Get Your Security Deposit Back

GIVING NOTICE

Even if you are on a lease and your lease is up, make sure to let the land lord know that you will not be renewing your lease. Most leases call for a thirty-day notice. Be out when you say you will be out. If you say you will be out by the first, be out by the first. Most land lords will deduct from your deposit for every day past that you
stay. Even if you are not sleeping there, if your belongings are still there, they can’t get the apartment ready for the next tenant.

REPAIRS

If there are any minor repairs you can do yourself, do them. It’s cheaper for you to do them yourself. If the land lord has to do it, you will be most likely be charged labor. Make sure the closet doors are all hung. If the towel bar is falling down, fix it. Things like
that. Most of the time if you have been in the apartment over a year and you fulfilled the terms of your lease, you will not be charged for carpet cleaning. This is usually considered
normal wear and tear, unless the carpet is excessively dirty. Check with the land lord to make sure about this.

If there are holes in the walls, it’s a good idea to find someone who knows how to patch them and have them do it. A good patch job will get you back your deposit. If the patch job is done by someone who doesn’t know what they are doing and it is visible, the and lord will have to re-do it and it won’t help you.

You should be reporting plumbing leaks and things that are the land lord’s responsibility to fix as they come along. Just to cover your bases, report these things as soon as you notice them. You could possibly be held responsible for any damage caused by the leak, if you did not report it promptly.

CLEANING
This is the thing I get asked about the most. There are a lot of things that need to be cleaned that people normally don’t think about.

* In the Kitchen:

Empty all the cupboards and drawers. Wash them inside and out. Make sure there are no crumbs or stains. Make sure that you also get the sides and hinges clean as well.
Clean the stove. If the drip pans will not come clean, it’s cheaper to replace them yourself than to have them deducted from your deposit. Make sure you clean under the burners and drip pans. Wash the front of the stove and the knobs as well as the surface. The range hood should be free from any sauce or grease splatter, Make sure you get the top and underneath as well.

Cleaning the oven is one thing that often gets missed. Make sure that there are no cooked on spills. Don’t forget the oven racks and if there is a broiler, clean that too. Don’t use an oven cleaner on a self cleaning oven, it will ruin it and blow your deposit. If the oven is not a self cleaning oven, a good foaming oven cleaner should be used. Make sure you let it sit on there long enough to get it clean. Most oven cleaners need to be left on for about fifteen minutes. Be sure to follow the directions exactly and heed all warnings on the container.

The sinks and counters should be free of stains and water marks. Make sure towipe down the sides and front of the counters, not just the counter top. Wipe down thewalls and clean light fixtures and switches. If your apartment has a dishwasher, this should be cleaned as well. In addition to wiping down the outside and the controls, make sure that the inside is clean and free from any odors and debris. Run some bleach through the dishwasher the day before you leave to make sure there are no odors.

And now for the refrigerator. Don’t leave any food in the refrigerator. Most models have shelves and crispers that can be removed. Take them out to clean them. Completely wash the inside of the refrigerator. Don’t forget the door shelves, wipe them out and wipe underneath them as well. Clean the magnetic strips surrounding the door, a toothbrush is very useful in cleaning the small crevices. Make sure to wash the outside of the refrigerator as well. Pay special attention to the door handle and the top of the door.

Defrost the freezer. Clean the shelves and the entire inside. Again, pay attention to the door shelves and magnetic seals. Now, here’s the part that most people forget. Pull the refrigerator away from the wall so that you can get behind it. Completely wash all the sides and the top of the refrigerator. Make sure that the floor where the refrigerator sits is clean, sweep it and mop it. Often times it is necessary to use a scouring pad to get thefloor clean. Do not leave the refrigerator turned off. When a refrigerator sits turned off, it often smells sour, even if it has been cleaned.

Sweep and mop the floor, scrub anything that will not come off with the mop. Pay special attention to the areas where the counter meets the floor and the corners.

* In the Bathroom

One thing I have learned over the years is that oven cleaner works great in the bath tub. It gets the body oils right up without much scrubbing. One warning, it may damage some tub surfaces. Test it on a small area first. Make sure you clean the tiles surrounding the tub/shower as well as the tub itself. Grout is important, a stiff toothbrush soaked in bleach is an excellent tool for this job.

When you clean the toilet, don’t just clean the bowl. Make sure you wash the top, sides, front and bottom of the tank and bowl. The area where the tub meets the floor is prone to get especially dirty. Pay special attention to the parts of the toilet you don’t normally look at. Any tough stains inside the bowl should come out if you pour bleach in the toilet and let it sit for a while before scrubbing with a toilet brush.

Make sure you have completely emptied the cupboards and drawers. Clean them inside and out. Make sure you get the front and sides and hinges. If the medicine cabinet has removable shelves, take them out to clean them, clean the inside of the medicine cabinet as well.

Make sure to clean the bathroom mirror, sink and counters. Clean the lightfixtures, and wipe the walls.

* It’s All In the Details

It’s important to pay attention to details. Clean all the lighting fixtures. If there is a ceiling fan, it should be dust free. Wipe down all the walls and doors. Make sure the door knobs are not dirty. Wash both sides of the doors. Clean the windows. Not just the glass. Make sure you are cleaning the window sill, the area surrounding the windows and the locks also.

If there is a patio, sweep it. Sweep the area in front of your front door. Also sweep out the furnace and water heater area. If your apartment has a wall or window mount air conditioner, make sure to clean it top and bottom and rinse off the filter. Clean the vents. Check every room, use a toothbrush to get into the small areas.

Finally, make sure there are no odors. Especially if you have pets or are a smoker. Vacuum the carpets with a carpet deodorizer available at any supermarket. Spray an air freshener into the heater vents and around the room.

Replace any burned out light bulbs and you should be done.

PAINTING

Check with the land lord on this one. Some prefer to do it themselves. Others areparticular about the color and some want you to do it. If you are to paint yourself, it’s not too hard. Use a roller and roll the paint on the wall in an up and down direction. Don’t get so much paint on the roller that it drips and runs. Don’t try to get too much out of the roller. If you have to push hard on the roller to get the color on the wall, it’s time for more paint. Use a paint brush to get the edges and the corners. If the ceiling is to be painted as well, purchase a roller extension to do that.

RETURNING THE KEYS

When you return your keys, do a walk through with the land lord. If there is anything you missed, request that the land lord allow you the opportunity to re-do it. If the land lord promises to return the deposit, get it in writing. Be sure to return all copies of the key. Make sure that if there is a separate key for the mail box, storage area, or common areas that those keys are returned as well.

Finally, provide an address where you deposit can be sent. A land lord cannot return the deposit if they don’t know where you are!