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Our lease started in June 2012. Due to issues related to work, we decided to move and I talked to our property manager about breaking our lease. He said it wasn't a problem as long as I found someone to sign a new lease. The manager had mentioned, on his own, with no prompting, that they'd be sure to clean between tenants and we didn't need to "go crazy with the cleaning." So we moved out on May 26th (having paid rent for the apartment until May 31st) after we found someone who signed a one year lease starting June 1.
We cleaned up and left it in pretty good condition (did not get carpet professionally cleaned). There was one or two scuff marks on the paint from movers, but everything else was pretty good.
I know, from the new tenants who started moving in yesterday, that the property manager had touched up the paint and had the carpets cleaned.
I was talking to the manager about forwarding address for our security deposit today and he said it was routine to charge $125 for a cleaning fee for anyone who had stayed in their apartments less than 5 years.
I can't find anything relating to this in our lease. Is this usual? I'll wait to see if we get an itemized list or something with the security deposit, but we've never had to pay one before, whether we stayed for one year or longer in an apartment.
...and he said it was routine to charge $125 for a cleaning fee for anyone who had stayed in their apartments less than 5 years.
Restated: it is so common to find chargeable (non wear and tear) damage at move out that it has become
routine to just charge a flat $125 fee to everyone who has stayed in their apartments less than 5 years.
Tenants of longer standing are allowed more tolerance on work beyond wear and tear.
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I can't find anything relating to this in our lease. Is this usual?
It's both quite usual (as a policy) and also quite usual to NOT have it described in the lease.
The latter is a management shortcoming (in my view).
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I'll wait to see if we get an itemized list or something with the security deposit...
As Kona said... $125 is a modest gig for carpet cleaning and painting.
Press it and you'll get a higher bill.
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...but we've never had to pay one before, whether we stayed for one year or longer in an apartment.
You've paid it. You may have not had it spelled out and itemized but you can be sure
that it and 10 other common things were all a part of the rent you paid.
What some people do not remember, also because they didn't read it, are tenant handbooks, house rules, various addenda that are all incorporated INTO the lease by reference. This is where a lot of our cleaning and move out requirements are, customizing the standard zipforms residential lease agreement as each realtor needs to according to their policies.
Thanks for all the info. I'd just never encountered this before, so was wondering. Especially since the manager did say that they only found routine wear and tear in our apartment.
Considering how large the security deposit is, guess I should count myself lucky that it's only $125.
Agreed that only having $125 in fees / deposit reductions is amazing. That said, it did go against what they said, and possibly against what you signed. Only things in writing however count. Apartment companies especially can be known to say one thing but only go by what the lease says. Makes no since to me as folks just write bad reviews online. However, everyone needs a place to live.
In the past our apartment tried to charge us several hundred dollars for carpet cleaning when it was only expected wear & tear (no stains and no excessive dirt, mostly wear paths and such since it was cheap carpet). As it wasn't in our lease, I fought it and stood my ground. Surprisingly they eventually gave in. Mostly as I brought in the copy of the lease I signed and asked them to show me where it said that.
You are also very lucky you were able to break a lease only by finding someone else to move in. As said above, even without a gap in rental income and not needing to advertise for a replacement renter, there are costs associated with turnover...at a minimum paint, cleaning, and management time for inspections, paperwork, and scheduling the work. The leases I've signed either had a fee of several months rent, or actually left us liable for the remainder of the lease, no subletting aloud. I imagine its quite regional though. Best wishes.
In California all deposits are refundable provided no tenant chargeable damage or money owed.
We also must be available to perform a pre-moveout inspection to minimize surprises.
I tell all tenants that my goal is to return deposit money in full and it does happen... happened last Friday.
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