Get back your damage deposit if you are renting a house

A rent damage deposit can be requested by a rental agent or landlord before taking possession of a rental unit in real estate. The amount can vary but on average it is one month’s rent. Eastern provinces don’t have a rental damage deposit, they have last months rent. You pay two months rent before you move in. When you move you give 30 days notice and don’t pay your last month. Which I feel is more fair to the majority of renters because we leave the real estate unit in a clean and gently worn condition. Ah, but those few renters that don’t care about their environment. The few that don’t clean or maintain anything in the home. They have spoiled it for the rest of us. Getting a place to rent now is more difficult as we must pay up front for any damage we may do, and not repair.

So when it’s time to move here we have to pay the last month we live in the unit and we have to get two months rent together for the new unit. You can’t depend on getting your damage deposit right away. That can take up to 2 weeks after you move out. And, you probably won’t get back all that you put in.

The dreaded carpet cleaning charge. This little money maker works this way. The real estate building management has a contract with a local carpet cleaning company to use it’s services when needed. The building will not accept a rental carpet cleaner any more and that will be in your lease. You must hire a professional but you can’t get it done for the cheap price that the building is offering you. It’s a catch 22 my friend. I can’t help you with the carpet cleaning charge but, if you follow the advice you are about to read you will be able to get back the full balance of your deposit.

Depending on the size of your family and the traffic in your kitchen I suggest pulling your fridge and stove out at least once a month and cleaning behind the appliance and the floor beneath. I highly recommend, if your appliances are full size, to put them on rollers.

Also, keep the oven clean. The more you let it build up, the harder it will be when you have to do it. Always keep a layer of foil on the floor of the oven, to catch wayward drips. Use foil pre-formed drip bowls under your burners and change when necessary. These will save you hours of scrubbing and scraping. I can’t stress enough the need to simply wipe surfaces down. Do one thing each time you get in the mood. Total home cleaning is tiring and many times we give up part way through. Not to mention those of us who start cleaning and organizing the hall closet when we come across something that belongs in the kitchen and you take it in there and start organizing the junk drawer and the pantry.

A lot of people hate cleaning but there are ways to breeze through it.

Pick one or two chores and do only one at a time. For example you’ve got up and looked in the fridge two times in the last hour, nothing is catching your attention on TV. Grab a cloth or a dust mitt and dust off the tops of all your hanging pictures and all the trim ledges above both sides of all your doors.

Dust off all the heating registers. You should vacuum inside and underneath them too, especially in the winter. Another thing you should do twice a year is carefully remove all the lamp shades and wash them in warm soapy water. Dry thoroughly before replacing.

Keep the areas around switch plates, door knobs and drawer handles clean with just a quick swipe of one of those magic erasers.

One of the worst jobs is keeping your windows clean. Especially that space in between the two sliding windows. I suggest doing this at least twice a year. Don’t let it build up too much then it’s a job. A bucket of warm soapy water and rags will do the job. For easy glass cleaning you can buy a spray on foam that doesn’t need to be wiped or rinsed. Just do one window at a time and it won’t be too boring.

If you do the above chores at least twice a year you will be amazed at how easy it will be when you are ready to move and need to pass your out inspection. The property managers want their real estate investment clean. Don’t give them any excuse to spend your money. You want to get as much of your damage deposit as possible.

By Wendy Peacock