Rental Security Deposits-Getting Back As Much As Possible

Ten Great Tips To Get Most Of Your Rental Security Deposit Back

Getting Back Your Rental Security Deposit

The biggest gripe from any tenant is about their deposit when they move from a home.  Most tenants feel they are leaving the home in great condition, and usually, the landlord and tenant never see eye to eye on how much they’ll get back.

Well, to start, the landlord will use your deposit to make the home as close to the condition as you received it when you originally rented the home.  If the carpet was new, and now it’s full of stains even after you’ve shampooed it, you’re going to be charged for it.  I could go on and on.  The bottom line is, you’ll both never agree.  So how do you take back control over your deposit?  See my five tips below for help:

1. Clean the place thoroughly.  This includes the refrigerator, stove, the oven, and all bathrooms. ‘nough said.
2. Paint the walls.  While the entire walls my not need painting, spot touch ups will not work.  Paint fades over time, and if you use paint in a can that matched a year ago, it may not match a year later when you move.  It’s going to have a polka dot effect.  You may want to take a swatch off an inconspicuous area and take it to the nearest home center and get an exact match
3. Fix items that are damaged.  When YOU fix it, you are in control of the cost.  When the landlord fixes it, the cost varies based on who they hire to repair the items.  You will have no control of that. That paint job that will just cost a can of paint and your time when you do it, will cost paint AND labor.  You should know that on almost 99.99% of contractor jobs, labor is the biggest charge. See item number 1.  Just imagine what the labor would be on that if the property is left in bad shape.  If you have a friend that is a contractor, ask them to come by and give your empty place a look over.  Another pair of experienced eyes is always a good thing.
4. Turn over all keys and garage door openers. If they go missing, you’ll pay for them.
5. Get a professional to shampoo the carpet.  Now let me clarify this statement, if you have been cleaning your carpet on an ongoing basis and it’s in pretty decent shape and could use a little freshening up, by all means, if you feel comfortable, do it yourself carpet cleaning will work wonders.  BUT, if the carpet has a lot of stains, call a professional.

Just to reiterate, YOU control the costs of repairs/cleanup when YOU take care of it. Plan your move outs so you can do the work while the home is empty.  There’s no guarantee that following this list will mean that you’ll get back all your deposit, but it will definitely minimize the amount the landlord will charge against your deposit

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Andrea Davis is a real estate broker with 15 years experience working in the Atlanta real estate market, specializing in residential rentals and property management, residential sales and short sales.  Andrea is passionate about educating buyers, sellers and renters throughout their home acquisition process and maintains blogs at Georgia Homes For Rent, $100 Down Foreclosure, Bank Owned Foreclosure Homes and her company site CHRAtlanta.  Andrea firmly believes in the power of education and lives by the motto "knowledge is power".

Andrea's goal with this blog is to help Landlords and Tenants alike navigate through the rental home process to get the best from your rental home.