When you are moving out of your apartment, getting the deposit back should be part of the course. But more often than not, this becomes quite a nightmare with the landlord or their agent claiming damages and wanting a multitude of things fixed or replaced before they are ready to release the amount to you. This nightmare can be avoided, though. Here are some tips to help you with this issue:

 1 – Get a condition report

Quite frequently, the apartment renters fail to get the state of the floors, walls, carpets, and other fixtures properly assessed and certified. This is essential to establishing the care of the property during your tenancy. If you have fixed or replaced any furniture, fittings or other fixtures, record it on video. If you have painted the walls or polished the floors, do ensure that you have the associated evidence for that. This will help you to contest any claims by your landlord of undue damages, if any. Get a condition report by a professional both before moving in and after moving out.

2 – Leave the place as you found it

It is reasonable to expect you to clean up after yourself when you move out. This is your basic civic duty. The issue arises when it comes to defining what is meant by the term ‘reasonably clean’ since one person’s idea of what constitutes reasonably clean might be completely different from another’s. Proper vacuuming, cleaning of the kitchen counters and other surfaces, bathroom tiles and windows, carpets, etc. are also part of the cleaning basics. By all means, clean the apartment the best you can. There is no such thing as “too clean,” anyway. And this will help in not giving your landlord any reason to withhold your bond money.

3 – Keep track of any issues

If something unavoidable happens, like maybe some damage to the stove, oven, or any other fixtures, keep a photographic proof of the same and also of the repairs made. Keep track of any wine stains on the carpet, or other stains made by your pets or children. It can be tiresome, but keep in mind the benefit of such meticulous record keeping. This will help you out when it is time to get your money back from the landlord when you are moving out.

4 – Don’t anticipate trouble

Quite frequently, some tenants anticipate that their landlord or the agent will withhold the bond money and so try to withhold rent for the last few months; and this kind of attitude is sure to backfire. Also, keep a meticulous record of any repairs which the landlord had promised you when you moved in, and what you have had done. Get the premises properly cleaned, if possible by professionals, while moving out.

These simple steps will go a long way in helping you get your bond money back. Try and keep open lines of communication with your landlord during the time period you’re renting from him (or her) and you should be able to avoid this issue from from happening.