How to Ensure You Get Your Whole Deposit Back

Whenever you decide to get an apartment, you knowing going in that you will need to pay rent monthly. But before you even get your apartment, you will need to put down a deposit. The deposit cost is generally the total of month and a half of rent. So, although it is a large amount, you usually get it back. But a lot of things could happen from the time you first move into when you move out, which can affect how much of your deposit you get back. Here are some tips to ensure you will get your whole deposit back. 

When you first move in, your landlord should give you a checklist for your apartment. You should go around your whole apartment and critique everything. If there are any dings on the walls or holes, make sure to note that in the checklist. This will be existing problems and they shouldn’t affect your deposit. 

If you painted a wall, you should be sure to paint it back to the standard color. Also, if you hung up any pictures or if there are any holes in the walls, make sure to fix those as well. You’ll want to make sure your apartments look like it did on the day you moved in.

 

This may be obvious but make sure you clean your apartment thoroughly. This means you should be shampooing the carpet, scrubbing the toilets, and making sure your walls are clean. Have you ever heard the saying to “leave a place better than how you found it?” You should keep that same mentality when you’re cleaning your apartment.

 

To make sure you get as much of your deposit back as possible, make sure to understand the laws in your area. It is your money and you deserve it back. (I mean, unless you completely destroyed the apartment.) If you landlord doesn’t give you your deposit back, make sure to ask why and have it in writing. If they don’t give you reasons why, you may have to go to small claims court. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the laws before you move out of your apartment.