Packing up your apartment to move is a time-consuming process. Unfortunately, you also have to worry about getting your security deposit returned when you leave. There are certain things your landlord will look for when considering the return of your security deposit.
Here are a few areas you should focus on to increase your chances of having your security deposit returned to you.
1. Retrieve Wall Nails
While you were living in your apartment, you wanted to decorate the bare walls with your own personal touches. Hanging these items on your walls required you to hammer nails into the drywall. When it’s time for you to move out, there are multiple benefits to you removing these nails and patching the holes they made. On a practical level, this allows you to reuse your nails so that you can save money by not having to buy a new box of nails.
Secondly, this is considered to be a very favorable action by your landlord. It will work in your favor when it comes time to negotiate for the return of your security deposit. Also, toothpaste is a cheap alternative to wall putty for filling in nail holes.
2. Remove Carpet Stains
Accidents happen frequently. This is especially true in the rooms of your apartment where carpeting is present. Spilled drinks, dirt from shoes, pet stains, and discoloring from cigarette smoke are all potential culprits when it comes to the soiling of your carpets. Your landlord will definitely be giving the state of the carpeting in your apartment a deep inspection when it’s time for you to move out and your qualification for the return of your security deposit is being determined.
So, to ensure that you get your security deposit returned to you, dedicate some of your moving out time to giving your carpets a deep cleaning to remove these stains.
3. Corners and Baseboards
The corners of your apartment have a magical way of accumulating dust and dirt over a short period of time. They’re also the most difficult areas of your home to clean due to the shape and angle of the area. Many brooms and vacuum cleaners are specifically designed to thoroughly clean tight corners, so these tools would come in quite handy when it comes time to start cleaning your corners.
Additionally, the baseboards along the bottom edges of your walls will collect dust and particulates at an alarming rate. These can be easily cleaned by placing a slightly damp cloth around the brush of a broom and sliding the broom along the boards. This will not only save you time, but it will also spare you the physical pain of prolonged periods of bending over. This is just one of many tricks you can utilize to clean your baseboards.
4. Bathroom Quickie
You don’t want to leave a bacteria-laden mess in the bathroom when you move out. It will take no time at all to give the toilet, sink, and bathtub a quick scrub before you leave. This is polite to the new tenants and will impress your landlord.
