If you’ve lived in a rental, chances are you’ve had issues when it comes to getting your security deposit back. Whether you’ve stained the carpet or broken fixtures, landlords can take money out of your deposit to complete repairs after you move out of your apartment or house.
Here are some things you can do to ensure you get your security deposit back and at least give you the best chance!
1. Clean everything.
Whether you rented your place furnished or unfurnished, after the last box has been packed by your local moving company, get to work on cleaning the space. Clean the floors, floorboards, trim, ceiling fans, windows, and appliances. Rent a carpet cleaner and clean any spots. This will prevent your former landlord from using your deposit to deep clean the apartment-especially if you’ve lived there a long time!
2. Patch holes and make repairs.
Chances are, you’ve got some holes in the walls from nails or accidental dings from furniture. Patching these up yourself will save you in the long run! If you know that the screens need to be replaced or that doorknobs have been damaged, obtain those yourself for a fraction of the price and your landlord will charge you for doing those repairs after you leave.
3. Documentation
Take pictures of the place before you move out. By maintaining good documentation of the condition of the place when you move out, you can prevent your landlord from coming after you for damages to the apartment or house if you know there aren’t any. If you kept a list when you first moved in of any imperfections of the property, now is the time to compare the list to the current state of the property.
4. Work Outside
Keeping the property clean on the outside is just as important. Clean any debris out of the yard, schedule bulk pickup, and clean out any outbuildings your rental may have had.
5. Enlist Help
Sometimes, moving out can do the most damage if you’re moving yourself! Save yourself the hassle of accidentally breaking windows, scratching floors, or denting doorways-hire professional movers to do the heavy lifting for you. By having a local professional moving company, you’re less likely to add any moving damages and have a better chance of getting your security deposit back!
Wildcat Movers wishes you a Happy Moving!