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We just had another "winner" move out over the weekend. They all claim they have pictures showing how great it looked when they moved out. Then they say how bad it looked when they moved in, but never reported any issue.
In the end we have the bills of n=ew carpet put in a year ago, the entire property freshly painted and move out pictures showing what it looked like, including burns in the carpet from what looks like a hair straightener tool fallen on the carpet, trash, broken washer left, broken screens, broken sliding door, holes in the wall etc...all date and time stamped. Including showing a large crew at work to get the place ready and us having to give a discount to the new tenants due to the property not completed on time. That will all be charged to the previous tenants since we had given them a list of what was needed to get their security deposit back in full.
Due to the high demand for rentals we have been able to increase the security deposit and still getting tenants to move in and luckily the majority are good tenants but the rotten apples will spoil it.
This tenant wrote us she thought she wouldn't get money back so she didn't feel like doing much. She had been a pain in the ...all year but her boyfriend was the good one who even called us to tell us he drove by accident into the garage door and it was fixed through his insurance. They ended up living separately so we assume they rather didn't fight over who would get what amount and just didn't do anything.
We had numerous inspections through out the year due to issues with this couple and we are glad we had 1.5 time the rent as security deposit and last month rent upfront in full.
They now will face a judgment or paying for the remainder.
Even though you can't do it in some cases you sometimes wonder why fix it to make it so nice to have disrespectful people damage it BUT then we always remember the nice and great tenants.
That's so the case. The rotten ones ruin it for everyone else. I can't imagine how one can burn carpet or put holes in walls. Despite always living in rentals my entire adult life, I still take pride in my home. I keep it clean and well maintained. I guess some people don't care about what their home looks like...I couldn't stand to live in a home that has holes in the walls and God knows what. I can't even stand when the shower grout starts lifting away from the tile, it drives me crazy! I'm a little OCD...
California requires a pre-move out inspection at tenant's request... I have always done them since day one.
This way, there are less surprises... I emphasize what is important under the terms of the lease... make notes of what is missing and such.
Sometimes, those light fixtures, towel racks, etc. are still around...
A big pet peeve of mine is dirty appliances and junk left behind... disposal fees are very high here... minimum dump fee for a single item is over $40 plus the cost of transport... that old sofa or dresser could easily result in a $200 charge...
Most are glad to have the heads up... a few have said just to bill them... no interest in doing anything and figure they will "Use" their deposit...
That's so the case. The rotten ones ruin it for everyone else. I can't imagine how one can burn carpet or put holes in walls. Despite always living in rentals my entire adult life, I still take pride in my home. I keep it clean and well maintained. I guess some people don't care about what their home looks like...I couldn't stand to live in a home that has holes in the walls and God knows what. I can't even stand when the shower grout starts lifting away from the tile, it drives me crazy! I'm a little OCD...
From the above and your post before, it seems you are stuck in the part of your life where at some point you will own your own home. Your other choices of getting a degree/paying for it had to take precedence as it should, but this 'in-between time' is a paying your dues sort of thing. It does stink, but that's all you can afford. There are plenty of high end rentals, but it sounds like those are out of reach.
You are finding the typical things in lower end rentals. It doesn't mean the renters are worse nor the landlords. It just means you have higher standards than you can currently afford. Hang in there, focus on where and what type of place you do want to live and work that degree of yours until you get it.
Meanwhile, be the best renter you can and make sure you choose roommates that are like you in that regard. I have had plenty of good renters, but I've turned down plenty of good renters because they came with roommates that were not as qualified as them.
Thanks! Trying to hang in there! You're right about everything you said!! Good thing I live with my boyfriend, who's quiet and respectful and I don't have to worry about roommates anymore!
I just want to say one of my favorite apartment experiences regarding cleaning upon vacating was one who offered to have a service come in and clean the place from top to bottom before the complex inspected it. They allowed tenants the option of deducting the cost of the service from their security deposit. Easiest move out experience ever! I know this wouldn't work in the case of the bad tenants who just up and leave or whatever, but it's a nice thing to offer to tenants.
