Landlord threatening immediate eviction and keeping 130k deposit over a 1 week rent delay. Is this Legal?
Hi everyone, I need some urgent advice and perspectives on my current renting situation here in the Philippines.
Monthly Rent: P130,000 every two months (average to 65k a month)
Security Deposit: P130,000 (2 months security deposit currently held by the landlord)
The Issue: Our rent due date was exactly only 1 week ago.
Our Timeline: We have explicitly communicated to the landlord that we can pay the full amount in 3 to 5 days (making it a total of 10-12 days late).
The landlord is refusing to give us those 3-5 days. They are sending us strict verbal and text threats stating that if we do not pay right now, they will find a new tenant who is willing to pay a higher price, and that we must move out immediately.
They are also hinting at keeping our P130,000 security deposit if we are forced out.
Also, they never gave us a copy of our signed lease contract.
Because of this, we can't even check what the fine print says. This happened just today, and their office is already closed, so we cannot go there to check our contract right now.
My Questions for the Community:
- Is it possible or legally valid for a contract to state that a tenant can be forced out immediately after just 7 days of delay? Can a contract clause even override national eviction laws?
- Is it legal for a landlord or property management office to withhold the tenant's copy of the signed lease contract?
- Can a landlord legally evict a tenant immediately over a 12-day max rent delay just to get someone else who pays more?
- If they really carry out their threats, what are our immediate legal options? Can we recover our P130,000 deposit?
I would love to hear from anyone who has dealt with a similar situation, or anyone with a background in local leasing laws.
Thank you!
PS. Not a male, I’m a filipina