I acquired a 4 bedroom rental house in San Diego which had a tenant who lived there for 2 years. The seller of the house gave me the tenant’s $1900 deposit. The tenants are moving out next month.
Since they have been their for over 2 years, am I legally allowed to deduct from their rent for carpet cleaning or repainting? Would you give them back the entire $1900 deposit?
I would deduct for cleaning if it is beyond normal wear and tear, i.e. personal stuff left behind that I have to remove, dirty fridg. Also lok at the lease and see what it states. In my lease I let them know it will be a $150 re-decoration fee. (saw this done with a large apartment building). Also check your states security deposit law. Some states have a interest amount you ned to pay on the deposit, some have a timeframe in which you must return the deposit.
I have a form I use when returning a SD.
Hope this helps.
Mo,
The security deposit is for damage beyond normal wear. If you don’t know the condition when the tenants rented, you probably should err on the side of generosity. Clean, paint, repair, inspect and document before the next tenant moves in. (Treat tenants well and most will treat you well.)
Good luck,
Ray
You need to follow your city’s law - I researched it a little for you. You should go to the following link for the right answers - http://www.tenantslegalcenter.com/html/deposits.html.