Move outs How picky should i be?

Question

Hi All,
i am having my first move out after only 6 months
question ,,, how picky should i be when they move out  the house was totally rehabbed down to the studs so everything was perfect when they moven in
should i charge them for cleaning stoves or burnt out light bulbs dog poop in the yard ? ,, or is that all just part of doing business

i looked at the house last week and they were cleaning the carpets,, they were messy by my standards but it looks like they took ok care of the place aside from some paint scuffs and  lack of cleaning maybe they will make an effort before they vacate

they are leaving at the end of a 6 month lease which ends tomorrow and only gave me notice on the 20th they were leaving which is ok but if they do not turn in the keys before the first my lease is then a month to month and they did not give 30 days notice can i then keep their deposit ??

Michael Rossi · Answer

I'm sure that sounds good to some socialist in the left coast government, but it is RIDICULOUS!  When you go to do your walkthrough, the tenants will have covered up all the damage they've done.  Pictures will cover holes in the wall; the couch will sit on that burn mark in the carpet; a coffee table will be sitting on that melted wax in the carpet, etc.  You CAN NOT do a proper inspection until the tenant and their stuff is gone.

If you called a PROFESSIONAL CLEANING COMPANY to do the work, how much would they charge?  WELL OVER $20 per hour I bet!!!  In fact, I bet their minimum might be $200 or $300 to clean a small apartment.  Why are you charging less?  Your wife should insist on equal pay for equal work!

Mike

Greg C · Answer

also it said that before their term is up you should do a walk through with them and point out any thing that will deduct from their deposit and give them a chance to make it right before they vacate.

Pete Condit · Answer

I have a question about clean up after a tenant leaves.

I think we can agree that even a very good tenant is going to leave you atlest an hour or two of work to get the place looking ncie enough to show to prospective tenants.

Does this mean that a tenant should just assume that atleast a portion of their deposit will be gone no matter how well they keep it?

I was always under the impression that deposits were to be held back only when other than normal wear and tear occured such as carpets being permanently stained or windows broken or sheetrock damage requiring more than a light paint touch up.

What happens if a tenant challenges deposit withholding? Can they cause issues other than just taking you off their christmas list?

Pete Condit · Answer

sounds fair enough. i suspect 20 bucks an hour would be a good number to use, plus materials.

Greg C · Answer

i looked op california law and it states that you can charge for cleaning .
 to put the house back in the state of cleanliness when they rented it

Michael Rossi · Answer

Greg, 
            
            If the new tenant paid for the entire month of May (not prorated), then you are not entitled to lost rent.  If you had to prorate the rent, then you should be entitled to that portion of the rent you lost.  In any case, you are certainly entitled to reimbursement for the damage they caused (the 5 hours your wife had to work to get the place cleaned up; any supplies she used; and any things you had to replace such as miniblinds, etc).  In addition, I certainly wouldn't be charging minimum wage for your wife's time.
            
            Mike

Greg C · Answer

i have it rented already a week later does that make a difference,, believe me i would like to keep the deposit but i also want to treat a decent tennant fair also

Greg C · Answer

thanks Mike we will charge them for our time and prorate a week that will give them about 1/2 their deposit back

Michael Rossi · Answer

That is simply - WRONG!  Almost every lease and the tenant-landlord laws in nearly every state require either party to give an appropriate notice (typically 30 days) to terminate the lease.  Furthermore, most leases and state tenant-landlord laws consider a lease to become month-to-month tenancy at the end of the initial lease period.  This tenant almost certainly violated the lease in this case and also probably violated their duties under the state tenant-landlord law.

If your wife's time isn't worth anything, send her to Ohio and I'll put her to work for 50 cents an hour.  It will be one of those win-win situations that we always hear about in real estate.  She will actually get paid for her time (infinitely more than what she's getting now) and I'll have a worker that will trash out rentals REALLY CHEAP!

In all seriousness, you're not going to be successful in this business (or any other business) by working for free and allowing tenants to violate the lease without reperussion.

Mike

Greg C · Answer

yeah they left the place decent me and my wife spent about 5 hours cleaning from top to bottom and it was near perfect;;

i am going to return their deposit