Getting Your Security Deposit Back
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For a tenant to get their security deposit returned in full, they must learn to protect themselves from the time that they get the keys until they are returned to the property owner at the end of the lease. The tenant must be responsible for protecting their security deposit. It will only take a few minutes when they take possession to insure them for getting back the security deposit in full
As many tenants the subject of the security deposit is somewhat of a touchy subject. Most tenants assume they should receive their security deposit back in its entirety as long as there is no significant damage done to the flat. However, this is rarely true as there are number of factors which contribute to whether or not the security deposit or a portion of the deposit will be returned to the tenant when they vacate the premises.
Did You Do Any Major Damage?
Certainly doing major damage to the flat such as putting holes in the walls, breaking appliances or tearing up the flooring may warrant the security deposit being kept but even in these cases the leasing agent must justify these costs. In other words the leasing agent can’t use one damaged item to justify keeping the whole security deposit. Rather the leasing agent is obliged to determine a cost to repair the item. If this estimate is big enough to justify not returning the security deposit the tenant should be informed of the estimated price of repairing the flat.
Is Your Apartment Clean Enough?
All flats should be cleaned thoroughly before the renter vacates the property. This should include extensive cleaning of all rooms of the flat including the bedrooms, bathrooms and any common areas. A cleaning should also include cleaning of all of the blinds in the flat. Blinds may be rather hard to clean and many leasing agents charge approximately $10 per blind if they deem there’s a need to clean these items. This may add up rather quickly if there are a number of windows in the flat.
Many leasing agents also perform a number of standard cleaning functions when any resident vacates the property. This may include items such as cleaning out the refrigerator, shampooing the carpet or repainting the walls. When these items are required, there’s typically a fee associated with each item. In many cases, adding up these required fees results in a number which is likely already approaching the sum of the security deposit. Additionally, leasing agents often only allow for one hour of cleaning services to prepare a flat for the next residents. This is rarely enough time to complete the work and therefore tenants wind up being charged an additional fee at an hourly rate.
Have You Read Your Contract Documents?
Tenants who would like to have the greatest chance of having a large portion of their security deposit refunded to them should be very familiar with their contract documents. This is important while living in the flat as well as while getting ready to vacate the flat. It’s important to be familiar with the contract terms while living in the flat as it may prevent the tenant from making decorating options which is expressly banned by the rental agreement. These types of decisions may be expensive in the long run as they may result in the tenant being assessed for perceived damages by the leasing agent.
Tenants should also carefully review the contract documents as they’re preparing to vacate the property. This is important as it may aid the tenant to clean and make repairs to the flat in accordance to guidelines set forth by the renting agent. Doing this will make it much more expected the tenant won’t be assessed immoderate fees at the conclusion of the lease agreement.
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May 23 2011 08:07 am | Interior Design and Organizing - Storage Solution and Safety
