Most of the time, we can see comments that are a one-way, the ‘West-side-story’, and it sounds gloomy, despicable of the East-side-story. But as we say ‘when in Rome do as Roman’… or at least get the ‘intelligence’, in the warcraft sense of knowledge, of the terrain. Because you are in foreign territory, that sometimes becomes hostile territory. Obviously, Facebook will amplify the feeling of hostile rather than foreign, due to lack of ‘intelligence’.
Let’s help John decrypt the untold, most of the time is the huge bottom of the iceberg.
#1 The notice 30 days will apply in any court or with any lawyer, but you don’t want to go that way. You don’t have time, nor money nor knowledge on how to get the favours of… the judge in the case of legal action… because 1 treacherous line in the contract says that 1-day is a cause for breach of contract. Landlords are smart -not alwasand that’s precisely how they became
#2 What language do you speak with your landlord? May be a misunderstanding. Use a Vietnamese businessman or your agent to explain to her the ‘west-side-story’ and some consequences for her
#3 Zero notice means: ‘they have found a higher bidder’. The landlord is not your friend anymore. The excuse of 1-day late is phony
#4 The real estate are 3 types:
4a- is your FRIEND: at best ethical or he ‘loves you’… or if he has a retainer, he will help you deal with the landlord, but he may be long gone with the introduction fee commission. Why waste time or get into a headache with a lifetime supplier the landlord Vs a 1-off tenant?
4b- is PROFESSIONAL: he is not your friend, but he has a reputation to maintain, he knows what expat word-of-mouth means or know what damage Facebook groups can cause to source of new business… if he is interested in Expat market over the long-term
4c- is NOT YOUR FRIEND, actually YOUR ENEMY: he knows the landlord, the quality of the apartment, the current higher price of it on the market and HE is the one who got the request from a new tenant to replace you NOW! And at a higher rental price.
NB. All are about money 4a and 4c short-term money where you are the victim, 4b long-term money and you know how long-term reputation counts with Vietnamese business people!? Let’s face it, exaggerating a bit, when you get a good rental deal, you are a client in an open market pricing from the day of your deposit.
NB. being locked outside is too much trouble ahead with the district police and the taxman for the landlord. He may have omitted to declare you as tenants in his property or ‘just forgotten’ declaring rental income tax.
You can send address and contact details of your landlord, in all confidentiality, to get information from the database home@insuranceinasia.com of troublesome owners, as they keep a record of incidents