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Well she would of known the linoleum was ripped from previous walk through. I just don't see how she didn't see the damage. It's really her responsibility to fix it. If it gets worse and she didn't fix it IMO it's on her. My cleaning lady charges about 150 for good deep cleaning but that's a good guy fee I've used her forever and I usually pad it a bit. She has charged 250 with other customers she told me about but she said that was because it was filthy
I dont much care about dust or stupid little stuff like a missing screw scuff marks. I usually have a crew go in and redo the rental for a new tenant. It costs me about 1k on average to bring it to standard I consider acceptable. Most would see it as overboard. But I expect tenants to call if there are issues. To me it's just part of doing business. I guess your list is all chargeable if the LL wants to be a stickler for cleanliness. But I guarantee you that your LL will e doing the same to the next tenant.
Maybe it's just me but I don't see dust as damage. It's just something that's there like air or daylight. I don't remember ever charging anyone for dusting. I dint expect people to clean like I do. When I was getting our new rental ready I actually cleaned the fan blade tops. But I don't expect my tenants to actually do that when they leave.
As long as the place isn't jacked up little stuff just gets fixed. I don't have time to screw around with $200 in charged fees or deal with going to court over $200 bucks.
I could go either way on the linoleum. She knew it was messed up but we didn't tell her it had gotten so bad. She charged us half of the fee for it. The amount we could have gotten back was only $600 at the most. After repairs like that and the blinds/screens, I was expecting around $200 back -- not an extra $300.
On her first invoice she listed this:
Security deposit: $600
Non Refundable Pet Deposit: $300
Total: $900
A few lines later, she adds in
Pet Deposit: $300 into the amount of her cleaning/repair costs. That brings the entire total to $1219 instead of $919. She hasn't addressed that and I believe I put it in the OP but not as detailed. I'm just......confused. I've never had a deposit kept entirely or had to owe extra. Even with dogs and kids and not knowing how to clean inside the oven :P
Well she would of known the linoleum was ripped from previous walk through. I just don't see how she didn't see the damage. It's really her responsibility to fix it. If it gets worse and she didn't fix it IMO it's on her. My cleaning lady charges about 150 for good deep cleaning but that's a good guy fee I've used her forever and I usually pad it a bit. She has charged 250 with other customers she told me about but she said that was because it was filthy
I dont much care about dust or stupid little stuff like a missing screw scuff marks. I usually have a crew go in and redo the rental for a new tenant. It costs me about 1k on average to bring it to standard I consider acceptable. Most would see it as overboard. But I expect tenants to call if there are issues. To me it's just part of doing business. I guess your list is all chargeable if the LL wants to be a stickler for cleanliness. But I guarantee you that your LL will e doing the same to the next tenant.
Maybe it's just me but I don't see dust as damage. It's just something that's there like air or daylight. I don't remember ever charging anyone for dusting. I dint expect people to clean like I do. When I was getting our new rental ready I actually cleaned the fan blade tops. But I don't expect my tenants to actually do that when they leave.
As long as the place isn't jacked up little stuff just gets fixed. I don't have time to screw around with $200 in charged fees or deal with going to court over $200 bucks.
Very well said and I agree 100%. We are not in the business to nickel and dime people to death with inflated, bogus and nit-picky charges in order to rob people of their security deposits. Not to mention that it takes so much extra time and expense just to do all the nit-picking, determining the cost(s), all the communication back and forth with tenant on the charges and possibly setting yourself up for a fight in court.
We always clean apts after move-outs whether the previous tenant cleaned it or not and that cost is just incorporated into part of our standard turn-over expense. Just because a bathtub/shower, toilet, floor, sink, etc., 'looks' clean it does not mean that it is, nor that it was sanitized so we make sure it is done correctly for the next tenant. We either do it ourselves or we have a regular cleaner who does it. We gauge whether to charge the tenant based on whether it goes over our regular standard fee we pay our cleaner. So, if it costs us over the normal $100 - $150 average that we pay our cleaner then we will determine whether it is enough to deduct from the sec dep. This way we know exactly what cleaning products are used that we trust to make sure it is cleaned to our satisfaction and that it doesn't just 'look' clean from the previous tenant's cleaning.
So, because of all of the above, that takes care of all the nit-picky stuff such as dust bunnies, dust on blinds, a few scuff marks, etc, etc. Oven cleaning is subjective based on how dirty it actually is and again, how long it takes to clean it and whether it goes over our regular fee charged by our cleaner.
The linoleum is also subjective. How old was the linoleum? She can't charge you full replacement or repair cost if it is fully depreciated and/or if there was already damage to it that made it worse from normal wear and tear. The previous damage/wear is just setting you up for failure in my opinion and not allowing you full use of the rental that you are paying for. A tenant should not have to tip-toe around an already damaged/faulty flooring and not be expected to cause even more damage from regular use. That is just idiotic.
