Job Discussion Forums

Jetgirly · Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Posts: 741

Surprise! After a lovely six months babysitting teenagers in Guadalajara, my landlord has yet to return my damage deposit. We moved out on June 30th, so it's been about three months and we're both back in Canada. We spent more than twelve hours trying to get the deposit back before we left, but to no avail. Our landlord PROMISED she would send us a money order or Western Union transfer shortly. I am now in the process of beginning the complaint procedure with the Procuraduria Federal del Consumidor, but is there anything else I could be doing as well? I made copies of all the relevant documents (the contract, the receipt for the deposit, receipts showing we paid the rent and utilities, etc.) before I left so the Profeco thing is not going to require a big effort on my part... I have more energy to spare if that would get the money back.

By the way, it's not really the money. It's the principle!

TheLongWayHome · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 1016 Location: San Luis Piojosi

Mexican landlords are notorious for not returning the deposit, even if you left the place in a better condition than you found it. First landlady I had kept most of the deposit for absolutely no reason. The second one I had to threaten with a lawyer to get it back. She even accused me of breaking into the apartment after we had moved out?! I would say that if you're not physically in front of them with some kind of threat, forget it.

corporatehuman · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 198 Location: Mexico City

Yeah a rule in Mexico is your damage deposit you should always use as your last month of rent...its not fun to do but pretty much you have to do it unless well...you don't mind losing the money.

Jetgirly · Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Posts: 741

My threat (including the exact day on which I would send the paperwork) of going to the Procuraduria resulted in our first contact with our landlord since we moved out (the evening before I said I'd send the papers). A friend in GDL is going to meet her tomorrow and they are going to go do the Western Union transfer together, to make sure she does it. If she doesn't do it, I'll send in the paperwork.

In other news, today was payday for public school teachers in Canada and I got nada. This calls for margaritas!

Jetgirly · Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Posts: 741

The money has been sent! Western Union confirms it! Now I just need my former roommate to collect it and send me my half (in other words, the cycle begins again)...

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

A lesson in patience...

I don't agree with people who think that it's common practice not to return the deposit. It happens, yes, but a little persistence and foresight should get the deposit back.

MO39 · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 4:36 pm Post subject:

Jetgirly · Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Posts: 741

My Italian landlord came over a few days before I moved out of the apartment to return my damage deposit. Afterwards, I repeatedly tried to get in touch with him by phone and email to pay the outstanding bills, but he never followed up. That's my kind of landlord!

We were paying an arm and a leg for our Mexican apartment, we went two days without electricity because our landlord didn't pay the bill for the two months prior to us moving in, our hot water tank broke down in the last month of our lease and the landlord wouldn't repair it... I couldn't have asked for a nicer apartment or a better location, but our landlord was truly a lazy bum.

Anyways, the saga has come to a close and I'm already thinking of all the money I'll save by boycotting Mexico and it's cheap all-inclusives at spring break!

Jetgirly · Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Posts: 741

My former roommate transferred the money into my account today. That's a nice chunk of change that will make this credit card bill and my Christmas flights a bit less stress-inducing.

That's the sound of the Mexico book closing. I am currently teaching Humanities (Language Arts and Social Studies) to students in grade six and grade nine, and I spend one period a day doing one-on-one ESL with an adorable, tiny little fourth-grader who just arrived from Uzbekistan. The absolute worst day at the public school I'm teaching at here puts the absolute best day at my former Mexican prepa to shame.

notamiss · Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 5:15 am Post subject:

Jetgirly · Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Posts: 741

I sent them a letter outlining my experiences and why I felt it was a poor placement, and they didn't get back to me. I also went in person to the International Exchange office, and the coordinator literally RAN AWAY from me. It was rather odd. She saw me coming towards her, she turned on her heels and ran into the stairwell- we were on the eleventh floor! I have reached out on Facebook to students considering doing the program next year, and I think that's probably the best I'll be able to do. The fact of the matter is that my Canadian university has other arrangements in place with the university attached to my prepa, and there was more at play than just whether or not the placement benefitted future Canadian teachers.