Well, it’s time to move on to your next apartment, your next life after what you’ve known for a while. You packed your bags, loaded the boxes onto the truck, took a nostalgic look, and hit the road. Then you remembered that maybe you should clean up a bit. After all, there was a security deposit you gave the landlord, and it would be nice to get it back, all of it!
What many people also need to remember is the amount of work that goes into preparing an apartment for the next tenant. If time and labor costs were fully accounted for, it would be difficult to generate the kind of balance on your security deposit that you would expect. For example, buying paint to repaint an entire apartment costs more than $100 on its own. Now you need to figure out how long it takes to get the job done right, which usually means more than one coat of paint.
So to help tenants, we provide three important things. The first is during the signing of the lease. Among the copies that all Tenants receive is the replacement cost sheet. This notice, which must be signed by all Tenants to acknowledge receipt and review, details the costs to the Tenant for specific cleaning, painting, and restoration work should Landlord need to deal with these items. The second is the apartment inspection sheet, which is also given to you when you sign the lease. Although we try to do our best to cover all facets of preparing an apartment, there are elements that may have been inadvertently overlooked. Once you have inspected the apartment and if items were cited, this apartment inspection sheet remains in your file and is used to compare the work that needs to be done when the apartment is vacant. The third is before you move in. We provide you with a moving checklist. This checklist will give you a very good idea of what you as a Tenant must do, based on your apartment inspection sheet, to recover that balance in full.
Here are some of the items listed on our moving checklist:
- Bathroom: Clean above and below the bathroom sink; clean shower door tracks, shower doors, and of course, scrub the tub and/or shower base. Clean medicine cabinets and make sure they are in good working order. Clean tiled walls and mirrors. Make sure the toilet is clean inside and out. Check the exhaust fan and clean the exhaust fan cover.
- Bedroom: Dust and clean the inside of windows and window frames. Clean cabinets, cabinet doors, and shelves. Vacuum and clean carpets. Paint the room or touch up marks and scratches, if possible.
- Kitchen: Give cabinets and cupboards, as well as countertops, a good wash. Scrub the oven, stove, and broiler, especially if you used the stove a lot. Clean the range hood and check the hood fan to make sure it works. Mop or clean the kitchen floor. Clean the dishwasher. Make sure the refrigerator is clean and shiny, both inside and out.
Landlords are generally not in the business of keeping security deposits. It is not a basis for income and should only be used when necessary. The more time you can save the Owner by showing and renting to a new Tenant, the better your chances of getting the full or nearly full deposit back.