I just find it hard to believe that any LL/PM would expect a tenant to leave a place so clean that it is ready for the next tenant to just move right in without doing any cleaning themselves. We would never trust that whether it appears clean or not.
Very well said and I agree 100%. We are not in the business to nickel and dime people to death with inflated, bogus and nit-picky charges in order to rob people of their security deposits. Not to mention that it takes so much extra time and expense just to do all the nit-picking, determining the cost(s), all the communication back and forth with tenant on the charges and possibly setting yourself up for a fight in court.
We always clean apts after move-outs whether the previous tenant cleaned it or not and that cost is just incorporated into part of our standard turn-over expense. Just because a bathtub/shower, toilet, floor, sink, etc., 'looks' clean it does not mean that it is, nor that it was sanitized so we make sure it is done correctly for the next tenant. We either do it ourselves or we have a regular cleaner who does it. We gauge whether to charge the tenant based on whether it goes over our regular standard fee we pay our cleaner. So, if it costs us over the normal $100 - $150 average that we pay our cleaner then we will determine whether it is enough to deduct from the sec dep. This way we know exactly what cleaning products are used that we trust to make sure it is cleaned to our satisfaction and that it doesn't just 'look' clean from the previous tenant's cleaning.
So, because of all of the above, that takes care of all the nit-picky stuff such as dust bunnies, dust on blinds, a few scuff marks, etc, etc. Oven cleaning is subjective based on how dirty it actually is and again, how long it takes to clean it and whether it goes over our regular fee charged by our cleaner.
The linoleum is also subjective. How old was the linoleum? She can't charge you full replacement or repair cost if it is fully depreciated and/or if there was already damage to it that made it worse from normal wear and tear. The previous damage/wear is just setting you up for failure in my opinion and not allowing you full use of the rental that you are paying for. A tenant should not have to tip-toe around an already damaged/faulty flooring and not be expected to cause even more damage from regular use. That is just idiotic.
I just find it hard to believe that any LL/PM would expect a tenant to leave a place so clean that it is ready for the next tenant to just move right in without doing any cleaning themselves. We would never trust that whether it appears clean or not.
The linoleum had two giant gashes in the middle of it which made it bubble up like it wasn't installed 100% correctly. It was also peeling up from the sides of the wall in a few spots and had to be pushed down to make the door to the garage open. You make a good point. Living there made an already crap floor way crappier.
Very well said and I agree 100%. We are not in the business to nickel and dime people to death with inflated, bogus and nit-picky charges in order to rob people of their security deposits. Not to mention that it takes so much extra time and expense just to do all the nit-picking, determining the cost(s), all the communication back and forth with tenant on the charges and possibly setting yourself up for a fight in court.
We always clean apts after move-outs whether the previous tenant cleaned it or not and that cost is just incorporated into part of our standard turn-over expense. Just because a bathtub/shower, toilet, floor, sink, etc., 'looks' clean it does not mean that it is, nor that it was sanitized so we make sure it is done correctly for the next tenant. We either do it ourselves or we have a regular cleaner who does it. We gauge whether to charge the tenant based on whether it goes over our regular standard fee we pay our cleaner. So, if it costs us over the normal $100 - $150 average that we pay our cleaner then we will determine whether it is enough to deduct from the sec dep. This way we know exactly what cleaning products are used that we trust to make sure it is cleaned to our satisfaction and that it doesn't just 'look' clean from the previous tenant's cleaning.
So, because of all of the above, that takes care of all the nit-picky stuff such as dust bunnies, dust on blinds, a few scuff marks, etc, etc. Oven cleaning is subjective based on how dirty it actually is and again, how long it takes to clean it and whether it goes over our regular fee charged by our cleaner.
The linoleum is also subjective. How old was the linoleum? She can't charge you full replacement or repair cost if it is fully depreciated and/or if there was already damage to it that made it worse from normal wear and tear. The previous damage/wear is just setting you up for failure in my opinion and not allowing you full use of the rental that you are paying for. A tenant should not have to tip-toe around an already damaged/faulty flooring and not be expected to cause even more damage from regular use. That is just idiotic.
I just find it hard to believe that any LL/PM would expect a tenant to leave a place so clean that it is ready for the next tenant to just move right in without doing any cleaning themselves. We would never trust that whether it appears clean or not.
OH, I completely forgot to mention. She had us get everything done by 2PM on our last day because she had prospective renters coming in at 3. Who the hell schedules visits without even inspecting it first? I told her we were cleaning up but if we had left trash sitting around? As far as I know, this was her first rental through her company.
I could go either way on the linoleum. She knew it was messed up but we didn't tell her it had gotten so bad. She charged us half of the fee for it. The amount we could have gotten back was only $600 at the most. After repairs like that and the blinds/screens, I was expecting around $200 back -- not an extra $300.
