It is not a novelty that nowadays work or studies make us change our residence and city, nor is it a novelty that the high price of the flats forces us to opt for housing rent.
Throughout my life, I have lived in many cities and in different places where, in exchange for a monthly rent, they have been my home. Like everything, I have been touched by landlords who have been very attentive, almost like parents to me and with others I have had a purely commercial relationship. Although most of them have always been very good and correct in their treatment, there are always exceptions.
Today I will share an experience of a very, very bad exception. I found a beautiful apartment in a neighborhood with a lot of history in one of the most beautiful areas of Spain, The apartment was a few years old, the neighborhood was very friendly, had near shops, malls and my work, everything was perfect. The landlord seemed to be a good person, however my neighbours had warned me that things would change as soon as I left the flat...
A few days after I moved in, I noticed that the toilet cistern was broken, so I called my landlord to tell him. He introduced himself, examined the breakage, and answered me with a smile and a friendly tone that I didn't care, so I didn't give it a second thought. At the end of my contract I handed over the keys and the flat as I had found it, and he agreed to transfer the deposit in the next few days, as usual. However, a couple of days later, I received threatening Whatsapps from my landlord, telling me that he was going to have to change the bathroom because I had broken the toilet and by not making the broken parts I would have to change everything, and therefore lose my deposit.
Despite consulting various ways to get the bond returned and not leave the scam unpunished, I nevertheless had factors against me such as the fact that the disgraced landlord's son was a lawyer and that it was his word against mine, as well as the extra expense involved in defending me. I finally came to the conclusion that it was useless to do anything about it, and while losing money hurt, I was more offended that my honor was at stake.
In those moments of frustration and helplessness, I would have liked to know that there are solutions to this kind of trouble. Most rental contracts contain many clauses and insurance policies that protect the owner but not the tenant, depriving them of their rights as tenants, which is why several Spanish insurance companies have products designed to cover this type of need, such as renters' insurance, which for less than 100 euros a year or half that amount, depending on the coverage contracted, could save you a lot of headaches.
These products cover problems and damage to the home, common wear and tear and other incidents, as well as providing legal assistance, liability coverage and giving the tenant a weapon of protection in cases of a malicious landlord. In addition, in many other cases the tenant has pets that could cause damage, or existing deficiencies in the home can cause discomfort to others, such as moisture leaks.
I therefore concluded that in this type of situation, having renter's insurance is a good idea since we will be protected before the law, which is sometimes confusing and open to various interpretations and almost always against the renter.
