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Move Out Cleaning Instructions
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MOVE-OUT CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS
KITCHEN:
1. Clean refrigerator, shelves, and freezer. Unplug and pull the refrigerator out away from the wall with doors open. Clean underneath and behind refrigerator. After cleaning RE-PLUG the refrigerator and leave running.
2. Clean cupboards, under sink, and baseboards.
3. Clean under burners, controls, rings, drip pans and stove top. Wipe down front and sides of range. Exhaust fan must be clean and grease free.
4. Clean oven--be sure to have all traces of oven cleaner wiped free.
5. Scour sinks and remove all stains. Disposal should be clean and in working order.
6. Sweep and mop kitchen floor.
7. Exterior faces of cupboards should be wiped down and grease free.
8. Dishwasher must be clean and in good working order.
LIVING ROOM:
1. Carpets must be commercially cleaned--check with manager for the best way to handle this.
2. Baseboards cleaned, and finger marks or other marks cleaned of switches and walls.
3. Windows must be washed, inside and out, sills dusted and cleaned with damp cloth and window runners and tracks clean.
BEDROOM:
1. Same as living room.
2. Closets vacuumed and top shelf dusted.
BATHROOM:
1. Toilet bowl must be scoured and cleaned with a disinfectant. The outside of the bowl, including the seat, rim, tank, and base must be clean and disinfected. An old toothbrush works well along the bolts and base of the toilet fixture.
2. Bath tub must be scoured to remove any rings. Sides of the tub enclosure must be clean and free of any soap build-up. (Spray foam bathroom cleaner works well here.)
3. Sink must be scoured and faucet polished. Wipe down counter top surrounding sink and wash mirror.
4. All cabinets and drawers must be dusted and wiped clean. The exterior of cabinets should also be dusted and cleaned.
5. Sweep and mop floor.
STORAGE AREAS, PATIOS, CARPORTS:
1. Patios must be clean and swept.
2. Storage area must be empty and swept.
GENERAL:
Reasonable "wear and tear" of the apartment unit is always considered, depending upon length of occupancy. The kitchens and bathroom walls have a semi-gloss finish and can easily be wiped down. You are responsible for any and all damage done to the apartment including walls, doors, carpets, linoleum and appliances. Upon check-out, all light bulbs must be working. Window coverings should be clean and in good condition. If blinds need either cleaning or repairing, you will be responsible for the cost of such.
ALSO be sure: 1.cable adapter remains
2. drip pans intact
Move Out Cleaning Instructions Form 124 (7/07)
© Professional Financial Investors, Inc. page 2 of 4
3. appliances are in working order
4. all keys are returned
5. notify post office of forwarding address
After 12:00 p.m. (Noon) on your intended move-out day, you will be charged another full day's rent if your apartment is not ready. Any cleaning charges will be deducted from your Security Deposit.
Deductions From Security Deposits For Damages
WHAT'S ORDINARY WEAR AND TEAR?
Typical definition of ordinary wear and tear is "That deterioration which occurs based upon the use of which the rental unit is intended and without negligence, carelessness, accident, or misuse, or abuse of the premises or contents by the tenant or members of his household, or their invitees or guests."
In other words, ordinary wear and tear is the natural and gradual deterioration of the apartment over time, which results from a tenant's normal use of the apartment. For example, the carpeting in an apartment, or even the paint on the walls, wears out in the normal course of living. Carpets become threadbare, and paint peels and cracks. Even the most responsible tenant can't prevent the aging process, and a court won't make the tenant pay for damages resulting from that process.
WHAT'S NOT ORDINARY WEAR AND TEAR?
A landlord can make a tenant pay for damages if the tenant helped the aging process along or didn't use the apartment in a normal way. A carpet worn from people walking on it is something you have to expect. But a tenant who cuts a hole in the carpet or spills paint on it may be held responsible for the damage. A dirty carpet is not considered normal wear and tear.
How can you tell what is and isn't ordinary wear and tear? There are three basic types of damages caused by a tenant that aren't considered ordinary wear and tear. They are:
1. Negligence. If a tenant does something carelessly that the tenant should have known would cause damage or if the tenant failed to do something that the tenant reasonably should have done to prevent damage, that's negligence. In short, did the tenant act prudently to preserve the property?
