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When I vacated my apartment, the final walk-through form with the property management company said "light cleaning needed." I signed the check-out sheet thinking it would be a $30-$50 deduction. Today, they returned a security deposit refund less than two weeks after I vacated. Out of a $300 security deposit, I got $200 returned today. The form that was returned along with the check just said "Cleaning.... -$100.00" No itemized accounting list of what was done.
Do landlords have to be more specific than that in their accounting? My state rental law says the LL needs to provide an "accounting" of subtractions made from the security deposit. "Cleaning... -$100.00" is a basic accounting (which meets the state requirement I guess, but it's not very detailed). I would've liked to have seen:
$12.50 for Dishwasher cleaning: 30 minutes at $15.00 per hour. Cleaning Supplies $5.00.
$11.50 for Blinds washing: 30 minutes at $15.00 per hour Cleaning supplies $4.00.
$33.00 for Floor washing and waxing:60 minutes at $15.00 per hour. Cleaning supplies $18.00
$34.00 for Cracked hangar dowel: Labor charge $15. Supply charge $19.00
$ 9.00 for Bathroom detailing: 15 minutes at $15.00 per hour. Supplies $4.00
$100.00 Total Deductions
Or, maybe they just charge basic rate of $100 for a "light cleaning" and $200 for a "medium cleaning," etc.??
Do most landlords give a detailed accounting if requested? Or, should I just let this go and move on?
In my state, any monies withheld from a security deposit need to be itemized. Cleaning does count as an "itemization" but since everyone has their own standard of what they consider clean or not, I include pictures in my return of security.
I'm not going to ask my cleaning person to time herself, or to weigh her cleaning supplies before/after use and figure out the cost of what she used. Certainly not going to ask her to figure out the depreciation on her mop pole, broom, vacuum, dust cloth/wand, elbows, fingers, knees....etc.
You usually get a set rate from someone who will clean and that's based on the fact that s/he knows what s/he's doing/how long it's going to take him/her, and what it's going to cost him/her supply wise. And it's usually a round number, never something like $97.52.
I'm not going to ask my cleaning person to time herself, or to weigh her cleaning supplies before/after use and figure out the cost of what she used. Certainly not going to ask her to figure out the depreciation on her mop pole, broom, vacuum, dust cloth/wand, elbows, fingers, knees....etc.
.
depreciation of a mop pole and dust cloth.... LMAO
Don't forget about the depreciation of the pencil and paper used to write down such calculations.
We usually just ballpark what the costs would be and do it ourselves. We ballpark on the low side....very low. We consider it a gift since every time I've brought damage lists to court, the magistrate looks at me with a puzzled look and then at the tenant and tells them they got off cheap and that she would have charged double.
I went to court years ago and had one bill of $450 for cleaning and the judge granted it but he did ask a lot of questions any I had a receipt from the professional cleaning company stating it was extreme dirty. Also lots of pictures of all the dirt and how many windows inside and outside needed to be cleaned, which in this case were 29 windows.
The tenants came with BS story that there are companies charging $75 for cleaning 3 rooms all together....but they forgot to think about that not incl. windows and not cleaning extreme dirty appliances and a property over 2000 sqft.
I think it comes down to if the proof makes sense.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sky-Blue
When I vacated my apartment, the final walk-through form with the property management company said "light cleaning needed." I signed the check-out sheet thinking it would be a $30-$50 deduction. Today, they returned a security deposit refund less than two weeks after I vacated. Out of a $300 security deposit, I got $200 returned today. The form that was returned along with the check just said "Cleaning.... -$100.00" No itemized accounting list of what was done.
Do landlords have to be more specific than that in their accounting? My state rental law says the LL needs to provide an "accounting" of subtractions made from the security deposit. "Cleaning... -$100.00" is a basic accounting (which meets the state requirement I guess, but it's not very detailed). I would've liked to have seen:
$12.50 for Dishwasher cleaning: 30 minutes at $15.00 per hour. Cleaning Supplies $5.00.
$11.50 for Blinds washing: 30 minutes at $15.00 per hour Cleaning supplies $4.00.
$33.00 for Floor washing and waxing:60 minutes at $15.00 per hour. Cleaning supplies $18.00
$34.00 for Cracked hangar dowel: Labor charge $15. Supply charge $19.00
$ 9.00 for Bathroom detailing: 15 minutes at $15.00 per hour. Supplies $4.00
$100.00 Total Deductions
Or, maybe they just charge basic rate of $100 for a "light cleaning" and $200 for a "medium cleaning," etc.??
Do most landlords give a detailed accounting if requested? Or, should I just let this go and move on?
If you want that detailed a invoice, it wil probably go from $100 to $500.
The inital $100 would have another $75 tacked on an accountant to work up the numbers and another $325 for the supplies to be officially accounted for by weights and measures. Oh wait, forgot the extra $.02 in ink to print up that extra info.
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