The Student News Site of North Carolina A&T State University

The A&T Register

The Student News Site of North Carolina A&T State University

The A&T Register

The Student News Site of North Carolina A&T State University

The A&T Register

    Renters: Four easy tricks to get your security deposit back

    As any apartment renter knows, when you sign the lease to your new place, you know you’re going to have to put down a security deposit. It may seem like a nuisance, but it does help protect the landlord from any damage to the apartment that doesn’t get taken care of.

    As a tenant, having renters insurance is important because it helps protect your belongings in the event of a fire, flood or break-in. But when you move to another place – whether it’s another rental where you’ll need apartment renters insurance, or a new home for which you’ll want to find cheap home insurance – there are some basic things you can do to ensure that you’ll get your deposit back.

    1. Take the nails out of the wall

    When you move into an apartment, you want to do whatever you can to make your place feel like home, including hanging photos or other pictures. Make sure when you pack up that you take nails out of the wall and fill them with spackle or putty. Most nail holes are going to be small enough that if you patch it correctly, you won’t have to worry about painting – as long as the wall is white in the first place.

    2. Vacuum the floors

    This may seem like a no-brainer, but making sure all the dust bunnies are cleaned up is important. If carpet is stained or dirt is really grounded in, rent an inexpensive carpet cleaner to shampoo the carpet. The cost of doing this is almost always a lot less that your security deposit and a lot less than what the landlord will charge to clean the carpet. This is a particularly important step if you have pets.

    3. Take it all with you

    Think the next renter wants your old couch or end table? They may, but your landlord won’t want your old stuff taking up space as he’s trying to rent the apartment. It may not be worth anything to you, but again, the landlord will likely charge a fee to dispose of your left-behind stuff.

    4. Clean the kitchen

    Again, this may seem obvious, but cleaning the refrigerator, stovetop and cabinets will go a long way toward getting your security deposit back. If you can, pull the refrigerator out and sweep the floor, and lift up the stove top to clean any debris that might have fallen through the stove grates.

    If you’ve already purchased a home and you still have time left on your apartment’s lease, find out if you need second home insurance to cover the home you own and the apartment you’re renting. It’s always important to make sure you’re covered in the event something goes wrong after you’ve moved out.