Landlord Reneged On Deal

[BangersnHash]

After about a month of looking for a new place, I found one that I thought was good value and decided to sign a lease.

The Chinese-Thai landlady made me put down a deposit (reasonable enough), but not the full damage deposit. Both of us signed the contract and she attached a photocopy of her Thai ID, which was signed by her as well.

Fast forward to today, the day before I was supposed to move in. When I contacted the landlady to set up a time to pay the rest of the deposit and first month's rent in exchange for the keys, she informed me that her and her husband decided to let out the unit one week ago, with no notification to me whatsoever. On the plus side, she said she is going to give me my deposit back and offered me her other (crappier) unit at a discount, but at this point there's no way I'm putting two months rent in her hands. The problem is, I've already given 30 days notice at my previous apartment so now I have to bust my arse to find a new place.

I'm pretty sure I could legally enforce the lease if I wanted to, but at this point all I want is to never see this witch again. However, is there any Thai legal precedent that awards me money for her reneging on the lease?

Cheers.

[thaicbr]

No.. take your money and forget the bitch. More hassle than it's worth.

[InterestedObserver]

Not unless there is a penalty stipulated in the contract the landlady is only obligated to return your partial deposit. Since you did not pay 100% deposit the argument can be made that the contract was never concluded. You would have to fight the landlady for anything, which may or may not be worthwhile after you pay for a lawyer.

[robanywhere]

my experience with three leases here is that they are extremely one-sided and favor the landlord. generally there are no penalties for nonperformance by the landlord but all kinds of clauses if the tenant is nonperforming. in conclusion, the trustworthiness and general disposition of the landlord or lady can make the difference between heaven and hell.

my advice is take the money and run... why would you want to even venture into the legal waters on this?

be thankful she revealed her true self before you were settled in there. in every house that i checked out before renting, i made a point of contacted previous tenants regarding the landlord's reputation.

[thaiwanderer]

my experience with three leases here is that they are extremely one-sided and favor the landlord. generally there are no penalties for nonperformance by the landlord but all kinds of clauses if the tenant is nonperforming. in conclusion, the trustworthiness and general disposition of the landlord or lady can make the difference between heaven and hell.

my advice is take the money and run... why would you want to even venture into the legal waters on this?

be thankful she revealed her true self before you were settled in there. in every house that i checked out before renting, i made a point of contacted previous tenants regarding the landlord's reputation.

Because just like anywhere else they are offered by the landlord. You need not accept them as they stand or at all.

The trustworthiness and general disposition of the landlord or lady can maek the difference between heaven and hell. - Lessors typically have more at stake - property rather than a bit of rent.