Moving Apartments? Advice For Keeping Your Security Deposit

It’s in the best interest of unscrupulous landlords to exaggerate the small scuffs and marks of an apartment you’re going to vacate, so they have some right to claim parts, or even all, of the security deposit you gave them. Of course, not all landlords will do this, but commercial landlords and those who manage multiple tenants to the point of not building strong relationships are more likely to do so.

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apartment living room in clean condition

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Regardless of how friendly they are, not giving them any excuse to claim against your hard-earned money is important. Of course, if damage really is present, well, that’s to be accepted. But even then, there are outcomes you can achieve to save you some cash. Let’s discuss what those may be, below:

Consider Thorough Cleaning

It’s true that apartments get lived in, and it’s normal for a few marks to show up here and there, and you may think it shouldn’t be expected to look brand new when you’re moving out. Yet just in case, leaving the place spotless is worthwhile. Landlords are way less likely to nitpick if they walk in and see everything cleaned properly.

That means inside the oven, wiping any grunge off the walls without damaging the paint, wiping down the back corners of the fridge, as if you were getting an inspection from a military officer. If the idea of scrubbing everything down doesn’t appeal (let’s face it, when does it?), you can always get someone in to help. Karla Maids is one option, as they’re known for being thorough and cleaning to a professional standard, and could pay for themselves in terms of how much money you save from your deposit. Give a copy of their receipt to the landlord as proof this has been done. Some landlords require a receipt from a professional cleaning service.

Make Small Repairs

If there’s a hole where a picture frame used to be, or a cupboard door somewhat off its hinges, it’s worth sorting those little things before you hand back the keys. Little repairs you could do yourself such as applying filler, a quick bit of sanding, or maybe tightening a few screws. It also sends the message that you took care of the apartment, which makes it harder for anyone to argue otherwise. You could even paint a little over parts of the wall, such as where pasta sauce splashed years ago. The less attention you draw to anything out of place, the better.

Photograph & Document Everything

Once you’ve done the cleaning and repairs, take photos of every room. Make sure to get the smaller areas such as corners, fixtures, under sinks, and inside wardrobes or closets, but also take high-resolution pictures of most rooms from a wide angle. Date the pictures too. Most smartphones can do this. Keep them safe in your cloud storage just in case anything comes up later. You might not need this, but it is a way to cover yourself if the landlord tries to say something was left in poor condition when you know it wasn’t. A couple of minutes walking around with your phone could end up saving you a decent bit of money, you never know.

With this advice, we hope you can more easily deal with the reality of moving apartments.

This is a contributed post.

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