How to Get Your Security Deposit Back

By Allie Mitchell on November 26, 2016

Moving into an apartment can be a big step in the adult direction for a lot of students. The idea of having your own space, paying your own bills, and making your own rules is something that every student dreams of at some point in their life. And once you are faced with it, most times you don’t know whether to jump for joy or let the stress set in once it’s all said and done.

When having an apartment, the responsibilities are endless: paying your bills on time, making sure you call maintenance to fix things, getting along semi-decently with your neighbors, and just making sure your space is livable for you and your potential guests. There are a few things some people don’t think about though when they are moving into a new apartment or even when they look into getting an apartment in the first place.

There is one main thing that students need to look into upfront when making a decision about an apartment: money.

And by money I mean the security deposit. Now what is a security deposit, you ask? This is a deposit of money that you pay your landlord basically ensuring that your rent will be paid on time and other terms of the lease are fulfilled by you; it can also be deemed as last months’ rent.

Most people tend to just pay the deposit without really understanding what it means and what it means for them. Just like most people say read all documents before you sign anything, it is the same in this situation which is understand all documents before you hand your money over.

Now, one of the main issues with the security deposits are that some people don’t know that you can get that money back, majority of the time. Yes, I said it: you can get that money back. It may not always be easy, but it is doable.

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Getting your security deposit back is a process and this article is meant to help you understand and clarify what you need to do to be able to have your money back in your hands. There are few things you need to do first before you head in the direction of getting your money back.

•Re-read your lease (mainly the parts about the security deposit) and make note of anything of importance.

•Keep records of all maintenance or repairs the landlord performed during each rental period and if you have already been keeping records of it, good on you!

Those are the first two things to begin the process, but now it’s time to look at the small things that could help you after all is said and done. There are obligations that you need to fulfill or have been fulfilling that will make the job of getting your money back much easier on you.

Once you have done the items above you will have a clear view of what else needs to be done for you to be able to proceed.

1. Bills: Make sure that your bills are paid on time and in full or through payments. Being a good tenant could actually be a wonderful thing in the long run for you. Outstanding bills/fees could come out of your security deposit in the end, so make sure to get those covered.

2. Potential Issues: Do a walk-through yourself and make sure to note of anything and everything that a landlord could notice (things that may need repairs or replacements.)

3. Cleaning: Become Cinderella and do a clean sweep of your apartment. You need to make sure it is quite possibly in the same condition as when you moved in. If your landlord finds that they need to clean it then those costs will come out of your security deposit, which of course you do not want.

4. Walk-through: You may want to schedule two walk-throughs. The first walk-through will be for you to attend and have your landlord be there to tell you what needs to be fixed; take pictures of items if you need to. And the second walk-through is to show your landlord all the items you have fixed and if anything is left that you haven’t fixed you can discuss with them the details of how you can avoid using your security deposit to pay for it.

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It is a lot to handle, trust me. The legal obligations can vary from state to state so make sure to understand the general things that your security deposit entails. Some states have a time limit as to when your security deposit will be given back to you, and if this is not met then the law and other players come into action.

Hopefully, you only have to deal with smooth sailing towards the end of your lease. Fingers crossed.

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