One reason we still haven't finished unpacking is that we had to clean up both our old flats this week before we handed the keys over. I have to say it was not fun in 27 degree weather and with us both feeling under the weather on Monday but we managed it.
It was a little sad saying goodbye to the old places. There were a lot of good memories in both of our flats. However, the whole process was made a lot easier in a way on the second handover (my flat)...
We both were surprised that although we handed over cash deposits, we'll only get them back by bank transfer and when the landlords get round to it. There are so many rules and regulations but it seems most landlords are out to get you on some level. We're a little worried about Nico's because the meter is in a neighbour's flat and she hasn't given the landlord access yet but he wants to carry some work out in the flat before the new tenants arrive which is worrying since we just have to take his word for what the meter said and when it was read.
Mine was even more complicated as the landlady didn't come to the handover but just sent her lawyer husband and another man. They had a look around and then asked for my new address to send the bill to. When I asked what bill, they explained that costs would be deducted from my deposit and the balance transfered to my bank. It turned out that the costs were for getting rid of mould that was already there when I moved in. Now, I've rented before in England and we never had to have paperwork to state the condition of the flat when I moved in. Apparently this is normal in Germany but I didn't know this and never asked for one. You would think that a lawyer and his wife would know that this should happen but why not take advantage of a foreigner and then sting her for what you can when she moves out, right? I had it verbally from the landlady that the water stain in the kitchen and the thermostat in the hall would be fixed soon after I moved in, neither of them were but I didn't complain because it didn't really affect me. What did affect me was when the hot water went off in December and they fixed that really quickly. However, in the same way, I'd never reported the mould because we managed to stop it getting any worse and killed most of it off.
There was mould in both the bathroom and the bedroom. In the bedroom it was caused by some boards that had been fixed to the wall for uplighting so the landlord agreed I wouldn't be charged as it was a structural problem. When I pointed out that I had done everything possible to keep the mould out of the bathroom, including keeping the windows and doors open so that air could circulate (and basically this was also a structural problem), he wouldn't agree although he couldn't tell me what I should have done, and therefore how I was responsible. When I asked how much it would cost, he explained that that was what the second man had come to assess (so he did know the mould was there previously) and when I asked if he could give me an estimate, he just laughed. I was so thrown. He wouldn't even give me the date that I could expect the bill to be ready by.
As I was so confused, and worried that something may have been lost in translation, I asked Nico to speak to him so we went back up to the flat and at this point the man turned really aggressive. He started shouting that he had already explained it ten times and if we didn't leave it, he would go back round the flat and find hundreds more problems for me to pay for, because that's his job! We left soon after but it really got to me.
So the lesson is, always ask for a protocol so you have proof of everything. Luckily Nico is much more aware than I was so we already ensured we were thorough in the new flat. A second lesson is to look out for who you are renting from, especially in a foreign country where laws are different too. I was more angry at myself than anything else for being so naive but the lesson is learnt and I will just have to wait for my bill and put the whole thing down to experience. At least it made me even more glad to be getting out of there.
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