Time to move? Moving out of your apartment or rental home and trying to get your full security deposit back?
There are a lot of different circumstances that can affect the amount that you may or may not receive back upon moving out. Have you kept the home in proper condition? What about any damages to any of the surface wear or makeup of the house?
Here are some helpful tips on how you can get your security deposit back when you are moving out:
Security Deposit Checklist
This could be called several different things, but when you are moving out you can request for a checklist that you can go through item by item to ensure that everything is in its rightful condition and place. That way there will be no surprises (hopefully) if you don’t receive the full refund of your security deposit upon moving out.
With a checklist that you and your landlord agree on, you will be aware of the inspection that will be done in each room of the house you are living in. If you have this in advance, you can go through what needs to either be repaired or replaced in each one to prepare.
Making Repairs
Anything that you have found that needs to be fixed should immediately be worked on.
Hopefully, no damage is too great that it wouldn’t be worth it to fix just for your security deposit back (mainly if you’re overspending on the cost to fix the issue versus the amount you will get back from your security deposit).
Little things can easily be fixed, all it takes sometimes is some elbow grease and paint!
Take Pictures
This may seem like overkill but pictures are the key to backing up your story. Visual evidence makes a great defense for your security deposit.
If you prepare in advance far enough, you can take pictures of your place before you move in to prove of any existing damage or issues within the apartment or home. That way you can have proof and keep them on file for future use.
It is also smart to take pictures once you have moved out of every room. You don’t want to have the apartment/home inspectors using anything against you or causing any damage that could be in turn blamed on you.
Pictures are evidence and are a good thing to have on hand just in case.
Know Your Lease
It wouldn’t hurt to look over and analyze your lease before you are about to move out.
Read up on anything that you might have to do or anything that is in the clauses with the process of moving out. You don’t want any surprises when it comes to inspection time, you want to be fully prepared!
Not to mention it is important you look over your lease as to make sure that you aren’t forgetting anything while you are moving out.
Depending on how much you had to put down for your security deposit, it can really play a role in the amount you are needing and wanting to get back. It is important that you plan ahead accordingly for your repairs to maximize the outcome for your full return of your security deposit.
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