Can We Do This On our Own?

[Baldie]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? CA

In a few weeks we are leaving our current apt to move into a brand new condo. Well my question is I would like to get as much of our sercurity deposit back as I can. I was wondering if cleaning the carpet ourselves, painting the walls where needed, and just over all trying to make it as spotless as can be, is there anythign in a lease against that? We do have renters insurance as well but I don't see why that would get involved. Would it simply be a waste of time that maybe landlords will have the apt cleaned/painted regardless?

 

[seniorjudge]

Read your lease and talk to your landlord.

Post back with results.

 

[Mrs. D]

It depends. I guess it depends most on what kind of state the apartment was in when you got it and how well you documented that state. For example, if the drip pans on the stove weren't clean, then that's one less rather difficult task you have to do.

However, if the apartment was spotless when you got it, here's some advice.

Painting may be against your lease. Depending on how handy you are, you might want to spackle any holes you made and leave it at that. Minor scuff marks on the walls from furniture rubbing are normal wear and tear. Holes and dents/dings in the walls are damage.

Have you ever cleaned a carpet before? It's not as easy as it looks. You might want to consider hiring a cleaning company for that. Stanley Steamer et. al generally charge about $100 for a good-size one bedroom with wall-to-wall except in bath and kitchen. A rug doctor with cleaning fluid will run you $40 or so. Don't kid yourself that one of those Hoover or Bissel personal-jobs will get the carpet to "move-in ready" condition. They're good for everyday messes, but don't really get the carpet all *that* clean. Every LL I've had except for 1 charged more than a what a cleaning service will charge you. I used to say that Stanley Steamer had a "landlord's special" where they charge twice as much...

The real beast is the general cleaning. You have to move appliances and clean behind/underneath them, get down on your hands and knees and scrub the floor, polish all the sink/bath fixtures, and wash the inside of all the windows. Oh, and don't forget the mini-blinds...those things are a PAIN to clean. It's time-consuming, but it can be done without a professional. For this type of deep-clean, a maid service will run about $200-$300 or maybe more, depending on the size of your apartment, how dirty it actually is, and where you live.

There are some rather inexpensive ways to save yourself some dough out of your deposit:

*Make sure all permanent light fixtures have working light bulbs in them.
*Replace the drip pans on the stove, they cost $4-$8 @ Walmart, a LL will charge you 3-5 times that amount.
*Make sure all cabinet door hinges, towel racks, cabinet hardware, and door hinges are tight. This costs you nothing more than a few minutes and a screwdriver.
*Replace the screen on your over-the-stove exhaust fan. They're only a few bucks at a place like Walmart or a hardware.
*Most importantly, if anything is in need of repair and you didn't tell your LL because it was minor and more of a hassle than it was worth...REPORT IT! Don't let her discover the kitchen drain drips AFTER you leave, or she might decide to blame you.

 

[Gail in Georgia]

This is advice from a landlord (who has also been a tenant)..

The issue with painting the walls where needed could easily backfire on you. Unless you are planning on painting the entire room, you will not be able to match the paint exactly and your patch job will look terrible. You can also damage carpets/floors with spilled paint. This is why landlords prefer that tenants not do this.

You might do better simply washing the walls with a good cleaning agent. I'd recommend Greased Lightning (I purchase this from my local Lowes). I've found this to be an excellent cleaning agent. Don't forget the doors in the bedrooms, bathrooms and closests.

The drip pan idea is a good one (BTW, I only charge my tenants my cost for purchasing these at our local Target store). It's a rare tenant who cleans the ovens and stove top and it's a pretty dirty job for the landlord to handle.

Check the lightbulbs and replace burned out ones. These are areas that many tenants forget.

Focus on the bathroom and kitchen; two areas that are heavily used and tend to be the most dirty.

If you wish to clean the carpets (and this is frequently a sensitive and "hot" topic in terms of security deposit issues), have a professional carpet cleaning company come in and do this. It will turn out far better (although will be more expensive) than renting one of the do-it-yourself carpet cleaning machines from a local grocery store.

