How to Get Your Security Deposit Back When Moving

Our Omaha moving company has created this guide for how to get your security deposit back when moving.

As soon as you make the decision to move out, read your lease! Your lease agreement has a clause on terminating, and it's necessary that you follow these guidelines if you want to get your security deposit back. You should find out how much notice you need to give your landlord, and look for any special notes the landlord might have written in the clause. Generally, most leases require you to drop off the keys, clean the property and return any changes you've made back to their original condition.

Landlord and tenant laws only protect your right to get your security deposit back if its requested. To notify your landlord, write a letter to him or her. You don't need to justify why you're moving, so keep it simple. If your move is due to unattended repairs or a serious infestation issue, you should consider adding a few details about that. In your letter, you should include your new address and remind your landlord that you expect your security deposit to be forwarded to your new address. You should sign and date this letter. Our Omaha moving company suggests that the most important thing you can do is make a copy of the letter and keep it in a safe place. You don't want to have a situation where the landlord uses the “I never got that letter” excuse. It's suggested that you send your letter via certified mail.

Making repairs when moving out is sort of a grey area, because you should only do repairs that can be done quickly and cheaply. Don't try to improve another person's property for the sake of your security deposit, and don't fix things that already came broken. Small and easy repairs include: patch holes, paint, replace light bulbs, make the bathroom shine and make the stove look new.

According to the law, your apartment has to be “broom cleaned.” Since this term is extremely subjective and can be open to interpretation, it's usually best to leave your rental looking brand-new clean. To do this, you should clean after you've moved everything out so that you'll be able to catch any dust left behind.

The biggest way to irritate your landlord is by leaving your unwanted stuff behind. If you leave anything behind, and your landlord has to hire someone to remove it, those costs will come out of your security deposit. Check every nook and cranny before you leave your rental.

Before you officially move out and leave, give your keys back to your landlord. This step is easily forgotten and it ends up costing tenants a lot of money. Return every key that you have, because the landlord will charge a replacement fee for every key not returned.