How to Get Your Security Deposit Back When You Are Moving Out

Posted on January 4, 2021

A lot of renters, especially new ones, believe that landlords don't give security deposits back upon move out, or that they'll try to make up excuses for not returning the deposit back. Even if your initial deposit was under $100 or $200, that's still your hard-earned cash and you deserve it back. Have no fear, however, since most landlords from respectable communities will treat you how they would want to be treated and return your deposit.

Believe it or not, out of all the options your landlord has upon your moveout to invest your deposit amount, returning it tends to be one of the easiest procedures. Why? Well because all they need to do is write you a check for your deposit amount or initiate an ACH wire transfer to your bank account, rather than hiring a cleaning or repair crew. Those cost money but also valuable time. This is why your inspection checklist upon move in is so important, because ultimately any scuffs and marks (hopefully nothing more) will come out of your deposit upon moving out.

Since deposits are refundable, all you need to do is make sure you get your security deposit back. Below are some key considerations to take to ensure you get your deposit back.

1. Understand Your Lease Agreement

Just as you went through your lease agreement in the beginning right before you signed your lease, make sure to read it over once again, particularly the section that covers any clauses surrounding your security deposit. Here, you need to understand when your move out notice period is. Typically, you need to provide a 60 day notice before moving out or terminating your lease. Early termination could possibly not enable you to receive your deposit back. Depending on your lease terms, if you don't submit a written notice that you will move out by the time your lease term is over, you could have your lease automatically renewed.

2. Clean Your Apartment

Nobody is a fan of cleaning out their apartment, especially when they are getting ready to move to a different apartment complex or even out of state. Cleaning out can be time-consuming and highly exhausting, especially if you're a one-person crew and live by yourself. You should try to clean each room as you clear it out, that way you don't need to come back and can check it off your list.

3. Ask Questions

Think that small crack could cost more than pocket change for the landlord to get it covered? That could possibly come out of your security deposit. Make sure you inspect your apartment thoroughly once you have moved out all your stuff just so you can more clearly see what differences exist between now and when you signed off on that inspection checklist a year ago. Sometimes, the lease terms could state that ordinary "wear and tear" is tolerable but anything more such as pet damage or visible scratches and marks on pre-installed appliances or furniture could come out of your deposit. Take some pictures on your phone and email your landlord or something from the leasing office just to double check that that in fact falls under ordinary "wear and tear".

4. Pay Any Last Obligations

A lot of individuals think that your security deposit can be deducted from your last month's rent, but this typically isn't the case, unless it's explicitly stated on your lease terms. You need to make sure you have paid your last month's rent, and the security deposit would then be received through mail via a check, typically. Once you have paid your last month's rent, it is a good idea to email your landlord or someone from the leasing office to ask them to respond that all obligations have been paid off and you paid your last month's rent and they received it. Make sure you get all of this in writing. Save the email or print it out and keep a copy for yourself, just in case. Additionally, make sure you aren't behind on any payments since that could inhibit your from getting your deposit back, since your landlord could ask for any outstanding payments to be paid before they consider giving back your deposit.

5. See What You Can Fix By Yourself

That's right, try being your own repairman (or repairwoman) for a day. If you can knock out those scratches or scuffs on the cabinets or clean the stove on your own, that could save the landlord time and money. If the repairs are small enough, try doing them yourself but only if you caused them during your stay and make sure you aren't fixing what someone else broke before you moved in. Also, be careful in this step since you don't want to make something worse than it was before. Some small repairs to think about could be:

• Holes in the walls from curtains or portraits and pictures. You can typically grab some cheap putty from your local hardware store to patch things up yourself.
• Bleach out the bathrooms. While not really a repair, making sure your toilets and sinks are clean and sparkling white can make your landlord more unassuming when they come in for inspection. In certain areas with clay and red sand particles in the water system, your toilet and shower could have a red lining, so make sure you clean these out first.
• Paint your walls and cover any markings. If you used putty to patch up any holes, make sure you paint over putty to make everything look like new. Read your lease agreement, however, since some landlords don't allow you to paint your apartment's walls, even if you are doing repairs yourself.
• If any lightbulbs are burned out, make sure your replace them. For those of us living in newer apartment communities with modern fridges with filter systems, make sure you have replaced the filter system before you move out.

6. Inspect For Pet Damages

For those who live with their furry best friend, understand that any damages to appliances, walls or floors of your apartment from your pet will be the biggest inhibitor of receiving your deposit back or at least causing some sort of delay. You should inspect your carpet for any stains caused by your pet and if you discover any culprits, be sure to sprinkle a small amount of baking soda on the rug or carpet just prior to vacuuming in order to eliminate any visible stains and potential odor.

7. Leave Your Keys

A lot of people seem to forget that they need to return their keys, especially if their keys are attached to their car keys (which is most likely the case), and this could cost you. When you’re done cleaning out and moving out of your apartment, drop off the keys to your landlord or place them in an envelope with your name and apartment number and slide it under their door if you are moving out after hours. Make sure you give your landlord or leasing office everything they gave you, which includes mailbox keys, pool keys and garage or community gate keys, if applicable. Be sure to also include any key doubles. Otherwise, you could get charged a pretty high replacement fee for every key you don't return. If you do move out of state and accidentally take your keys with you, no worries! Just mail the keys to your landlord and buy tracking information for your envelope or parcel.

8. Update Your New Address

Since your end goal here should be to get your deposit back, your landlord or a member of your leasing office won't be able to refund your deposit until you have moved out, which could even be a week after you've left. In the hustle and bustle of moving out you could forget to leave your new address, which you'll want to give to you have your security deposit sent. Shoot management a quick email and be sure to do a UPS address change as well.

A lot of people forget that the initial security deposit they put up belongs to them upon move out. The deposit could be under $100, or even $250 or as high as half or one full month's rent (kind of ridiculous). If you keep solid records of maintenance and are responsible during your stay and upon moving out, you shouldn't have a problem getting your deposit back.