How to Get Your Security Deposit Back

We expect the apartment to be just as clean as it was when you moved in for the next resident. Here are the areas that must be cleaned completely in order to avoid being charged:

Flooring

Vacuum all carpets and sweep and sweep/mop all wood, tile, or vinyl floors. Ensure trim along the wall is clean.

Electric

Clean all light switches and plates, replace burnt out light bulbs, and remove all cobwebs. Ensure that any baseboard heating units, light fixtures, and ceiling fans are clean.

Windows

Clean all blinds, ledges, and glass surfaces.

Fireplaces/Balconies

Clean fireplace and ledge, and remove trash and items from balconies.

Appliances

Refrigerator:

Wash inside and out, clean rubber seal, and leave plugged in and turned on.

Stove:

Clean inside oven, broiler, burner racks and pans, clean entire outside (including the exhaust hood and lights).

Washer/Dryer:

Clean inside and out of the washer/dryer, make sure debris from dryer sheets is removed, and clean away dust from all surfaces.

Dishwasher:

Make sure the inside of the dishwasher is cleaned (run washer again if necessary) and clean the outer surfaces of the unit.
 

Cabinets/Drawers

Clean cabinets and drawers inside and out, including handles.

Kitchen

Clean cabinets inside and out (including handles), appliances (see above), countertops, sink, drawers, and all surfaces.

Bathrooms

Clean the sink, tub, faucets, shower door, toilet (inside and out), medicine cabinet, mirrors, and the shelves in the linen closet.
 

Charge Estimates for Insufficient Cleaning

If you are concerned that you will not be able to return the apartment to us in the same condition in which you received it, contact R+B@Home to have us do it for you. It will be cheaper for us and for you!

Your walls will experience wear and tear each year that you reside in the apartment. This is normal. It takes four years of normal wear for your walls to need a full paint job after you move out. If you live in your apartment for only one year, then we expect that you have taken good care of the walls and that we will merely need to touch up the walls.
 
A touch up means that there may be an occasional scuff mark which needs painted. If we have to perform a full paint job on your apartment after one year of residency, then you will be required to pay for the costs.

Costs Breakdown for Painting

*Note: Painting charges will decrease by 25% per year of residency (up to four years).

Difference Between “Wear and Tear” and Damage

It is important to note that wear and tear is different from damage. Wear and tear is the unavoidable aging of the apartment. Damage is the result of your behavior and should be completely avoidable. If you damage the walls, then you will be billed the cost of repairing them. Here are the most common ways we see walls damaged:

1. Door knobs bang into them
2. Furniture is moved and dents them
3. Smoke from candles or cigarettes covers them in a yellow film
4. There is residue from adhesive stuck on them

We expect to get at least seven years of life from carpeting under normal conditions. If you damage the carpeting which prevents it from making it to its full life, we will charge you for the damage caused.

For example:
 
If you move into an apartment with a carpet that is one year old, then live in the apartment for three years, the carpet now has four years of wear. If it cannot be cleaned and must be replaced, then we are responsible for 4/7 of the cost and you are responsible for 3/7 of the cost. We do not feel it would be fair to charge you the cost of a full carpet replacement, only the additional cost of replacing it early.
 

These charges cover the cost of our crews to remove all the apartment interior doors, cut carpeting into manageable sections, bind them together, haul to our trucks, and procure garbage containers of adequate size to handle this much material.
 

Disposing of items you don’t want is a tricky thing and can be costly. However, leaving items behind becomes even more costly. Please don’t leave items you don’t want in the apartment, it will save both of us valuable time and money.
 

If you need a heavy item removed, or electronics recycled, it will be cheaper to have R+B@Home do this for you. Give us a call at 217-352-1129 for pricing and to schedule a pickup!

*If you leave a TV by the dumpster, you will also be charged.
**Rates go up based on labor and dumpster space needed.