Planning to move to a new place and need to make sure you get your bond back? When you're a renter, you have to pay a rental bond when moving to a new place. But the challenge comes when you can't get all your bond back when moving out of that place. There are different reasons why you may not get all your bond back.
Below are some of them.
Walls having cracks
Torn flyscreens and cracked windows
Lights that aren’t working
Flooring with scratches
Broken fittings
Carpets and walls with stains
Broken pathways or tiles
The problem is that you may never have noticed some of these issues when you moved in. So how are you going to get your bond back? This article has some guidelines that will help you get a full refund when moving out.
Some reasons for bond payment delays could be not providing updated bank details or filling in the claim form incorrectly. A dispute is because a landlord and tenant do not agree on the bond repayment amount. Each state will have a dispute resolution process, generally the first step is always trying to come to a resolution again before taking it further. Then look for a tenants rights service in your state and they can advise you of the next step. Which may be a civil tribunal court. Ensure you have all relevant documentation, evidence and notes.
It’s important to read your lease carefully to ensure that everything written sounds reasonable. You can get a lease saying that you need to clean the ceiling at the end of your tenancy. Others may say that the windows need to be cleaned in and outside. Ensure that you confirm your obligations and ask to negotiate any aspects that seem unreasonable.
You need to be accurate while filling out the property condition. Fill this out before you move fully into the home. While this may take time it will be helpful to you in the long run. Ensure that you take note of everything that doesn’t seem right like a crack, smudge or dent. This is important so that you may not be charged back when trying to move out of that place. Look in all places like under the sinks, the backyard, all walls, everywhere!
Taking photos of the property is crucial. It's a good idea to fill out the property report with the agent but ask them to leave it for a few days so you can take your time. Should you notice anything that doesn’t look right, take a photo of it and report it to the real estate agent. If taking a photo isn’t working for you, consider writing down a dated list and let the agent sign it. Failure to do this as early as now may lead you into problems.
Allow your agent to know that you are planning to move out soon. This can be in the form of writing. On the other hand you have to give a notice of 14-28 days fixed tenancy agreement. Should you not have this agreement, consider giving a notice of at least 28 days.
Clean up well in advance and ask the agent if carpets are required to be steam cleaned. Cleaning is one of the biggest reasons landlords use to get some bond back. Make sure you clean the property and stick to the lease agreement, e.g. what you have to do. There are plenty of end of lease cleaners you can hire. And some of them even advertise they guarantee you get your bond back or they pay!
You don’t need to wait for your landlord to take care of all the damages that you caused. If you have minor issues like floor stains, carpet burns or holes in the walls, you can repair them. Otherwise issues like cracks in plaster, peeling paint and faded curtains are damages that fall on expected wear and tear. You don’t need to worry about them.
Are you up to date with all the rental payments including the last one? Did you know that failure to pay what you own can affect getting back your bond? Even the final rental payments are important to pay on time. Otherwise, the agent may deduct them from your bond.
Your agent must have given you various keys to the property when you first moved in. It’s important to confirm that all the keys to the property are available and return all of them. If not, you might end up incurring the cost of replacing the keys missing from your bond. And the worst thing is that this will always be a higher cost than what you would have spent buying a new key.
You get to inspect the house with your agent and sign off the final condition report. If you find any issues, it would be easier to resolve it there together. Take photos of the final condition of the property to ensure that you are covered. Getting your bond back should be an uphill task anymore. Ensure that you take care of minor issues discussed above and it will be easier to get your bond.
