, honest people,” Jaunius shared his experience.
A good contract is not just a formality
Real estate broker Jovita Aleksejūnienė has seen various situations: tenants left damaged property, did not pay rent, it happened that the apartment was stolen, better furniture was taken away.
“I learned from my mistakes, so now I can confirm that I rarely have such tenants, because I am constantly improving rental agreements, I learned from real situations and mistakes,” – to the news portal Morning mentioned J. Aleksejūnienė.
As she said herself, she remembered for the rest of her life the situation when she had to deal with a very complicated lease history – due to fundamental violations of the lease agreement, it was necessary to evict a family with a child.
The process took much longer because in such situations, the law provides additional protections for families with minor children. And the tenant himself knew the laws very well, he knew their loopholes.
“This was exactly the scenario that most landlords fear – long periods of free rent, refusal to move out and damaged property,” the broker said.
She hears from those around her that problems with unreliable tenants are increasing. According to the broker, this happens because many are in a hurry to rent out the apartment as soon as possible, but do not delve into the tenant’s situation and activities enough. Unclear terms of the rental agreement also get in the way.
However, according to the interviewer, it is possible to form an impression about a person already during the interview. The riskiest tenants avoid answering the questions, rush to sign the lease without looking into it, rush to move in, don’t want to pay the deposit or ask to delay the payment of the deposit.
More careful landlords look at the prospective tenant on social networks, check his solvency, and find out about his previous rental experience. J. Aleksejūnienė emphasized: a professional rental agreement is very important, which clearly states the responsibilities, the procedure for compensation of damages, the terms of the deposit, and records the condition of the apartment before handing over the keys to the apartment.
In the absence of a clear lease agreement, property transfer deed, photos or other evidence, recovery of damages becomes very difficult and can take a long time.
The real estate broker explained that the rental agreement and acceptance transfer deed are one of the most important protection tools. If there is no contract and deed of transfer, which apartment was transferred, there are no photos of the apartment, in this case the owner has no chance to prove the damage.
Having a well-prepared contract, which clearly states the responsibilities of both parties, and a handover deed with photos, which apartment was transferred, can always go to court for damages, because the contract, handover deed and photos are excellent evidence.
“A good contract is not just a formality for the sake of a sense of security. An orderly tenant who sees clear rules takes a much more responsible view of housing and obligations.
In my practice, I have seen more than one case when people, in order to save money or do everything faster, downloaded a simple template from the Internet or generally rented by “verbal agreement”. Most of the time, problems arise in such situations.
Therefore, I always recommend to my clients to use practically verified lease agreements adapted to real situations, which help to protect both the property and the owners themselves”, said J. Aleksejūnienė.
