Can a landlord forfeit a deposit if I'm leaving the country for good and have not completed lease period?
I have signed a lease contract for my apartment. The contract period is from March 2011 to February 2012. In addition to this I was given Jan and Feb 2011 free and also am suppose to be given March and April 2012 free. The monthly rental is QAR6,000.
I'm now going to be leaving the country for good in mid-Sept. I went to terminate the contract today giving one month notice. The Manager at the office said that I would have to repay the Jan and Feb 2011 rentals as I'm not completing one year of the lease. In addition he said I would have to forfeit the one month deposit as the contract has a clause "the security deposit paid at the signing of the contract will not be refunded if the second party does not comply with the term of the contract period agreed upon" Is this enforceable? Is the Manager correct in his assertion?
Everybody thanks for the help. Will go to Rental dispute office and will update. Ramadan Kareem
i would suggest an amicable settlement with your landlord. good thing if you still have enough time to bring your dispute in the proper court. if he won't give the one month deposit, try to settle at least the half of it.
fighting in court with the local landlord is a waste of time and resources as the ruling will never be in ur favor...it is best to come to a settlement...try showing some documentation to the manager..that u r leaving for good....
The answer is your landlord trying to pull a fast one. you are protected by the common law which prevails over the rental agreement. if you had to leave qatar for good your commitments with the landlord will become null and void. but the question is can you fight the case in the courts.
The answer is your landlord trying to pull a fast one. you are protected by the common law which prevails over the rental agreement. if you had to leave qatar for good your commitments with the landlord will become null and void. but the question is can you fight the case in the courts.
It all depends upon the lease agreement you signed. The security deposit clause is cheeky, and I haven't seen it before, but at the end of the day you signed it so yes, you lose your deposit.If it also states in the agreement that the first two months free are repayable should you not complete the first year of the contract, then again, you're liable. If it doesn't, then the manager has no leg to stand on so threaten action with the rental disputes committee while you're still here and able.Good luck!