Tenants: 18 Ways to Get Your Security Deposit Back

Tenants, are you interested in learning 18 different ways to receive your security deposit back? It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved when everything is ready and a tenant can get their entire security deposit returned. We hope that every renter is able to obtain the entirety of their security deposit back, and it is vital to emphasize that WJD does not have any financial motive to keep any portion of the money that tenants deposit.

For us, it is important to ensure that the homeowner is protected against unexpected out-of-pocket maintenance charges, repair costs, or cleaning fees. Additionally, this helps safeguard against delays in getting the property back on the rental market.

Here is our comprehensive how-to guide for getting all of your money back from your deposit, both to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible and to assist you in receiving your money back.

Take into account the fact that these are merely some suggestions. Even if you complete all of the steps outlined below, there is no guarantee that you will receive your entire security deposit back. This is because the process of returning a deposit is unique to each renter.

Immediately Following Your Move into Your New Home

1. Within ten days of moving in, you must go through Your Property Condition Report (PCR), sign it, and then return it to the WJD office. According to the report, the condition of your home is comparable to the state we want it to be in at the conclusion of your lease, and this state will serve as a point of reference when you vacate the premises. Be sure to add thorough observations on the form if you notice any problems with the home, such as malfunctioning appliances, carpet stains, paint defects, and so on. This will ensure that you are not penalized for these concerns when your security deposit is refunded to you.

A helpful hint is to ensure that a copy of your Property Condition Report is always kept on file.

During the entirety of your tenancy, you should do yourself a favor and ensure that all of the necessary maintenance has been completed. This way, when you move out, you won’t have to deal with an overwhelming list of “to- do’s” that have accumulated as a result of your carelessness during the past year. See the list below for some suggested preventative maintenance measures. You can also check out our maintenance guide here, which is also included in the Handbook for Tenants that you received when you moved in.

2. Ensure that all requests for maintenance are submitted online. Because we are unable to capture this information over the phone, you are required to immediately submit a Maintenance Request on our website in the event that something fails. Please provide as much information as you can about the issue so that we can determine who should work on fixing it. Do not attempt to solve the problem on your own!

3. Make sure that your fireplace is cleaned and inspected on a regular basis. Even if you seldom use the fireplace, you still need to clean it regularly. Keep in mind that you are the one who is responsible for cleaning up the ashes left behind after burning wood, as the firm that performs the fire inspections typically does not do this.

4. Ensure that you clear out your gutters on a regular basis throughout the year. The price of having your gutters cleaned can range anywhere from fifty dollars to two hundred dollars, depending on the size of your home and the number of sections of guttering it contains. If you want the greatest results, make sure to utilise one of the gutter cleaners that we recommend.

A useful piece of advice for when you first start your lease is to immediately add a calendar reminder to get your gutters cleaned on a regular basis. You should make every effort to schedule a last gutter cleaning approximately two weeks before you move out, just to double check that they are clean and that you have left yourself enough time.

5. Change out your light bulbs. At the beginning of your lease, it is highly recommended that you purchase LED lights. LEDs have lately experienced a price drop, and three of them can now be purchased for less than ten dollars. As a result, purchasing LEDs will almost certainly save you money on your monthly electric costs. Additionally, by the time the lease is up, they should still be going strong!

6. Replace the filters in the furnace on a regular basis. Changing the air filters in your home on a monthly basis, as is advised, will help you save money on your heating bills, keep your home cosier throughout the winter, and prevent you from incurring additional costs to replace the filters when you move out.

A helpful hint is to either write down the dimensions of your filters or take images of them so that you can readily refer to them (sizes are included in the PCR). Additionally, you might want to think about making bulk purchases through Amazon.com.

7. Make sure to clean and maintain your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. Make sure that the condensation drain is not blocked or clogged in any way, and that all of the supply air vents and return air vents are clean and have no obstructions in their paths. Check to see that there are no leaky valves or radiators in the radiant heat system, if the property in question has one.

8. Perform routine maintenance on your home’s smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. When the battery life on a battery-operated model is getting low, the model will begin to make an intermittent chirping sound, and you may quickly replace the battery. Models that are hard-wired will perform the same function but do not have a backup system; therefore, if one of these units breaks down, you will need to submit a maintenance request to have it replaced. In any scenario, you should perform routine checks on the devices to ensure that they are in good working order.

Whenever You Decide to Move Out:

If you follow the steps that are outlined below, you will make our job much easier, which will ultimately result in a much more streamlined process.

