As any renter who’s changed apartments knows, moving can be an expensive proposition. And when money is tight, the last thing you need is to be assessed unexpected charges against your security deposit.
With the fall moving season looming, you may be among renters anticipating a change of address. If so, now’s the time to start working toward the greatest possible return on your deposit.
The experience of long-time renter John Grob demonstrates that gaining a 100 percent return of a security deposit isn’t necessarily difficult. Grob, 39, an investigator for a Loop law firm, has moved twice in recent years-from one apartment community to another in Mt. Prospect and, most recently, from Mt. Prospect to a high-rise in Chicago. In each case, a little extra effort resulted in his reclaiming his entire security deposit.
“When I moved I would clean the kitchen thoroughly,” he said. “I would clean the stove, refrigerator and sink, wipe down the counters, and wash the floors. Same thing in the bathroom.
“My biggest plus was always taking care of the nail holes (where pictures hung). I’d just get that putty and all it took was five minutes to cover those up. The last thing I’d do was vacuum the carpet as I was going out the door. The vacuum was the last thing I carried out.”
Read their minds
Grob’s experience demonstrates that it pays to understand what management will view as shortcomings in the condition of your apartment. A good rule of thumb is that anything above “normal wear and tear” in an apartment can lead to a deduction from your security deposit, apartment managers say.
Wear and tear is often most noticeable in carpeting. A certain amount of wear is expected, says Susan Williams, general manager of the 505-unit North Pier Apartment Tower in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood.
There, carpeting is depreciated over five years, and a tenant who’s put a couple of years wear into the carpet in his two years at the complex won’t face charges.
“It’s only the people who’ve really destroyed the carpet in one or two years who will take a hit,” Williams says. “Usually, these are people who never vacuum, and the dirt builds up and becomes ground into the carpet.” Drink, bleach and pet stains as well as burns can also lead to charges for excessive wear and tear in carpeting.
“Stains in carpets that have to be treated by a specialist are costly for properties,” notes Carol Mitchell, property manager at the 541-unit Westwood Spring Apartments in Woodridge. “With pets, you can often get the stain out, but not the odor.”
Tenants whose apartments haven’t been thoroughly cleaned are also subject to deductions from their security deposit. Lack of cleaning effort on the part of departing tenants is likely to be most noticeable in the tub, sink, commode, tile and cabinets of the bathroom, and in the sink, oven, refrigerator, cabinets and on the stovetop in the kitchen, property managers report.
The condition of the walls is another concern. If tenants have painted or wallpapered the walls, they are expected to return those walls to the original condition or color at many apartment complexes. Failure to do so can result in charges against the security deposit, although the policy on paint can differ widely from one property to another.
A general rule is the darker the walls, the more likely a charge will be levied if tenants move out without restoring the original color.
Paula Carlotta, general manager of seven buildings on Chicago’s North Side, says some of her tenants have painted their apartment walls black or dark green.
“Typically, we’d use two coats to cover a previous paint job,” she says. “But if we need to do a third coat to cover a bright red wall, for example, the renter will be charged for one coat of paint.”
Paper chase
Carlotta’s renters can also face security deposit reductions if they’ve wallpapered the apartment and don’t remove both the wallpaper and the glue attaching it to the walls.
Renters who leave furniture, clothing, hangers, boxes and other refuse also can find themselves shorted when security deposits are returned. “In the case of furniture, the scavenger service will charge us” to haul it away, Carlotta says. “We have to pass that cost on.”
Other physical damage and wear that can lead to charges at many properties includes dents in appliances; scratches on floors; damage to mini-blinds; deep surface scratches, burns or other severe damage to countertops; broken windows; torn screens; holes in cabinets, cabinet doors or drywall; damaged appliances and missing parts of appliances.
And the costs can add up, property managers say. For example, the charge for removing an old sofa and other debris from the apartment can run from $20 to $45 or more, depending on the scavenger company used. Hiring a painter to repaint an apartment can result in a deduction of $25 or more per hour of painting. Cleaning charges could run as high as $20 to $25 per hour.
Property managers report that cleaning carpets is often the costliest charge, running at least $60 and much more if pre-treatments or more than one application of cleaner is required.
Aside from these charges, the renter can also face penalties for damage outside his or her unit. If doorways, railings, hallway walls and other exterior areas are accidentally damaged when moving furniture and possessions out of the building, that too can lead to deductions from a security deposit.
But physical damage and wear is just one source of charges, says Kelly Treesh, resident manager at Village in the Park, an 861-unit community in Schaumburg.
Enough notice?
“Not giving us enough notice that they’ll be vacating their apartments is another reason we deduct from security deposits,” she reports. “We need adequate time to lease the apartment. Many companies are now requiring notice in writing two full months before the renter leaves.”
Unpaid charges and delinquent rent payments can also lead to charges against the deposit, according to Treesh and other property managers.
What can renters do to avoid a shock when they receive their security deposit refund? Start with a review of the lease, says Beverly O’Connor, general manager of the 1,158-unit Somerset Apartments in Glendale Heights.
She notes that some properties charge a basic flat fee for “redecorating” that is spelled out in the lease. That charge is applied regardless of the condition of the apartment on moveout day.
Though the redecorating fee is unavoidable, reading the lease can remind renters of the charge they may have forgotten. That can help them brace themselves for a refund perhaps $75 to $100 smaller than expected.
In addition, ask for a schedule of costs for repairs and cleaning if you didn’t receive one when you moved in, and also request a walk-through by management, says North Pier’s Williams.
In your walk-through, ask management to be as specific as possible about steps you can take in the remaining weeks to minimize charges, Williams says.
Because many apartment complexes actively discourage renters from trying to repair damage, steps to reduce security deposit penalties often center on repainting and thoroughly cleaning the unit.
“We want to see it neat and clean and with normal wear,” says Treesh of Village in the Park. “In those instances, we’ll return the full deposit.”
Treesh and other property managers recommend thorough cleaning of the refrigerator, burners on the stove, oven and cabinets in the kitchen. In the bathroom, the sink, tub and toilet should be scoured and mildew removed from the tile surfaces.
In addition, all shelves and horizontal surfaces should be dust-free. If carpets need to be cleaned, Westwood Springs Apartments’ Mitchell recommends hiring a carpet cleaner approved by management, so that stains aren’t accidentally made worse.
If your lease requires walls to be returned to their original condition, remove wallpaper and glue and repaint.
And if holes have been left behind where pictures were hung, ask management whether you should repair them. Some properties, such as Somerset Apartments, don’t charge for small holes. At others, such as North Pier Apartment Towers, residents are urged to spackle walls to avoid charges.
No leavings, please
On moveout day, remove all items from the apartment, including clothes, hangers, boxes and items remaining in the refrigerator. Carry trash out to the dumpster. If you’ve enlisted friends to help you move, urge them to negotiate stairways, hallways, the front door and other common areas with caution.
And Mitchell reminds renters to leave a forwarding address. “Many times, renters will leave without giving us a forwarding address,” she says. “Then we can’t mail them their security deposit.”
Finally, as you move into your new place, get a good headstart on minimizing deductions from your new security deposit. Property managers report that a careful move-in inspection with management can detail any damage to the apartment. Getting a manager to sign off on a checklist noting deficiencies in the unit can help you make sure you’re not charged for those problems when you depart.
Mitchell sums it up best: “The best thing to do is to know the policies (regarding charges to security deposits) and get them in writing when you move in.”
