Please Help !! The owner wants more security deposit

Hello all,

I am a foreigner living in Manila for more than a year. I rented a house in a condo in Ermita, and agreed to pay 13,500 Pesos every month and also I payed 2 months of security deposit. The contract was valid between 21 July 2010 and 21 July 2011. Now the land owner is asking me to sign another lease contract. And according to the new contract, he is asking me to raise the rent to 14,850 Pesos per month, and he is also asking me to pay 3 months of deposit, but I already payed for 2 months of security deposit last year. So my question is:

1. Is that legal to ask for more security deposit every time they renew the lease contract?

2. If it is not legal, what can I do?

Please help, because I don't know what to do.

Sincerely,

Rex Cenk Tekin

if he still has your old deposit, then you should only have to add to make it up to 3 mos.

on the other hand, it is not illegal to ask for additional deposit and if you don't want to add, you can renegotiate or leave.