Chickering Rentals Move-In Guide
Our hope is that our tenants love living with us. However, when the time comes to move out, we want to ensure that tenants retain as much of their security deposit as possible. Below are several ways that you can prevent charges against your security deposit.
Decorating the walls? Using nails in the wall will guarantee that the wall will need to be patched and painted. We recommend using Command strips and hooks. If you must use nails, consider hanging only on one wall to minimize associated charges. When removing command strips, do so slowly to prevent peeling of paint, plaster, and dry wall.
Be mindful when moving furniture. Dragging or dropping furniture can cause scrapes and gashes in the floor. Prevent charges to repair the floors by moving furniture with care. Scuff marks on the wall due to furniture? Use a Magic Eraser to remove marks on the walls.
Plunge first. One of the biggest culprits of tenant charges is a result of calling maintenance to plunge the toilets. Avoid flushing anything but toilet paper. “Flushable wet wipes” are hard on plumbing- we highly recommend not flushing them. Feminine hygiene products should always be thrown in the garbage.
Watch what goes down the sink. There are several food items that can create havoc for your garbage disposal. To prevent calling maintenance to clean out the disposal, avoid putting the following items down the drain: grease, pasta, rice, fruit pits, bones, egg shells, coffee grounds, celery, asparagus, corn husks, and potato peels. Bottle caps, broken glass, and small utensils are also items that regularly have to be removed when the sink will not drain.
Trash & Large Item Removal. Only trash that fits into the designated trash bins will be picked up. When moving out, do not leave bags next to the cans. These additional bags will result in a charge for removal. Additionally, plan ahead of time for the removal of large items and furniture. Habitat for Humanity Restore and other local charities will pick up used furniture that you wish to discard. All items must be removed from the property at the time of move out.
Pest control. Upon move-in, tenants have 48-hours to report any pest control issues to the property owner. Outside of the 48-hour window, any pest control costs are the responsibility of the tenant. Prevent pests by putting trash in containers, keeping the kitchen clean, and avoiding standing water. A quick spray around the outside of the house and inside of the window trims with insect spray will help prevent a lot of the pests that seek shelter as the weather cools off.
Please note, that in Southern Indiana, sprickets/cave crickets are a common occurrence. They enjoy hanging out in dark cool places like the basement. While they may look like spiders, they are crickets and will not harm you.
Odds & Ends. As stated in your lease agreement, it is the tenant’s responsibility to replace light bulbs and smoke detector batteries throughout the lease term. To avoid additional charges, simply replace bulbs and batteries and make sure they are functional the end of your lease.