How To Get Your Deposit Back From A Landlord
When you move out of a rental property, you need to reclaim your deposit from the landlord and that can cause problems. The deposit is there to cover the cost of any damage that you have caused so, as long as you look after the place properly, you shouldn’t need to worry too much about it. Unfortunately, there are some rogue landlords out there who will try to get their hands on as much of the deposit as they can, and they will come up with all sorts of false reasons for keeping the money. You need to protect yourself in these situations because it’s your word against theirs and there is a lot of money at stake. Most people can’t afford to lose that kind of money, especially if you need it to cover the deposit on a new place. If you are moving out of a rental property soon, here are a few tips to help you make sure that you get your deposit back.
Take Before And After Photographs
The best thing to do is always take before and after photographs so you have some proof that the place was in good condition. Before you start setting up your new place and filling it with all of your things, you should go around and take lots of detailed pictures. Try to find any damage, no matter how small, and get a picture of it. This will prove that the damage was already there and it wasn’t caused by you.
When it comes time to move out, you need to get some more photos, preferably when the place is empty. If you get a company like Bekins Moving Solutions to pack everything up and move it over to your new place or put it in storage, you can take photos of the empty property. This stops the landlord from staging any damage after you have moved out.
Keep Emails And Messages
If there is damage and you have asked the landlord to fix it, but they haven’t, they can’t charge you for it when you move out, unless you caused the damage yourself. But it’s hard to prove this if you don’t have any evidence, so you need to keep any emails and messages between you and your landlord, especially ones where you are asking for repairs to be done.
Clean Thoroughly
Cleaning is so important as well because a lot of landlords will charge you a cleaning fee if you don’t leave the place spotless when you move out. Rogue landlords will be looking for any excuse to keep your deposit, so don’t give them one. Ask for a cleaning checklist and make sure that the entire property is immaculate. That way, you don’t give them an opportunity to try to keep your deposit.
As long as you do these 3 things, you shouldn’t have any problem getting your full deposit back from your landlord.
