Getting Deposite Back (tenants, house, fees, landlords)
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Did she send receipts along with the cheque as required by law? If you have any dispute whatsoever, DO NOT DEPOSIT OR CASH THE CHEQUE! As poster lawmom noted, it seems that under MA law you can sue for up to 3X your security deposit if it's not returned within the proscribed period along with receipts. If all is as you say it is you have a good case. Go for it.
She did not include recipes. I think it sounds like BS. There were wood floors and I vacuumed everything. I can't figure what they were cleaning up.
What it really comes down to is I don't want to sue her just because of a technicality. I don't want to be one of those people, but I want fairness and $250 sounds like she is scaming me. I don't think they need to pony up 3x the deposit but charging me $250 seems weird.
There were wood floors and I vacuumed everything. I can't figure what they were cleaning up.
If all you did was vacuum the wood floors, and you lived there for a while, the floors might have needed to be cleaned. Mud and dirt, and gunk can build up on wood floors over time, and a vacuum isn't really the right tool if that's the case.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hartford_renter
What it really comes down to is I don't want to sue her just because of a technicality. I don't want to be one of those people, but I want fairness and $250 sounds like she is scaming me. I don't think they need to pony up 3x the deposit but charging me $250 seems weird.
Do you think it is a scam?
It was only $250 for painting AND cleaning? That doesn't sound like all that much to me...
If you are only worried about the $250 part, I'd let it go. OTOH, if she violated t the law by not returning the deposit in the time required. If she did it to you she'll do it to others, and in my mind there is nothing wrong with taking her to court and making her be responsible for that.
If all you did was vacuum the wood floors, and you lived there for a while, the floors might have needed to be cleaned. Mud and dirt, and gunk can build up on wood floors over time, and a vacuum isn't really the right tool if that's the case.
It was only $250 for painting AND cleaning? That doesn't sound like all that much to me...
Well there wasn't any mud on the floors. There could have been a little dust.
Are you saying that dust in the apartment gives the landlord legal right to charge a $250 cleaning fee. In that case every tenet would be charged because every home and apartment has some dust even after vacuuming.
Well there wasn't any mud on the floors. There could have been a little dust.
Are you saying that dust in the apartment gives the landlord legal right to charge a $250 cleaning fee. In that case every tenet would be charged because every home and apartment has some dust even after vacuuming.
Did you clean the oven? The fridge? The sinks? The toilets? The bathtubs? The light fixtures? The doors? The blinds? The windows? Did you clean hair, etc out of all the drawers, and wipe down all the shelves? What about the floor under the stove and fridge? A lot of work goes into cleaning a house. We expect the tenant to do all of that, since it is their dirt.
If all you did is vacuum the floor, they are probably letting you off light with $250 in cleaning.
But it's for cleaning and painting. $250 doesn't sound excessive, especially if they hired someone to do it. However - you should question how much of the cleaning and painting would have fallen within the scope of normal wear and tear, and how much was due to your actions specifically.
Did you clean the oven? The fridge? The sinks? The toilets? The bathtubs? The light fixtures? The doors? The blinds? The windows? Did you clean hair, etc out of all the drawers, and wipe down all the shelves? What about the floor under the stove and fridge? A lot of work goes into cleaning a house. We expect the tenant to do all of that, since it is their dirt.
If all you did is vacuum the floor, they are probably letting you off light with $250 in cleaning.
I cleaned the toilet and vacuumed the floor. I also cleaned the refrigerator. If this is the way you operate as a landlord I really wouldn't want to be your tenant.
I cleaned the toilet and vacuumed the floor. I also cleaned the refrigerator. If this is the way you operate as a landlord I really wouldn't want to be your tenant.
If that is all you did, then $250 is not only reasonable, it is likely much less than it actually cost, just for the cleaning, not even counting any needed painting.
If you are not willing to clean when you move out, you have to expect to pay someone else to clean for you. That is part of being a tenant. Your lease likely says something along those lines.
This is not only the way I operate, this is the way pretty much all responsible landlords operate. Basically, it is your mess, clean it up when you leave.
I cleaned the toilet and vacuumed the floor. I also cleaned the refrigerator. If this is the way you operate as a landlord I really wouldn't want to be your tenant.
let me give some insight. We have a health regulation that requires all property owners whio are renting a registered unit to deliver the unit to the tenant ina clean and/or sanitized state.
I have to make sure the floors and all surfaces are clean and freee from dirt. If there is anything that is not the paint on the wall, it has to be cleaned off. Light fixtues including swicthes have to be cleaned as well.
I have to make sure all the appliances are free and clean of all food, dirt or contaniments. To comply I have to wash each appliance inside and out. I have to run the dishwasher on a cycle, and run a disposer cleaner in the disposer.
I have to not only clean all surfaces in the bathroom but I have to shoiw they were sanitized. Drains included.
Windows have to be clean. Door handles wiped down. Everything dusted. Even a button on the closet floor must be rfound and removed.
these are not in any LL tenat laws but in county heath regulations for rental units. It cost about $200 - $400 depending on condition to clean a unit. That's a lot each turnover so we have in the lease that the tenat is responsible for delivering the unit in the same shape (minus wear and tear) as was delivered. During the PM's walk through they will do a quick check to see if it the unit is substantuially clean as was deliverd. If there is anything that isn really not right (dirty stove, crud in microwave, pee stains on bathroom floor, dirty bath miirrors), a full cleaning is ordered. If it looks like the place was ckleaned as best a non professional could do, we order a general spruce up at out expense. they main thing is if it looks like the person tried to deliver it clean, we accept it.
LL don;t just go about charging cleaning fees just to charge the fee, they do it because somewhere in some law that a tenant knows nothing about, they may be required to do it., or they are trying to avoid some liability if they question the cleanliness of a place.
What is going on with you, don;t really know, but dont think that a LL requirng things to be done is because they are too mean or too strict. I;m sure you want an apartment you moved into to be clean and sanitized! You would probably have a fit if you took an apartment and found toe nail clipping on the carpet ij the corner, or some old unknown crud stuck to the top of the microwave, or saw some fake blond hair looking back at you from the bath drain.
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