How to get your Security Deposit back!

We go to great lengths to present a clean, attractive, and functional apartment to everyone who moves in. When you move out, we expect the apartment to be just as clean as it was when you moved in.

Here are the areas that must be cleaned completely in order to avoid being charged: (Please click on each item for a description of the standard of cleanliness that we look for.)

Flooring

Vacuum all carpets and sweep and wash all wood, tile, or vinyl floors, and 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 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.

Again, if you are concerned that you will not be able to return the apartment back to us in the same condition in which you received it, please make use of a professional cleaning service to take care of that for you.

Charge Estimates for Insufficient Cleaning

*If blinds are too dirty to clean or they are damaged, they will be replaced at cost along with $15/blind labor cost for installation.

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, or the realization by us that you have lived conscientiously and with care in your home. Damage is another matter. It does not matter how long you reside in the apartment, 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. We feel this is generous given that we have a free vacuum cleaner “loaner” program (call the office for information). We also obtain favorable rates for carpet cleaning (which is the only standard deduction from your Security Deposit and typically ranges from $70-140).

With that said, if you damage the carpeting which prevents it from making it to it’s full life, you will pay for the damage caused.

For example:

If you move into an apartment with a carpet 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” that we’ve been forced to bear.

We also charge the following rates to remove flooring that has been damaged before the end of its useful life:

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.

Disposal of items you don’t want is a tricky thing, and can be costly. However, leaving items behind becomes even more costly. Not only will you be assessed the costs for disposal of the items (see table below), you will also be assessed charges if we have to take care of this for you. Please don’t leave items you don’t want behind, it will save both of us valuable time and money.

*If you leave a TV by the dumpster, you will also be charged.

**Rates go up based on labor and dumpster space needed.

If you want to communicate any dispute or ask any questions about your already remitted security deposit or charges, you must do so in writing. Please send a letter via USPS addressed as follows:

Royse & Brinkmeyer Apartments
Attn: Office Manager
211 W. Springfield Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820

Phone calls will not be accepted in regards to disputes as the information you seek has already been filed by the time you receive your deposit in the mail and time must be taken to look into it. All disputes or questions must be receiving in writing.