Hey Guys,
So I have a 2 bedroom apartment in Richmond that I am renting.. As I work part time I decided to get someone in to room share one of the rooms out. Frankly speaking its been the worst experience ever. In summary below is the predicament I am in.
Someone took one of the rooms & signed a similar form as this. They paid one months bond ($1000). In the weekly price of $250 it included all utilities. It even included a semi furnished room such as bed & wardrobe. I am holding the bond money. Common areas were clearly noted out in the signed agreement etc.
I regularly go interstate for work, which is why I felt it was a good idea to get someone in to offset some of the rent.
On my last trip interstate I was gone just over 6 weeks. Last week I came back to Melbourne were I noticed my housemate has caused damage to the following items
The kitchen bench is a varnished wood furnish. He has left water sit in the one spot for a extended period of time causing discoloration to the wood (Green colour). I even told him to be careful in doing this, yet he simply didn't care. Note that the wood benchtop has been sealed professionally to be robust against water but not for weeks on end like this.
A shoe box holder near the front entrance of the apartment is damaged in that it is not possible to be able to open and close it anymore. It looks as though my housemate has jammed something in it and forced it closed thus breaking the side hinges in that it now can't even be opened.
The door in of the wardrobe in my housemates room has totally come of its hinges. Again, basically its been abused. He decided it was a good idea to hold it together with sticky tape in the interim.
3 weeks before returning to Melbourne he told me he was going to leave. As per the signed agreement, 4 weeks notice was required so no concerns at all here. He is now due to vacate the premises on Tuesday morning. I have since approached him about the damage above & he has stated that he considers that general wear and tear. This is absolute crap. He has just outright abused the items in the house and a kitchen bench top. I have his bond money, I have reservations in simply deducting from it for above particulars. My reservations are the following.
With a room share arrangement like this, I am not even sure I am allowed to hold his bond money.
Is the money I receive for the room considered an income? It's not in my way of thinking. It's merely an agreement to rent a place out together for the benefit of reducing the overall rent either of us have to pay if we had to rent the place out by ourselves.
Assuming I am not breaking any laws, I have no reservations in taking small deduction out of the bond to have the 3 things addressed above. The guy is a bit of a smart ass as well. Essentially, if I am not doing anything above board with the agreement we have both signed, he will surely attempt to use it to his advantage if I deduct the cost of damages from the bond.
Any advice on this matter would be extremely appreciative. I estimate the cost for damages would be (On the very conservative side) around $250.
I room shared before on 2 other occasions at another place. On both occasions I have nothing but positive experiences overall to say.. This is a lesson learned..
Are you Renting through an Agent?
Did you seek permission to sub-let?
If so, maybe Insurance Claim. But for $250? nah…
Maybe having a Varnished wood bench is a bit fragile in a Kitchen…
How did an accumulation of water sit there long enough for damage to occur?
Water evaporates/drys usually. Was it a roof leak in your absence or what?
Hinges fail, probably is wear and tear. Bunnings/new hinges.