Company provided apartment - who is liable for damages?

[nikkuchan]

Hello. I joined to post this because I couldn't find much information on the subject. Anyway, here is my situation.

I am currently living in an apartment provided by my employer. This apartment has been used for over 5 years by a number of people before me, and as such, nearly all of the wear-and-tear was already done to the apartment by the time I moved in. Anyway, I'm moving out later this week, and I will also be the last person to use the apartment, so my boss is ending the apartment contract. My boss told me he would transfer my final paycheck to my bank account after he determines repair costs and whatnot. He told me that he wouldn't charge me for anything I didn't do, but I'm still very wary. I don't think he even knows the condition of the apartment before I came, and I'm afraid he may just throw all the repair costs on me because I'm the last person staying here, and since I have no way of proving that I didn't cause something I feel a bit worried on how much of my payment is going to be taken away from me.

Who's responsibility is it to pay the repairs? Is it fair to charge me for this? Isn't that the point of the deposit he paid for the apartment? Anyway, I just want some information from someone with knowledge on laws and whatnot concerning a situation like this. My boss is a fairly reasonable guy, but he's not beyond the capacity to screw me over.

Thanks.

 

[Mike Cash]

Contracts and leases are involved here, which none of us have seen. It makes it impossible for us to say anything definitive. And no matter what we say your boss certainly isn't going to feel bound by our opinions.

Pretty much all you can do at the moment is to wait and see if he really does turn out to be a reasonable guy or not and ask for a copy of whatever written documentation the landlord provides regarding damages assessed.

If it turns out that you feel you have been screwed over then you have two choices: eat it in silence or sue him.