A big percentage of the generation from 1989 to 1995 is struggling to secure the financial independence for a personally owned home, so they rely on renting out a house or an apartment.
Most of us are either new homeowners or are currently renting and know the deal with the security deposit, depending on your contract it might be double the value of your initial rent.
The idea behind it is to give security to the landlord for any damage to the property or in case you are unable to pay the rent or bills on time.
But there comes a time when you will move out and by law you are entitled to that deposit, given that there are no damages done to the property, however, this is where some landlords decide to be dishonest and refuse the deposit on the grounds of damage.
What to do when you are moving out
A very common tip when preparing to move out, is to survey the area properly and fix any damage that might have occurred during your occupation.
If there is damage to the apartment prior to your tenancy, you should have notified your landlord of it at the beginning β this prevents you from paying for damages you were not responsible for.
Call a cleaning company
Some landlords refuse to release the security deposit because of the condition of the apartment. Call a cleaning service to do a deep cleaning of the property β the price of the service is worth it.
You can even go the extra mile and clean the apartment yourself β itβs not that hard. There are some awesome ways of cleaning the home in no time.
This approach will get you on the good side of your landlord and make it a lot more likely that he will release the deposit.
Make sure to document any improvements you make to the property
There are some involved landlords who do not like it when tenants make improvements to the home, even if itβs as simple as painting the wall a different color.
For those who do have a cool land lord, make sure to document every improvement and keep the receipts for any renovation work done and materials you have purchased β this should help you to get your deposit back.
Keep record of any damage prior to moving in
As mentioned above, it is always wise to make notice, verbal or written, to the landlord, of any preexisting damage that you have found on the property.
Clear communication in this case is paramount as it will invalidate any attempts on their part of pinning the damage on your β while these cases are quite rare and most people are happy to release the deposit, you can never be too careful
