Moving houses is an exciting experience, especially if you are transferring to a home that you already own. But before you move forward, you must never forget the place you are leaving behind. After you have cleared your things, there is the process of cleaning and tidying up your former apartment or condo unit so that you can get your security deposit back in full.
Here is how you can do that without any trouble.
Read Your Contract or Agreement
First, make sure that you have read the tenancy agreement or contract. It will stipulate exactly how the home should be left once you move out. The security deposit is usually worth two months’ rent, but not everything can be refunded because a portion will be set aside for utility bills, which have yet to be billed.
In order to get the portion that you can refund in full, you have to make sure that the place is free from visible damages and that no furniture or fixtures are broken or not working. These include lights, faucets, garbage disposal, cracks on walls and ceilings.
Get a head start on your final clean-up weeks before you vacate the premises. Clearing out the big-ticket items you own will give you more time to clean everything before the final inspection from your landlord.
Create a Cleaning Checklist
Clean out the house section by section and create a checklist to make sure you have all your bases covered.
In the living room, it is important to remove wall decor and scrub the walls so that there is no uneven colour. Once the furniture has been removed, you can focus on carpet cleaning, which is often overlooked. If you are not confident in your skills, you can hire end of tenancy carpet cleaning services for the difficult tasks.
You can handle the sweeping, vacuuming and dusting the shelves, but there are more rigorous tasks on hand that may require sophisticated equipment. Besides the carpets, professionals can also clean the windows, bathrooms and kitchens and leave everything spotless and squeaky clean.
In the kitchen, you will need to clear out the contents of cupboards and cabinets. If you were provided with china and cutlery, make sure that it is the same number as when you arrived and that the dinnerware have no chips or cracks. The dishwasher must also be left in good running condition.
When it comes to the bathroom, make sure the drains and fixtures are working. For the areas that need to be cleaned, the sink, mirror, tiles and even the tub must be sparkling clean. These should be free from grime, moulds and mildew. Water stains must be removed before turning over the property to your landlord.
If there is dirt that you cannot easily clean, use baking soda, vinegar or lemon and make a paste, place it on the metallic fixtures, and let it stay for a minute or so before scrubbing them off. Rinse thoroughly after you are done.
Like the rest of the house, your garden and backyard will also need some cleaning. Make sure you mow the lawns, keep the flowerbeds as they were when you first came in and sweep the fallen leaves.
By making sure everything is clean as you go, you will have a higher standing chance to get your lease deposit back in full.
