Tip #1: Read Your Lease
Perhaps your lease isn’t the first place you would normally go to find cleaning tips. But as a renter, the chances are that your lease documents (including addenda, if any) include language that can help you understand what your landlord’s expectations are. In many cases, you’ll find answers to questions like whether you need to have the carpets professionally cleaned, which parts of the property will be double checked, and so on.
Tip #2: Get (and Use) A Move-Out Checklist
Good landlords will typically send their tenants a move-out checklist during the time that their tenants give notice they are leaving. However, even if yours did not, you can discover that there are numerous detailed cleaning checklists online. It’s fairly important to use a checklist as you clean to guarantee that you don’t overlook things, both inside and out in the yard. Even small cleaning tasks missed might add up to big deductions on your security deposit, so it’s worth the effort.
Tip #3: Think Like a Landlord
One of the confirmed ways to get your entire security deposit back is to put yourself in your landlord’s shoes. Make an effort to remember the condition the property was in when you moved in, and aim for that same level of cleanliness when you leave. If you have any questions, ask your landlord what their definition of “clean” is. You could even bear in mind that the next tenant will wish to move into a clean house, so leaving it the way you would like it if you were moving in is a good rule of thumb.
Tip #4: Don’t Leave Stuff Behind
It’s all too common for tenants to abandon personal property they no longer need or want in a rental house. But it’s not too much more effort to drag your unwanted junk to the curb or drop it off at a charity thrift shop. Plus, if you leave your stuff on the property, the landlord will likely charge you for clean-up and removal of the items. That spells a smaller security deposit coming back to you.
Tip #5: Go the Extra Mile
In the midst of moving out, it may be tempting to do the minimum amount of cleaning while cutting corners wherever you can. While that may work in some situations, in most cases, that approach will lead to deductions from your security deposit for cleaning and repairs. If you can, allow yourself a little extra time to go over some of the details. Fill nail holes with drywall putty, for example, or make sure you’ve cleaned interior windows and dusted the blinds and ceiling fans.
By following these move-out cleaning tips, you leave your landlord with very little to complain about and no reasons not to give you your full security deposit back in regards to cleanliness.
Are you looking for a new rental? Real Property Management Metro West-Worcester has the perfect home for you. Check out our listings online or call us at 508-329-6000.