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Old 10-22-2012, 09:54 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,045 times
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Just a quick question. A house we're looking to rent told us there would be a $500 non-refundable "renovation fee" that would decrease each year we continued to rent, in addition to the standard security deposit. Is this a standard Seattle practice? Is it worth bailing on a house we really like for a pretty good price?

Thanks!
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Old 10-22-2012, 10:40 PM
 
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I've never heard of that. I've heard of non refundable pet deposits, but what's a renovation fee?
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Old 10-23-2012, 06:08 AM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,298 posts, read 80,577,144 times
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First for me too. Renovation is a cost of doing business for a landlord. It sounds like they are trying to collect it in advance to have the funds available when it's needed, yet not too much renovation can be done for $500. Most landlords would simply include a future renovation/repair factor into their rent amount, and avoid turning off people
like the OP. I would divide the $500 by the number of months you expect to stay there
(lease term) and add it to your rent amount. Then consider whether that total rent amount is still reasonable for the place. It's less than $14/month on a 3 year lease, just collected in advance.
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Old 10-23-2012, 09:35 PM
 
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Our landlord collected a non-refundable "cleaning fee". It was $500. Kind of stupid considering that in my lease it states that cleaning (including carpet cleaning) is the responsibility of the tenant upon move out.

I do think it's not uncommon (the rental market here is crazy, I rented our house sight unseen). It sucks but with the rental market the way it is, landlords can pretty much charge what they want.

ETA they collected a pet deposit ($500) and one month's rent for the regular deposit
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Old 10-24-2012, 09:56 AM
 
Location: Seattle
1,651 posts, read 2,773,124 times
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Quote:
Our landlord collected a non-refundable "cleaning fee". It was $500. Kind of stupid considering that in my lease it states that cleaning (including carpet cleaning) is the responsibility of the tenant upon move out.
I see this a lot. I guess if you call it a 'renovation fee' - it amounts to the same thing. I've also had it called a 'non-refundable deposit' - lol!! I just look at it as extortion. I realize being a landlord is often a tough business, but stuff like that leaves a bad taste.
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Old 10-24-2012, 07:01 PM
 
1,638 posts, read 3,822,933 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kayela View Post
I just look at it as extortion.
WORD.
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Old 10-24-2012, 07:30 PM
 
1,314 posts, read 2,049,257 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kayela View Post
I see this a lot. I guess if you call it a 'renovation fee' - it amounts to the same thing. I've also had it called a 'non-refundable deposit' - lol!! I just look at it as extortion. I realize being a landlord is often a tough business, but stuff like that leaves a bad taste.
All these "fees" are illegal in California, so it was quite a shock to us that landlords can pretty much ask for whatever they want.
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