When signing the lease for your rental home or apartment, you are required to make a security deposit.
At the time of moving in, you think you won’t make big changes to the house, but with time changes happen.
And if you don’t return the house to the landlord in its original condition, you may see deductions in your security deposit.
When moving out, everyone wants their full security deposit back. Hence, in this article, we’ve given some tips to increase your chances of the same.
Eight tips to maximize your chances of getting the full security deposit back
1. Read the agreement carefully.
Read the agreement carefully a few months before moving out. Rental agreements are often filled with legal jargon; hence, it’s important to read them thoroughly.
You read the rental agreement while moving in, but after living for months or years in the house, you may forget the rules you agreed upon with your landlord.
You can mistakenly assume that the move-out notice period is 30 days because it is common in most places. But what if the agreement asks for a notice period of 45 days before moving out?
2. Give move-out notice
Send a proper move-out notice to the landlord via email or text before moving out. Written notice also works as proof of you sending the notice on time. Again, read the agreement to check the mentioned notice period. But if there’s nothing mentioned there, notify your landlord at least 30 days before you leave the property.
3. Landlord walk-through before moving out
When submitting a move-out notice, ask your landlord to visit the property. Ask what things in the house require repair and cleaning and what things can be left as is.
This will help you focus on the things that matter to the landlord and will save you from wasting time on things that won’t affect your security deposit.
4. Deep cleaning
After shifting your items to the new place, give one last deep clean to the place. This cleaning should be so good that the new tenant feels good and welcomed.
Get rid of all the rubbish, clean the toilet, scrub the sink and bathroom walls, clean the refrigerator, vacuum the carpet, and mop the floor. Don’t leave any clue that you lived there.
5. Repair any damages
This is one of the most common reasons for landlords to deduct money from the deposit. In the pre-move-out walk-through, you asked the landlord for things that needed to be fixed. Now fix those things during the notice period.
Call a professional if the repairs are complex, such as a microwave oven or bathroom fittings. Don’t try to repair it by yourself to make it even worse. But you can do some easy fixes, such as patching the holes in the wall or unclogging the kitchen sink.
6. Final inspection
Call your landlord for a final inspection one last time before moving out. This will ensure you’ve taken care of all the repairs the landlord mentioned. After the successful final inspection, you can hand over the keys to your landlord.
7. Don’t leave any stuff behind
Do not leave any items in the apartment that are not useful to you anymore. Because if it costs the landlord to remove it, your money will be deducted from the deposit.
Anything you installed in the house, whether it’s temporary or permanent, if the landlord doesn’t like it, remove it.
If you can’t take it out yourself, hire a professional strip-out company to do it. There are many well-known strip-out and demolition companies in Australia. One such company is Metro Defits. They provide everything from flooring removal to bathroom strip-outs.
8. Return all the keys
Return all the keys that were given to you. It includes door keys, mailbox keys, almirah keys, etc. Losing a key will cost the landlord to make new keys or even change the lock, which will be deducted from your security deposit.
Conclusion
Every tenant desires to get their full security deposit back when they move out. But with that, you need to avoid certain things that make the landlord deduct money from your security deposit.
If you return the property to the owner as per the agreed terms, they can’t take your deposited money. And if you face any such problems, even when it’s not your fault, do not hesitate to seek legal help.