9. Make a cleaning appointment for the carpet. If you have a pet, you should be sure to get a treatment for fleas and ticks. Even if you do not have any carpets in your home, this is a requirement of our contract when you move out. When having your carpets cleaned, you should be sure to select a reputable company. Should you choose to employ a third-party provider, and it later turns out that the work they did was below par, you will be responsible for paying for a second round of carpet cleaning performed by one of our recommended companies. Make sure you don’t pay for this service twice!

10. Clean! Additionally, thoroughly clean. Thoroughly. Keep in mind that the property should be left in the same state that it was in when you moved in. This should be done when you move out. Because of this, it is essential that you return your PCR as soon as possible after you move in and make a note of any differences; otherwise, you can be charged for faults that already existed when you moved in. Common areas that are overlooked during cleaning include:

• Under the refrigerator

• On top of the refrigerator

• Inside the oven, the oven drawer, and underneath the oven

• Under the stove burners

• Sides of toilets

• Range hood and exhaust fan filters (Note that you can put them in the dishwasher to make things much easier!)

• Lint from the washer and dryer

• Crumbs in the cabinets and drawers Top Tip: Don’t forget to clean the gutters for the very last time and have the fireplaces cleaned and examined. It is imperative that you give a copy of your receipt for each service that you have received.

11. If you employ a cleaning service, make sure to specify that you want “detail cleaning” when you make your request. Be careful to choose a WJD-recommended vendor so that you can rest assured that your money will be put to good use and that you will receive your full security deposit refund. In addition, make sure you remember to request a detailed cleaning rather than a surface cleaning.

12. Perform a final inspection to ensure that you have changed out all of the light bulbs and the filters in the furnace. Even if you neglect to replace just one of the light bulbs that were operational when you moved in, we will have to get a professional to do it for you. Your total cost, therefore, is going to be a minimum of $75 for the trip charge in addition to the cost of the light bulb, even though the light bulb itself might only cost a few of dollars. The same may be said for the filters used in furnaces.

13. Take the trash cans outside. Because it is such a basic step, it would be absurd to skip it and risk incurring a minimum service price.

14. Complete any and all necessary lawn maintenance tasks. Check your agreement for information on what should be included, as this can vary depending on who you ask to rent your property (i.e. mowing, pruning, weeding, raking, etc.) Again, if you want to get the best possible outcomes from hiring someone else to do this for you, please choose one of the vendors that we have recommended.

15. By planning in advance, you may make the process of passing the final inspection more simpler. After the beginning of the inspection, tenants are not permitted to clean, add finishing touches, or anything else of the sort. Leave any and all keys, fobs, placards, remotes, and receipts out on the kitchen counter for the inspectors to find, and make sure the property is prepared for inspection when they arrive. It will make things run much more efficiently and effectively.

16. Start spacing out the work that has to be done at least two weeks before the date you need to move out. This will prevent you from being overwhelmed and will give you the opportunity to complete one more round of cleaning before the inspection. Because you have taken care of everything in advance, we will be able to assist you with checking out in a way that is efficient and uncomplicated.

17. Make your service arrangements well in advance of the day you check out. If you are planning to hire professional cleaners, you should avoid scheduling their visit on the same day as your check-out inspection. Keep in mind that after carpet cleaning, the carpets should be allowed to dry completely before being inspected. You should, in essence, make certain that the house is in the exact same state that it was in when you moved in. This can be performed with the least amount of difficulty if you take care of the significant matters first.

We recommend that you print off a copy of our Move-Out Checklist and keep a copy of it either on your refrigerator or on your kitchen counter so that you can keep track of everything. This check list is also included in the handbook that you received as a tenant.

18. Ask inquiries. Ask questions. Ask questions. If there are any issues that you have concerns about or questions about, make sure to communicate with them in advance. Let us know, for instance, if you aren’t sure how to clean a fixture or appliance that you are responsible for, or if you are having trouble accessing light fixtures in homes with high ceilings. We are likely able to suggest the exact instrument or cleaning techniques you require.

In conclusion, the process of moving out is one that takes a lot of time, but there’s no reason for it to also cost a lot of money. If you adhere to the aforementioned recommendations, you will significantly cut down on the likelihood of needing to use some of the money you put down as a security deposit. You will likely hasten the process of getting your money back if you make it simpler for us to do our jobs. We appreciate it, and we hope you’ll find these pointers useful.