 tenant damage (by carol [DC]) Sep 5, 2008 5:06 AM
 tenant damage (by sid [MO]) Sep 5, 2008 5:49 AM
tenant damage (by T.T. [MA]) Sep 5, 2008 6:09 AM
tenant damage (by AllyM [NJ]) Sep 5, 2008 6:25 AM
tenant damage (by Brenda [TX]) Sep 5, 2008 7:09 AM
tenant damage (by Josh [CA]) Sep 5, 2008 10:52 AM
tenant damage (by carol [DC]) Posted on: Sep 5, 2008 5:06 AM
Message:
State Specific Question About: DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (DC)
My tenant moved out Aug. 8 and after checking his apartment, I returned entire security deposit. This usually immaculate tenant left behind a good condition lamp, picture, and towel hanging on the bathroom towel bar, all of which he invited me throw away or use. On Aug. 30, after checking, I returned his deposit. Then, to my surprise, when I removed the old towel from the towel bar, I discovered an entirely new, and cheaper-looking towel bar than the original. At the time he moved in 4 years ago,I did not know about "condition and changes checklist" so I did not have this. But do I have any recourse? The extra things left behind were a smoke cover for the unwanted towel bar--so it would seem one of many odd things instead of only one oddity. I just hope there are no more other hidden surprises. --96.231.xx.xxx |
tenant damage (by sid [MO]) Posted on: Sep 5, 2008 5:49 AM
Message:
He moved out on the 8th and you checked his unit 22 days later on the 30th? I guess you had some reason for waiting so long (on vacation?). You have no check in list, and you've returned his security deposit which basically states "nothing wrong here".
Good luck convincing a judge he's responsible.
Next time:
1) do a move in checklist
2) do a thorough inspection within 24 hours of move out
3) don't send back the deposit until you are certain you have everything accounted for, damages documented by photographs and receipts
Is a $30 towel bar worth going to court over...??? --204.80.xxx.xx |
tenant damage (by T.T. [MA]) Posted on: Sep 5, 2008 6:09 AM
Message:
You ate the towel rack. Consider it a cheap lesson about the importance of doing thorough move-out inspections and doing them early enough that it's not rushed to meet the deadline.
It's easy to focus only on the obvious things like walls, floors, and doors and forget other things like checking to see that all faucets and major appliances are working properly, and that drains and toilets are flowing freely. --71.174.xxx.xx |
tenant damage (by AllyM [NJ]) Posted on: Sep 5, 2008 6:25 AM
Message:
Sometimes things are not discovered until I am actually doing the cleaning. One apt. looked OK until I started repainting the woodwork and found that the guy's dog had gouged the woodwork extensively and he had covered the gouges with plaster.
Had the contractor replace the woodwork. Cost $90 and passed the cost onto the tenant via security deposit deduction. He was a lawyer too, ha ha. What I did not find for another year was that he had switched part of the electric over to my owners box.
That's another thing to check in multifamily apts. Flip the breakers to make sure a tenant has not had a friend switch some of the load over to your meter.
Better get cleaning and find out what else he did. That's one reason to clean yourself and not have a service do it. They won't find problems and it will be too late to claim them. --76.99.xxx.xx |
tenant damage (by Brenda [TX]) Posted on: Sep 5, 2008 7:09 AM
Message:
Hopefully the "expensive" towel bar wasn't $400. If your expenses weren't too high, it usually not worth pursing it. You can take something out of the deposit but you have to have receipts for replacing (usually something missing or broken) and pictures of damages. --167.6.xxx.xx |
tenant damage (by Josh [CA]) Posted on: Sep 5, 2008 10:52 AM
Message:
A towel rack as in one towel rack? You are upset about this? I would be delighted! A towel rack can be had for under $20 bucks all over any town. Doesn't sound like you even need to replace it? I wouldn't give this issue more than 1 minute of thought.
--71.108.xx.xxx |
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