Gail

 

[Baldie]

Thanks so much Gail in Georgia and Mrs D. I truly found your advice helpful. My main concern has been the carpet. When we first moved in 3 years ago, it wasn't in perfect condition as we noticed minor spots that were not bothersome during the walk-thru. We're pretty clean tenants but dirt does accrue and I have noticed behind the stove and fridge. As for the walls, perhaps painting isn't a good idea, which we will probably just leave it. However we did already patch up some minor holes and scuff marks. I did not think about washing/cleaning the walls with a cleaner, I just automatically thought of painting it. Thanks for that. As for the blinds, windows, ceiling fans I think we can handle that area as well as the bathroom. We'll just have to spend extra time on the kitchen.

I seriously don't know if I want to hire a professional. To spend that much we might as well have the landlord do it. Will renting once of those carpet cleaners from the local grocery stores do? Will they clean the carpet good enough? I don't mind doing the work as long as it brings results. We do have a small dog which has had accidents on the carpet but we used a spot cleaning tool to clean that up, but it does show in some areas still. I have a $1000 deposit that I would like to get as much back as possible.

 

[ecmst12]

How long were you there? If longer then 2 or 3 years, the paint job has depreciated to close to nothing anyway and they will not be able to charge you for repainting.

 

[Gail in Georgia]

Baldie

I've never had much luck with the do-it-yourself carpet cleaners you can rent for 24 hours at a time from the grocery store.

Sure; they pick up dirt (it's amazing what comes out when you pour the dirty water down the toilet) but it's not like getting those professional steam carpet cleaners in. Often they will offer specials (for example, cleaning only traffic areas instead of the entire carpet; something to think about if you have a lot of furniture that has covered the carpet anyway).

What you might be concerned about are the charges your landlord may provide you with should they hire the same professionals to do the carpet cleaning after you move out.

Gail

 

[mrslunar]

I live in CA and these are my tips:

We have had landlords in the past that have allowed us to do the carpet ourselves, so I would ask. They can tell you that they'll accept it or they won't. I don't believe they are obligated to let you do it, though.

As for the paint, I've always been told that if a unit is occupied for more than a year, than the landlord has to repaint at THEIR expense and it can't come off the deposit.

Here is a link to the landlord tenant handbook, it has really good tips about getting your deposit back.

Landlord/Tenant Book Index - California Department of Consumer Affairs

 

[Baldie]

We've been in our apt for about 4 years.

 

[ecmst12]

I keep seeing the statement that paint is depeciated over 2-3 years, but I doubt that people repaint their houses every 2-3 years. I know I don't.

I expect paint to last 10 years, so I would depeciate over that time period. Haven't had to deal with this yet... Curious what other landlords do for paint.

Because most landlords use the absolute cheapest crappy quality paint they can find, because they expect tenants will scuff up the walls and they'll have to repaint when they move out no matter what. That stuff definitely does not have a 10 year lifespan. My current lease actually says tenant won't be charged for painting if tenancy is longer then 2 years. My new apartment (moving in 2 days!), the landlord paid for better quality stuff so I expect it will last at least 5 years if we take care of it. Even if homeowners don't paint every 2-3 years, paint does wear out over time (much less then 10 years, I think) and new tenants are going to want a fresh (or at least fresh-looking) paint job.

 

[Baldie]

Well we do plan on patching up any holes we find and also washing the walls and edges. My big concern is the carpet. If we can't get it to "move-in quality" how much do you think we'll lose off our $1000 deposit? I wanted to do the cheaper route and perhaps rent a carpet cleaning machine. My issue is there are soem visible pet stains. Any recommendations on getting pet stains out?

Just an FYI our deposit was $600 + $400 pet deposit.

 

[ecmst12]

The most that they can charge you is the depreciated value of the carpet. Carpet is depreciated over 7-10 years depending on quality, and it wasn't new when you moved in. Also, if the stains soaked through to the padding, the only choice might be replacement. You should talk to the LL and discuss the situation with them. Ask how old the carpet is and what they would like you to do about the stains.