Click here to view a slideshow with helpful hints on getting your security deposit back.
A majority of leases end this next Tuesday, July 31, and many students are preparing to move out of their current apartments. Although it sounds simple, the process entails packing, unpacking, extensive cleaning and a pile of paperwork.
Perhaps the biggest issue concerning moving out of an apartment is getting the security deposit back. Once students find out that they will not be getting their deposits back, some of them seek legal counsel. The University’s Legal Services for Students sees a lot of landlord versus tenant cases in the fall.
“In Lawrence, it seems like students expect that they won’t get all of their deposit back and many of them expect that they won’t get any of it back,” Michele Kessler, associate director of LSS, said. “It’s just that expectation of, ‘Well, they always keep something.’ It’s almost like they think it’s a cost of renting.”
How much of the deposit students will get back, if they get their deposit back at all, depends on the condition of the apartment when they check out with the leasing office. Some apartment complexes provide handouts that list the costs to repair any damages to the apartment. The smallest problems, such as a burnt-out light bulb, can turn into major expenses.
“What’s happening is people are getting, we think, ripped off through this little system,” Jo Hardesty, director and managing attorney for LSS, said. “I mean, let’s face it, the landlord buys light bulbs by the case. You cannot tell me that they cost $5 each, and even if you have to have someone screw the light bulb in, that won’t even cost $5.”
Many students devote an entire day to cleaning their apartments before moving out. However, one resident at Campus Court at Naismith, 1301 W. 24th, was dissatisfied with the way management treated its residents. Every unit at Campus Court underwent renovations while residents were still living in the apartment. Because of this, Aubry Peters, Sioux City, Iowa sophomore, won’t be too concerned about cleaning his apartment.
“I am planning on doing some light cleaning, like vacuuming and cleaning off the counter tops and stove top, but I am definitely not going to do too much,” Peters said.
To make up for the inconvenience the renovations have caused, Campus Court will refund residents’ security deposits in their entirety, pending no major damages to the apartment.
There are a few tips that Kessler provides to her clients to get security deposits at the end of the lease. To begin with, leave the apartment in the same shape as it was in on move-in day. Other measures Kessler recommends also protect students’ from landlords who may falsely accuse them of wrecking the apartment.
“If you have a camera, take pictures of the place so if they say that you left it trashed and you didn’t, you have some photos that show that,” Kessler said. “People that help you move out can also give testimonial evidence to the state of the place when you moved out.”
Finally, use the list that the landlord gives out that provides the cost to repair various damages that may have been done to the premises. Not only will this prevent any surprise charges from the landlord, but it will also help provide a guideline of what needs to be cleaned.
Students who feel that their landlords withheld too much money from their security deposits can make an appointment with LSS by calling (785) 864-5665. Legal fees for the counsel are already covered in the required student fees.