I've never had to pay an outrageous security deposit. I don't think I've ever paid more than $300, but I've only lived in apartments managed by large rental companies who frequently run specials. I've seen that smaller companies and private landlords tend to charge a full month's rent as the security deposit.
The fees that really grate at me are the "administrative" fees. Easily range from $100-$300 and aren't refundable.
It is VERY common for the deposit to equal a months rent. Yes, I know it sucks as it requires basically two months rent, all up at front, plus moving expenses and other relocation expenses. Being a college student most of this time, it sucked, but it's very normal!
Many landlords actually require deposit + first month + last months rent, which is a 3x cost all up front. I've had to do this twice so far....imagine how expensive that is if you're complaining about your current situation...
As a fantastic renter (a landlord's dream), I have always got every cent of my deposit back because I take care of the place. Never yet a late rent check, ever. In-fact, the current house I'm renting I patched holes in the walls, re-chalked the bathroom, updated outdated fixtures, installed a new rear screen door, repainted window seals, etc. My landlord paid for the materials, but the time was all on me and I was fine with that because I wanted to make the place look better for myself. When I move out, I also clean the living $hit out of the place, to the level of a professional cleaner. This current place will be in much better condition when I leave it, so the landlord is going to miss me.
Landlords can be very slum-like and lazy. My current landlord is one because he waits for things to break and doesn't maintain anything, but he's also awesome in several regards. In-fact, the last time I saw him was over two years ago, so I really enjoy the privacy that I've had renting this past place and making the place my own (all good taste additions). When things do break (my furnace went out on Thanksgiving of last year) he is very fast to fix stuff. Very easy to work with too. But as far as him being pro-active? He's the absolutely worst. The fence was supposed to be painted two years ago. The yard light is still disconnected after over two years (against HOA rules). When I moved in, the place was so filthy that I had to dissemble the kitchen and wipe off two paper towel rolls worth of grease. During walk-through, I told him that it looked like the kitchen sink was leaking and was told it was fixed. The very next day, sure enough, it was leaking! Same with the Washer hot water plug-in valve. He just never gets around to maintaining/improving things. But when things break? He's right on it. Overall, it's a good situation because privacy and his ability to fix things that break is top notch, but his ability to improve and maintain is poor.
My last landlord sucked and didn't realize he had a dream-renter. He basically wouldn't allow me to change the furnace filters, and he's showed up late a few times when the filter was clogged and the house wouldn't cool during the dead heat of summer. I remember one month when he was so late that I went ahead and replaced the filter myself because I had very expensive instruments in the house that cannot be in a sauna. He came over the very next day with a new filter, took out my new filter, and installed his new filter. I have to basically drive home from work on furnace-filter changing days. I also prefer to be there whenever he wants to come over 10 times during the summer to check the sprinkler systems. Seriously....that's why I left that place because I wasn't treated like a responsible renter and they were being so intrusive that privacy was seriously be infringed upon. Absolutely EVERYTHING had to be contract-bound. There was no human relationship at all. If I wanted to hang a shelf in the bedroom, that required a contract with a signature, and it also required the landlord to come over to install it. Seriously!!! Glad to be out of that situation.
Ditto, take pictures of everything. But also expect that the deposit will equal the rent for just about everywhere you go.
Last edited by kawahonda; 03-19-2015 at 10:33 AM..
The fees that really grate at me are the "administrative" fees. Easily range from $100-$300 and aren't refundable.
All depends on your jurisdiction... non-refundable deposit do not exist in California... in other words, as long as the condition(s) are met... a deposit is 100% refundable.
Also, Landlords must offer a pre-move out inspection so both sides have a better understanding of what is expected.
I guess taking the financial investment risk and expecting a return doesn't really matter. LLs should keep the rent low why exactly?
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