It's possible to arrange this though usually the current tenant would (a) pack up his/her personal stuff, and (b) arrange it themselves. The landlord can already charge them rent while they're away so there's little legitimate motivation for the landlord to be arranging the subletting in most cases (unless with arrangement with the current tenant). Sounds like it's very likely the tenant is unaware that the place is being sublet...

Another 'bad habit' (from the foreigner's POV) some landlords have is bringing people through to look at the place as the end of your lease approaches... without telling you... and without checking first to see if you'd like to renew the lease yourself. Of course, your stuff is likely to be sitting out and at high risk of theft in these situations. The first time I was looking at places to rent in Phnom Penh, I found myself being the person being shown through others' houses... so, starting from my very first place rented one of my first actions is always to buy new locks. It will be a good $20 investment for peace of mind and greater security!

It really depends on how well you know your landlord, what you should do when you leave for an extended period. For security reasons you should tell the landlord that you will be away. (If you don't trust the landlord enough to tell them that, you should be thinking of moving anyway.) The cautious, though, when leaving for an extended period, will change all the locks and give keys to a trusted friend who will visit occasionally to check on the place. And, not give keys to the landlord but instead give that friend's phone number to call in case of emergency. Unless very trusted, cleaners shouldn't be given keys either while you're away - the landlord may just gain access to the place while the cleaner is there, or even convince them to allow copying of the key. You'd need to have a cleaner you know will be assertive and say "no" to the building owner if necessary.

Even if not going so far as to sublet the place, it's not uncommon for landlords to access and use the place during a planned absence. Perhaps family will come in from out of town and use it, or else they just prefer your couch, you have a bigger TV, you have aircon, or they want to be nosy and see what you've got in your house. etc etc. I've heard many stories of things like this happening.

I wouldn't say by any means that the above applies to all or even the majority of landlords... just a big enough minority that it's something to be cautious of. I gather it's more likely to happen in the cheaper places than the expensive places, where the landlords usually know better. Often it's simply a case of a landlord not thinking it's the wrong thing to do... cultural differences, etc, you know. Changing the locks = no chance of misunderstanding, accidental or otherwise.

Anyone know a Swiss/German guy who's on extended holiday who should be given a heads-up??

BC

Thank you for this. I will definitely chnge the lock!

yes, actually ... just sent off an email, lol