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Getting Your Security Deposit Back
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For many renters the subject of the security deposit is somewhat of a touchy
subject. Most renters assume they should receive their security deposit back
in its entirety as long as there is no significant damage done to the
apartment. 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 renter when they vacate the premises.
Did You Do Any Major Damage?
Certainly doing major damage to the apartment 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 cannot
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 large enough to justify not returning the
security deposit the renter should be informed of the estimated cost
of repairing the apartment.
Is Your Apartment Clean Enough?
All apartments should be cleaned thoroughly before the tenant vacates
the property. This should include extensive cleaning of all rooms of
the apartment including the bedrooms, bathrooms and any common areas.
A cleaning should also include cleaning of all of the blinds in the
apartment. Blinds can be rather difficult to clean and many leasing
agents charge approximately $10 per blind if they deem there is a
need to clean these items. This can add up rather quickly if there
are a number of windows in the apartment.
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 is
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
an apartment for the next residents. This is rarely enough time to
complete the work and therefore renters wind up being charged an
additional fee at an hourly rate.
Have You Read Your Contract Documents?
Renters who want 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 apartment as well as while getting ready to vacate
the apartment. It is important to be familiar with the contract
terms while living in the apartment because it can prevent the
renter from making decorating choices which are explicitly
prohibited by the rental agreement. These types of decisions
can be costly in the long run because they may result in the
renter being assessed for perceived damages by the leasing agent.
Renters should also carefully review the contract documents
as they are preparing to vacate the property. This is important
because it may help the renter to clean and make repairs to the
apartment in accordance to guidelines set forth by the leasing
agent. Doing this will make it much more likely the renter will
not be assessed exorbitant fees at the conclusion of the rental agreement.
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