- Failure to warn. Another form of negligence is where the tenant fails to take steps that could prevent damage to the apartment. Even the reasonable wear and tear exception shouldn't insulate a tenant from responsibility if the tenant fails to let the management know when something goes wrong in the apartment that might later result in worse damage.
For example, if a window pane is cracked because of a faulty foundation, that's not the tenant's fault. But if the tenant doesn't tell the management that the crack is letting in water and the carpet below the window gets water damaged, the management may be able to argue that this extra damage was caused by the tenant's failure to inform the management of the problem.
2. Abuse/misuse. If the tenant knowingly or deliberately mistreats the property, or uses is for the wrong purposes, the damage the tenant causes isn't ordinary war and tear - it's abuse or misuse.
For example, did the tenant slide furniture over an unprotected floor, causing gouges? Or did the tenant discolor the bathtub by using it to dye fabrics? Was the tenant an artist who failed to cover the floor as the tenant painted, leaving permanent stains on the carpet? Did the tenant paint the walls of the apartment black?
Move Out Cleaning Instructions Form 124 (7/07)
© Professional Financial Investors, Inc. page 3 of 4
One court decision court said a tenant had to pay for leaving an apartment carpet mutilated in an area around a wet bar, damaged by rust and mildew stains from plant containers and covered with cigarette burns - some clear through the pad.
3. Accident. Sometimes damage occurs by mistake. The tenant party guest drops a drink on the new carpet, staining it. The tenant drops a heavy planter and cracks the tile floor. Or the tenant's cleaning the light and the fixture falls and breaks... Or the tenant accidentally leaves the bathtub faucet on, flooding part of the apartment and staining wood floors and carpeting. Even though the tenant didn't purposely damage your property, the management will be able to withhold the cost of repair from the security deposit.
OTHER FACTORS
In evaluating whether apartment damage exceeds ordinary wear and tear, there are some other factors to keep in mind. They include: Extent of damage. The exact type of damage may be as important as the extent of the damage when evaluating whether it's ordinary wear and tear or not. For example, two or three nail holes in a wall may be considered ordinary wear and tear. But dozens of nail holes may be considered abuse. A few scratches on a wood floor are unavoidable. But a missing wood plank is negligence or abuse. Length of residence. Certain things wear out over time. But over how long? The ordinary wear and tear on an apartment from a tenant who's lived there only a short time should be considerably less than that of a tenant who's lived there for a long time. Say you installed new carpet before renting an apartment. It may be reasonable to expect that if a tenant lives there 10 years before moving out, everyday usage would leave it somewhat damaged. But if a tenant moves out after only three months and the carpet is ripped and stained, that’s unreasonable, and the management can probably charge the tenant for the damage. Character and construction of building. An older building may be expected to undergo greater and more rapid deterioration than a newer building. For example, wooden windowsills in an older building may dry out, rot, or crack over time through no fault of the tenant. But if the building is new, it unlikely that the windowsills would crack with-out some carelessness on the tenant's part (e.g., standing on the windowsill to put up drapes).
WEAR & TEAR
-Peeling or cracked paint
-Worn enamel in old bathtub
-Worn or cracked linoleum in place where appliances had been
-Cracked window pane due to faulty foundation and settling of building
Move Out Cleaning Instructions Form 124 (7/07)
© Professional Financial Investors, Inc. page 4 of 4
-Carpet worn thin by people walking on it
-Door that sticks in humidity
-Small piece of wall plaster chipped
-Faded tile
-Paint faded on kitchen walls
-Shower rod somewhat rusted
-Grouting in bathroom tile loose
DAMAGES
-Drawings on the walls(e.g., murals)
-Chipped and broken enamel in bathtub
-Broken window caused by resident slamming window shut
-Holes in carpet from cigarette burns or carpet damaged by rust and mildew stains from tenant's plant containers
-Large chunk of plaster ripped out of wall
-Painted-over kitchen or bathroom tile
-Missing fixtures; hole in ceiling where fixture had been removed
-Toilet backed up because tenant flushed diapers; feminine products etc.
-Floors gouged when moving furniture
-Sliding closet doors off track -Walls burned in kitchen from burner turned too high when pot on stove
-Shower rod missing
-Tiles missing or cracked
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