Always leave the house in good shape. This is one way of ensuring you get your deposit back. Take care of any minor repairs, and cleanliness while leaving your house to ensure there's no reason barring you from getting your money back.
Follow the given steps below, as well as adhering to your lease agreement, to get your tenancy deposit back.
Read through Your Lease
As soon as you decide to leave, read through your lease agreement. Each agreement has a clause on terminating terms which you need to read inorder to get your deposit back. Figure out exactly how much notice you should issue to your landlord, and any other additional requirements your landlord may have included.
Notify Your Landlord
You may consider lettering your landlord, and clearly state when you intend to move out. You don’t need to justify yourself as to why you are moving, although you may add a few details such us unattended repairs, severe bug infestation, etc. as your reason for moving out. Do not forget to include your new address, as well as the date and signature. You may keep a copy of the letter, just in case your landlord claims he never received your mail. You may also consider tracking your mail to ensure it has delivered within the required time frame and back it up by sending him/her an email.
Ensure you pay the last month’s rent
Many tenants tend to assume that their deposit can serve as their last month’s rent. Is this stated on your contract? Probably not. Always pay your final month’s rent within the agreed period, and keep a copy of your payment receipt.
Make Minor Repairs
One of the reasons why you may be denied your tenancy deposit is if the landlord finds that the house is not in shape as expected. To avoid all the drama, you may opt to do small and cheap repairs, which you should not overdo.
Clean! Clean! Clean!
Do a top-to-bottom clean up exercise before and even after moving out. Pay extra attention to the kitchen and the bathrooms as they tend to be the dirtiest.
Do not leave behind any of your stuff
Having unwanted junk? Well, carry it with you or throw it away… don’t leave it behind. This may irritate your landlord, and in some cases, he may opt to hire someone to clean or take it away, which would automatically be on you.
Return Your Keys
Once you are out of your rental, ensure you hand over the keys to the landlord, including the mailbox and gate keys. Failure to, the landlord may charge you from your deposit as they will need to replace every key you failed to hand over.
Follow up
Ensure you follow up on your deposit, and if within the agreed period (30 days in most cases) passes and you have heard nothing from your landlord, you can write to him/her as a reminder, and keep a copy with you. If this persists, you may file a civil suit at your local court. Remember to carry with you all the relevant documents to the courthouse.
Further precautions
To make this easy, you may take further precautions to eliminate any chances of failing to get your tenancy deposit back. These include;
Inspecting the house with the landlord
Taking pictures
Moving in with caution to avoid maybe scratching on the floors and walls
Reading the lease agreement thoroughly before signing or making changes
Paying your rent on time
Keep the house in good shape, etc.
If you keep your records clean, do your part and have a close follow up, there is no reason why you shouldn’t receive your tenancy deposit back.
