“Currently, most of the market is a seller’s market,” Gordon points out. Just like you’d expect, that means that they’d like you to pay for a service to come in and scour the house until it shines, maybe even clean the carpets.īut this is by no means customary, and is subject to the tides of the market and where the leverage lies. Occasionally, buyers and landlords will try to negotiate for a bit more than broom swept condition and ask that a house be professionally cleaned once you move out, says Bob Gordon, a Realtor ® for Berkshire Hathaway in Boulder, CO. Can home buyers demand a professional cleaning? But your home does not need to be immaculate unless a buyer makes a specific request (more on that next). This is something that the buyer will look for during the final walk-through, so you don’t want to derail your sale. If you think the buyers might want this stuff, go ahead and ask, but when in doubt, take it out. “There’s no real requirement for a home seller to clean a property upon move-out,” says Jane Peters, broker/owner of Home Jane Realty, in Los Angeles.īuyers do expect, however, that you’ll take all your stuff with you. In fact, your contract might state that you must remove certain items, like that ancient (and mysteriously locked) freezer in the basement.Ĭontractual obligations aside, it might be tempting to leave things you no longer want or need, such as floating shelves you don’t want to unscrew or old paint cans in the closet. However, in this case, without a security deposit to hold as ransom, broom clean is considered more of a courtesy. Home sellers who are moving out are also expected to leave their old digs in decent shape. If you encounter difficulties with a landlord who just won’t give up that deposit, consult a local tenants’ rights organization, as regulations vary by state and municipality. Vraa even recommends taking photos of the entire rental afterward just in case your landlord tries to withhold your deposit (or a portion of it). For instance, if you nailed a picture on the wall or installed curtains, you should take these down and fill any holes you made with putty. In addition to cleaning, you should fix any alterations you made to the property. If you want that money back (and you do, right?), you’ll want to give them no wiggle room to find fault with your efforts. The reason you’ll want to bring your A-game to this is that most landlords are holding your security deposit as collateral in case you don’t leave the place in great shape-and some might want to play tough guy with you. “It’s important for a tenant to clean the place thoroughly,” says Mike Vraa, managing attorney for HOME Line, a tenant hotline in Minneapolis.
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