Guest Blogger: How to Ensure You’ll Receive your Security Deposit Back

Guest Blog #87, Entry #539, May 30, 2011

One of the dreaded aspects of moving out of a rental is receiving your security deposit or rental bond back from your landlord or leasing company. It was a hefty sum to put down as deposit in the beginning and you want to ensure you get every penny back, right? Today, our Guest Blogger gives tips to ensure you will receive it back, and to ensure your next rental experience will be just as enjoyable.

Ensure you will receive your security deposit back!

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Top 6 tips to avoid loosing rental bond (security deposit)

When moving out of a rental property, the tenant attached to the lease should make every attempt to ensure that the property is in good condition. More often than not, a landlord will insist on a security deposit , in which case it is in your best interest to conduct a thorough sweep of the property to check for damages sustained during residence. By doing so, you are taking a large step toward making sure the security deposit you made upon moving in is returned.

Leave carpeting and hard floors clean

1. Cover holes in walls

The first and most common type of damage sustained during residence in a rental property are holes in the wall. Most people choose to hang up pictures of friends and family or decorative wall art, which leads to nail and tack holes scattered across the wall. This type of damage is relatively minor but can still have an impact on a landlord’s decision to withhold some of the security deposit. Fortunately, this type of damage is also easily repaired.
For smaller holes left behind by small tacks, you may be able to make repairs with a simple coat of paint. For more stubborn holes left behind by nails and screws, you can cover up the damage by applying putty or plaster to the affected areas with a putty knife. Make sure to smooth out the material as much as you can so that it blends in with the rest of the wall. Applying another coat of paint is recommended, but not required.

Cover holes in your walls with spackle or joint compound

2. Remove stains from carpets and make floors look shiny

The carpet is an important place to check for damages. Scan every inch of every room and make note of any damages sustained by the carpet; depending on how many stains you find, you may want to consider having the floors professionally cleaned. If you cannot afford to have cleaners come in to shampoo the carpets, consider renting a deep cleaner yourself and give all the carpets a scrub down. If you have wood floors, give the floor in each room a wipe down with high quality wood cleaning solution and buff out whatever scuff marks you can.

3. Fix damaged windows blinds

Broken blinds are another concern. Many rental properties contain cheap blinds that dry out and crack during hotter months. Fortunately, these are fairly cheap and easy to replace, so consider checking the blinds before your move-out inspection.

4. Fix lights and windows

Replace all broken light bulbs, clean and check for cracks in the windows because the landlord will check whether the windows still close properly and he/she wants the apartment look bright and clean. Dirty windows block sunshine and make the rooms look darker and worn-down. Use window cleaning sprays and old newspapers to clean the windows because paper cleans the window surface quite well.

Tend to lighting, windows, and plumbing fixtures

5. Fix the toilet and sink drains

Check if there are any plumbing issues like clogged toilets or sink drains because the landlord will definitely check. Especially bathroom sink drains can be easily clogged by hair and first try removing hair that blocks the sinkhole, then use chemicals to clean the pipes but if none of these help, call a plumber who’ll use a special pipe cleaning tool.

6. Remove mold

Also make sure to check for mold, as mold can have a detrimental effect on your security deposit. Mold grows on moist surfaces, probably in areas wet by water or humidity and mold can be removed from hard surfaces by scrubbing but it’s impossible to remove from porous surfaces. Normally the landlord doesn’t expect you to scrub the bathroom ceiling and repaint it but changing the plastic shower curtain and scrubbing the shower tiles is quite easy.

The rule of thumb is to keep the place looking as neat and clean as it was when you moved in. If the kitchen floor needs mopping, mop it. If the walls need scrubbing, scrub them. The landlord will be looking for any minor problems with the property, but if you conduct your own inspection beforehand, replace broken items, and clean everything from top to bottom, you are more likely to see your security deposit back.

Kori is the owner of a furniture removals company in Sydney and he started publishing articles to help people with useful information about home removals and packing.

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