Hi,
I'am 21 years old and an international student here in Deventer, Saxion. I have no one else to turn too because I lack the network/connection with other law students/professionals in such a small city. And recently my landlord has taken 150 euro out of my deposit without any consideration.
I live in a student housing where about a week ago the fire alarm had malfunction and repeatedly kept turning on 4x in a row in 2am to 4am, in the following day I had an exam and I could not properly manage due to the alarm. One of my flatmate proceeded to contact the care-takers (person in charge), but nothing was done for the day. And the following night the fire alarm started again at around 12 midnight, I also had another exam in the coming day. This time I detached the fire alarm properly so it would stop making noises. When the care-takers found out that I had taken off my fire alarm, they then deduced my deposit for 150 euro.
I believe I have been robbed of my deposit due to their failings in providing a properly functioning fire alarm, which then done harm to me affecting my performance in my exams. Moreover, they decided to take 150 euro away from me for their failings. And there was no damage done physically to their house, so what evidence do they have in calculating specifically 150 euro as a deduction for turning off the fire alarm.
Sadly because I live in an international housing, all of the students here are from outside of Europe, and we understand the Saxion international housing knows this and takes full advantage of our disadvantage. They do what they want and take away amounts of our deposits just as they deem fit without considering our end or their failings in managing a household. There is many occurrence where the hot water they promised to facilitate us did not work, even in Winter times. Or that they do not manage a house filled with 30 people all sharing the same facilities, they don't enforce their house rules. Even loud neighbors they do not address and expect us to simply cope with what they give. Also, I have many of my friends that moves out are suddenly told that they had broke the fridge / etc and charge them in their deposit. I believe they are taking an advantage of us internationals.
In my own research I have contacted an online lawyer which stated that a deposit should be deduced accordingly to the damage that was done with evidence.
Is there any law supporting this, on which article? Perhaps if anyone here knows of it. Also in the TenancyLaw I found in (My Rights As A Tenant Europe), page 582 on the Netherlands section is that this is a noise defect which is due to the Lessor/Landlord and is liable for a type C defect (noise defect) which affect my state as a tenant. (http://www.tenlaw.uni-bremen.de/My%20Ri ... Europe.pdf)
I hope by this forum there are some people willing to give out some direction as what exactly is the tenant law in the Netherlands perhaps about deposits specifically. Because I don't know which book of law to look too in this case. Please help, I feel that these people are taking an advantage of me due to my nature of being an international students.