On another thread, Bonanza (NC) shared the top five things residents are often charged for after they move out. They are listed below. What are the top 3 to 5 things you have found that your former residents are charged for after they move out, (that they neglect to do or damages), and for which you have to deduct from their deposit.

Top 5 things charged for:

1. Driving the moving van into the yard and creating ruts in the grass

2. Missing shower rod, shower hooks, and new liner

3. Broken window blinds

4. Not cleaning the appliances

5. Not cleaning the bathroom

Not cleaning

junk left behind

holes in drywall

#1 is broken blinds. Pets like looking out the window. Lately some tenants have been buying replacement blinds for DH to install per our "Tips on How to Get Your Deposit Back" but most do not, and just tell us to charge them.

#2 Maybe upcoming water bill: it's billed quarterly so it's hard to time the move-outs exactly. We pro-rate and bill based on last 3 quarters average usage. Never a big deal or a huge amount. We don't have many tenants on city water anyway, most are on wells and septics.

Mostly not cleaning properly, to include the appliances. I even give them a move out check list and they seem to find cleaning overwhelming. I think it may be mostly due to all the animal hair. However, it has improved from before I use to give a move out list.

Funny enough, they usually leave cleaning supplies. But I find the broom and mop in the trash.

Broken blinds. What gives?

Some of them didn't mow.

Lint filter in the dryer full.

The last ones left a lot of dog damage. She wasn't happy about the damage charges. I guess she got a lesson in how expensive the dog was.

Blown bulbs.

Again, lots of improvement since I started using WMH's move out-ready to occupy list, but I haven't mastered it. Thanks WMH.

Cleaning

Clearing out junk left behind

cleaning ceiling fan blades

I had one couple leave behind a mower and a brand new gas can half full of gas. Also, the yard needed mowed.

And they never get the animal hair out from under and behind the appliances.

Not completely cleaning the stove or fridge.

Their helpers pack the curtain rods

Missing or deactivated smoke detectors

Cleaning, although most leave cleaning supplies

Damaged/filthy walls

Animal damage

Stuff left behind

Dirt around all the light switches. Come on, just wipe it down on occasion.

Trash in the can because it isn't trash day, or left all over the ground by the bin. They had 30 days at least to get the trash out.

Ceiling fan blades. If the fans are running get ready for a treat. Never turn them the other direction before cleaning.

10,821 nails or screws in the wall. This is an average. Pull them out when you pull the stuff off the walls. I will fill the holes, but don't push the nails in flush.

Cheap command strips that rip the wall instead of coming off clean.

Hair buildup in or around the drains. Also toothpaste all over the vanity faucet, top, doors and walls.

Not cleaning, anything! Soap scum, ceiling fans, etc

Their stuff left behind and/or trash left at curb or inside.

Broken blinds.

I share the Boy Scout motto "leave no trace" I want no trace of you or your stuff or your pet hair or dirt left behind, like you never lived here, it never happened! Hotel clean.

#1 would be the standard cleaning fee. Not very often is the home 100% clean ready to move in.

#2 Replace broken blinds

#3 light bulbs

#4 smoke alarm battery

#5 Pet damage and or pet smells in the home

#6 getting the yard and landscaping back to move in condition

#7 carpet cleaning (I still have some carpet)

#8 shower curtain liner and hooks (sometimes they leave the hooks)

#9 nail holes in wall from pictures, curtains, etc. The ones I hate are the TV mounting holes!

#10 remove dish and wires screwed to the home

Oops that's 10. Sorry

I give a pass on ceiling fan blades because most tenants don't have a ladder.

Zero, I forgot about the command strips. Even though I supply ook hooks people still get command strips.

J- you provide a shower curtain and new residents keep it?

I will agree with the dish wires and such.

Can't count the number of times an installer put a dish on my roof, or the side of the house. One went ahead and installed the dish right under the neighbor's window, where it blocked some of the view. It wasn't even for that unit.

Had another that pulled my crawlspace door and ran the cable thru that opening. Water froze on Valentine's day. My guy had a date planned and wouldn't drop it so I went there and took care of it. I also charged the dish company for my time. They paid.

Worse than that is all the poles in the yards that have to be mowed and weed whipped around. Pulled a lot of them last year. They guy I had mowing for me then was a scrapper as well so he did it. Still have a few left.

It seems unanimous on the cleaning.

I can answer that for Jeffery 6-er. Being a property manager is a participation sport. If you want to get the place back in a specific shape, we collectively have to communicate that standard in advance of the move out.

I don't necessarily agree to all the charges that people have went over. This specific tenant was there for 17 years. Many landlords I have met want to be hands off. So should you charge the tenant because the blinds for example didn't last longer than 17 years? Common sense and sound judgement will take you a long way:

Cleaning especially the frig, stove, windows, basement and garage goes a long way.

Hauling out items left behind

Uncut grass and untrimmed bushes.

Missing fire extinguishers, smoke detectors or CO detectors.

Damage to the walls requiring repair before painting

Gutter not cleaned out.

Dented garage doors.

Damaged screens

Damaged storm doors.

Missing light bulbs.

Damage under the sink.

Depending on the age - flooring, paint and windows. If over 30 years old, I will consider replacing the windows any way.

1. Leaving food in frig/ cabinets (not cleaned)

2. Leaving furniture that needs disposal

3. Dings in the walls from moving stuff around

4. Leaving mops/bucket

5. Mini blind damage

6. Screen damage

I stopped supplying storm doors a long while back. Everyone destroyed them anyhow.

Now I do not supply screens. Same thing happened all the time. They pop one out to put in an extra AC, then it gets trashed. Had a guy take them out to sell the aluminum frames for scrap. Bet that was worth the drive. Then the pet and kid damages that are never the tenant's fault. Fortunately I no longer have places where they cut a slit in the screen to pass drugs and money through.

I don't have any S8 or subsidized people so I don't see an issue.

Toilet, refrigerator, and stove cleaning.

Nail holes or dings in the walls.

Scratched floors.

#1 reason the Tees leave ? Lack of cleaning.

The place isn't as clean as when they first started

The stove and oven...had a terrible one just recently. It was disgusting...grease, BBQ sauce, marinade, who knows what!

Just had a stove issue yesterday.

Moved tenant from apartment to house. She cleaned as well as she could which was poor at best. Told her she was going to be charged for all the cleaning.

I looked at the stove. She cleaned the oven but didn't do anything else. Top, sides, burner pans were all pretty bad. By happen chance she showed up yesterday. I showed her the stove and she agreed it was bad. We came up with a plan. Her son-in-law will be over on Thursday to swap stoves. Then when I am done with this rehab I will go to her house and re-inspect the stove again. If it is still bad I will have it cleaned and she will pay for the service right then.