On her first invoice she listed this:
Security deposit: $600
Non Refundable Pet Deposit: $300
Total: $900
A few lines later, she adds in
Pet Deposit: $300 into the amount of her cleaning/repair costs. That brings the entire total to $1219 instead of $919. She hasn't addressed that and I believe I put it in the OP but not as detailed. I'm just......confused. I've never had a deposit kept entirely or had to owe extra. Even with dogs and kids and not knowing how to clean inside the oven :P
I've been a LL for over 20 years. I just wouldn't charge for linoleum damage in this case. And I wouldn't eat any cost either. It was old and damaged. She did not fix it. It got worse. Her problem for being a moron. Besides if someone tripped and fell and hurt themselves that could be neglect and hold her liable. This person sounds stupid. And if it's old like Corn-fused stated it may be past its life anyway. I simply don't believe in needlessly charging people for things out of their control just because I can.
Why is there a second pet deposit listed as charges?
Your guess is as good as mine. I specifically asked that in our letter back to her. She did not address it. I added all the numbers together and it makes zero sense to me or my husband. My uncle works in real estate and is going to have someone who actually knows the law to look at all of this. It's just so over the top that I can't NOT argue over it.
Your guess is as good as mine. I specifically asked that in our letter back to her. She did not address it. I added all the numbers together and it makes zero sense to me or my husband. My uncle works in real estate and is going to have someone who actually knows the law to look at all of this. It's just so over the top that I can't NOT argue over it.
This is the best solution for you. Have someone who knows the rental laws in your state who can sit down and view your lease, go through all of the correspondence, charges back and forth, etc., and come up with a determination and a process to proceed. I believe you definitely have a case for some of the issues. If nothing else, a good well constructed demand letter may end up resolving it all without any future court action and expense.
Good luck and please let us know how it all turns out.
Thank you...I'll report back! Especially to those who say dust is not wear and tear....
I have a call tomorrow with a lawyer who is just going to go down the list and say yes or no basically. If it's a lot of her over-charging, he is going to write her a letter.
I don't want to sue anyone. I'm an honest person and seemed so as well. But she is in the business to make money. So...we will see where this takes us.
You seem really hung up on the dust. Dust is not wear and tear, but it's not worth charging for IF that's all there is.
If you leave enough dirt/dust that requires a cleaning crew then you are going to get charged for it. Had you made an effort to really clean the place and repair the damage your dogs left I doubt the LL would be charging you for dusting as it's an easy fix. Once the LL has to hire people to clean you're on the hook for all of the issues you left.
This is the best solution for you. Have someone who knows the rental laws in your state who can sit down and view your lease, go through all of the correspondence, charges back and forth, etc., and come up with a determination and a process to proceed. I believe you definitely have a case for some of the issues. If nothing else, a good well constructed demand letter may end up resolving it all without any future court action and expense.
Good luck and please let us know how it all turns out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert419
You seem really hung up on the dust. Dust is not wear and tear, but it's not worth charging for IF that's all there is.
If you leave enough dirt/dust that requires a cleaning crew then you are going to get charged for it. Had you made an effort to really clean the place and repair the damage your dogs left I doubt the LL would be charging you for dusting as it's an easy fix. Once the LL has to hire people to clean you're on the hook for all of the issues you left.
Hey, nice assumption there, buddy!
I'm not hung up on it. A few others told me dust is not wear and tear and more say it is which is why it keeps being brought up over and over.
I believe she's going over the top with these cleaning charges. We didn't dust one set of blinds or 2 ceiling fans in the last month -- that was THE only dust. Also did not clean inside the oven (fine, charge for it). That is *literally* all that was missing from our to do list.
I scrubbed baseboards and washed walls like I never before have in my life.
We left no trash, nothing. The city came and picked up all our excessive crap on trash day so the house was completely empty.
All the floors were vacuumed, mopped and vacuumed again. Walls cleaned from top to bottom. Dusted ceilings and walls & window sills. That bathroom...oh my god. I swear I spent 2 hours scrubbing every inch of the floor, walls, tub and sink so all you could see was white. I scraped any minute amount of scum off the top of the stove so it looked brand new. Vacuumed inside cabinets and drawers, cleaned the fridge inside & out and even behind. I even filled in a few scrapes on the wood floors from us moving furniture.
I almost feel our cleaning was excessive if she was just going to charge us this amount. All of THIS is why I feel she's being very unfair. We skipped hiring a cleaner because we couldn't afford an extra $250 after paying movers, security deposit & rent at the new place. Now I really wish I hadn't.
But it is lovely to see how many dick hole landlords here don't take the side of a tenant AT ALL, no matter how many truths are told. Me over here with zero evictions, good and steady income, no criminal record, never late on bills, decent credit...yes I'm sure I'm totally over exaggerating and left the place in shambles because all tenants are liars and deceitful!
I really can't wait until I buy a house and won't have to deal with the ilks of your kind.
Is there some kind of eye roll emoticon? I think I need one.
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