Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2015 · 100 posts · 40 votes
My former tenant is very unhappy that I deducted $300 - the amount that I had to pay for cleaning after she moved. The kitchen and the appliances were disgusting - the rest, less so. She was always a good tenant so I was very surprised.
The lease says "Insure that the Premises, including kitchen, baths and all appliances, floors, and windows are thoroughly cleaned" so I feel the deduction was necessary and legal. However, rather than a drawn out email/text thing, I'm thinking to give her a $100 good faith, goodwill gesture refund without making sure it is not a admission of guilt or liability. Has anyone done something like this? And if so, do you have a great paragraph or sentence that does that?
Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes
6y
I would probably send a couple pictures fo the disgusting areas along with a receipt from the cleaning company (I don’t THINK you can charge for any cleaning you do personally.) and tell the previous tenant they should ask for a refund from the cleaning company they used upon move out.
Here is what I would do. I would let her know per lease agreement that cleaning of the house is part of exiting. Explain to her that cleaning was necessary for the next tenant to live. I would not give her the $100. I think you need to run this like a business.
If you were fair and charged her for things that were really a problem, stick to your guns. Tenants aren't happy if their full deposit isn't refunded, but she left the kitchen a mess and clearly there were other things (cleaning a kitchen along shouldn't cost $300).
Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2015 · 100 posts · 40 votes
6y
Thank you for the replies. Unfortunately, I'm 2000 miles from the property so I don't have pictures other the kitchen and appliances. So I will negotiate with her only because she was a great tenant for 5 years.
I would probably send a couple pictures fo the disgusting areas along with a receipt from the cleaning company (I don’t THINK you can charge for any cleaning you do personally.) and tell the previous tenant they should ask for a refund from the cleaning company they used upon move out.
Investor · Marietta, GA · Member since 2015 · 382 posts · 258 votes
6y
@Janice R.
You paid for cleaning so send the receipt to the tenant along with the applicable reference in the lease. A tenant who leaves the premises so dirty as to have to spend money to re-rent (or sell) premise is not a “good tenant “.
Rental Property Investor · Ankeny, IA · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6y
@Janice R.
I have no idea why you would do that. Did you pay the $300? Then you charge them. Being a great tenant does not absolve them of abiding by the lease at move out. You’ve given them the documentation and the remainder of their damage deposit back I assume. Communication and business dealings are over. Plain and simple.