Help! Holding deposit

Honeylife

Comms69 wrote: »

Comms69 wrote: »

Oh please do elaborate how the OP has been scammed...

How I see it and it doesn't mean it would stand up in a Court of Law, just my insights: The OP indicated that in the original Spareroom Ad the £275 had been referred to as 'Holding Deposit', this surely would lead the OP and most potential lodgers to consider this as a Deposit in the usual sense, ie refundable. Since the transaction collapsed the OP has observed that on re-checking the Ad it now states "Holding fee". This seems to me to be a delberate bluring of terminology so as to deliberately not have to refund the monies paid.

Totally agree with your point that the OP stands zero chance of getting any money back but I can completely understand the OP desperatly trying to contact the Landlord via text/Whatsap if that is the only way they have to communicate. How many calls/texts constitute 'Harassment' in this case. In the OPs situation you can either sit in the gutter and cry or try to make contact hoping for discourse leading to resolution.

Agree with your point that it is a very expensive and tough lesson. 1. Screenshot the orignal Ad. 2. Sort out Advance Payments in advance, 3. Get genuine address for landlord, 4. Pay much smaller Holding fee. 5. Get receipt with address of property written with purpose on. 6. Understand the difference betwen Holding fee (non refundable) and Deposit (Refundable) before handing any monies over.

Regards the receipt - Had a potential lodger from Australia who was staying with friends in London while waiting for my lodger to vacate before they move into to my place. I gave her a receipt for the holding fee of £100. The next time I heard from her via email was two weeks later when she was back in Australia. She had gone skiiing in Europe, broken her back, medivac back to Australia (her insurance insisted on that) and she used the holding fee receipt as part of her insurance claim. It can/could be useful for something.