How To Get My Security Deposit Back When I Move?

When you move into an apartment or other rental property, in most cases, you will be given a form to fill out or you should make your own that lists all the items you see that are not perfect such as a dirty oven, broken tiles, or a cracked window. This will at least a bit when it is time to move out. This form is known as Move-In Statements. You should consider an eviction attorney prior to signing anything. Some states require this form to be completed when you first rent a property prior to moving all of your belongings into the home. The states that require these forms include Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Virginia, and Washington.

It would also be in your best interest to take photos so you can show any damages that were present when you moved in so you will not be liable for the damages at the time you move out.

When you move out of your apartment, you should clean the rental property from top to bottom, as it was when you moved in. All nail holes should be filled in and repaired. Clean the carpet. Fix any repairs that you can fix if you were responsible. Remember you want the rental property to look as good as it did when you moved in or even better. Take pictures when you move out like you did when you moved in to prove that when you moved the rental property was in the same shape as the day you moved in. Remember to date the photos so there will be no mistakes as to the date the photos were taken.

In most cases, landlords will find a way to keep as much of your security deposit as possible. The majority of the time, they will charge a specific amount of money for each item that needed to cleaned or repaired such as $xx for painting, $xx for cleaning the oven, and so on and so forth.

With all of this information as well as the photos, if you need to file a lawsuit against the landlord to receive your security deposit, a real estate attorney will be able to help represent you and you will be able to receive as much as possible of your security deposit.