I saw a very attractive advertisement of a single accommodation in Mt Lavinia. When I called a lady answered and quickly arranged to see the room. It was a two separate bedroom apartment and the good landlady agreed to give one room for a 20,000 Rupees. With one meal she offered for 25,000 and that was also attractive offer. The apartment has a common sitting room and a small kitchenette.
Since I was not planning to cook I didn't bother to ask for an oven, but I mentioned it would be nice to have a Microwave to which the landlady agreed. She asked me to buy it and she will deduct from the rent. That I was ready too.
I gave her a 25,000 advance and I told her I would like to stay for one year. But I will have to go back home once every 3 months, because that will be the longest I could stay a one time. So she made an agreement for 3 months.
I was so happy about the house which was so near the Mt. Beach and it was quite comfortable room with a hot water for showering and a washing machine in the bathroom. She connected Wifi also.
Her cooking is very nice and she was so good she provided all meals instead of just one meal we agreed.
She is and older lady of about 73 years slim with seemingly in a good health. She was very friendly and comes to my sitting room for a chatter in the evening. Since there is no tv her visits are quite entertains too. Her stories of young age and her being married with a very famous wealthy husband and the events of her life stories are very fascinating.
Now that I became friends and family like and soon her daughter with her son decided to visit to the house.
The daughter began to complain that I am staying in one room of the apartment and the other room is unoccupied and the amount they are getting monthly is much less. Then she began to insist I rent that room also for which I am not ready because I am the only one living and I don't have anyone in the family or among friends who is looking for a single room.
Then again the daughter began to complain her mom is cooking 3 meals for me and I am eating without paying. She asked 500 Rupees a day for 3 meals. But when I calculated I don't need to spend that much to eat from the house. Since I am to get a one meal, the breakfast for which I had provided eggs and bread also. I gave them food money and after a few days they stopped all meals.
From the day I came they haven't provided a cleaner and I wanted to clean the place. The daughter offered but I didn't want her do that work out of the respect to the family.
Problems started from the day the daughter came. A small item lost, the Wifi data began to evaporate soon. They insisted they don't use. Her son being a very obedient teenager have nothing to do with the internet, so it was me only who must be using. The mother daughter and the son lives in the main house upstairs.
Now the toilet flush tank began to leak and the water is not holding. I asked them but they blamed me breaking it, which I have no desire or intention to do so. If things are working properly there it is my convenience more than to them also. I told them that. Since they didn't want to repair I bought a pail and began to used it and after a few days a guy came and fixed it temporarily. No sooner he left the problem continued. That was a minor problem now because somethings serious began to happen.
The landlady began to insist that they have to give the both rooms to a foreigner couple who are living a close by Hotel. So the requested me to vacate wishing one month. The brought a new agreement also and I read and it said they will give back the advance money after deducting when the bills come.
Now the big mistake I did was to sign that agreement thought it looked good. They took the agreement when I signed and brought it without them signing. I didn't check when they brought it back and because i was in a haste the time they brought it whether they really have signed with a witness or not. I didn't even expect a foul play by such nice people. I think I saw one paper they have signed, but the one they brought has only my signature which I didn't notice.
After a few days they began to push me to leave immediately even though the agreement clearly says I can stay till 18th. They insisted I leave otherwise they will cut the power or water. (Water was given free)
When I pointed out that I have till 18th they said they will file a police case if I didn't leave. I was baffled how they could disregard the agreement so easily. And since I didn't commit a crime what charge they could bring against me.
Anyway making troubles is the farthest thing in my mind. I left almost immediately when I find a reasonable hotel to stay.
But when I went to hand over the keys no one came out to check if everything was ok or to receive the keys. I called the lady and she said put the key on the lock and leave. I was with another person and and he will know I didn't do any harm or damage and everything was the same way as I came in.
After coming back I asked a friend to talk them in Singhalese and find out if I they are willing to pay back anything from the advance money.
The immediately came on offensive saying I left the place with too much damage.
Then they filed a case to the police against the person who called them about the advance money. They accused him of threatening them.
The guy was caught is a very serious situation which none of us ever thought would happen. So the guy provided the paper he got from me that says they will pay the advance money back and to my horror the paper didn't have their signature. Only my signature there. So both of us got into a problem worse than that amount of money we expected to get from her.
Now I remember that she talked about another Maldivian couple who stayed there destroyed their stuff too.
If this is a scheme they plan it very well. I almost got in a trouble much worse than I could even imagine.
The purpose of my writing this is for others to be aware of possible con artists like these who could do unthinkable damages and ruin your life for you.
A few more things there to say, but those are not important right now.
Bad experience with a nice accommodation I found.
Very sad to hear your story.
Living in Sri Lanka as a foreigner always ends up into I nightmare.
What was your experience?
Sounds terrible for you. I'm from Australia, and if a contract is made then it is a legal document. The landlady and her family would not have been legally within their rights to push you out early, as you signed an agreement with the particular date and had to have reasonable time to arrange your next accommodation.
As a person who was born and raised in SL and have lived half of my life in Europe I noticed a huge difference between Sri Lankan mentality and European mentality. This story is a prime example for that. Most of Sri Lankans have very hard time to confront a person or to discuss and solve a problem, specially with people who they are not familiar with no matter the nationality. Not every Sri Lankan but many of them are so.
Now there are several sides of everything, we do not know what this family have been expected from OP, not even OP had a chance to realize it. Because they never let OP know it the way OP should understand it for instance landlady offered OP two extra meals per day even though it was not the contract from the beginning. When OP could not live up to their expectations what ever they may had been, they started to react with a different manner which also was not acceptable. But that is how lot of Sri Lankans react. Instead of discussing the matter to solve it or to meet at the halfway they are becoming defensive to cover their back and outgoings. They would not think about what comes out from the hostile manner they use to do it, whether it is right or wrong, fair or unfair.
But non of these do mean that Sri Lankans are horrible, corrupted people rather their point of view become pretty narrow sometimes, specially when something has to do with money.
