Tenant Move-out Instructions - Normal Wear and Tear Vs. Damage

.VACATING YOUR PROPERTY


Tenant Move-Out Information

As your lease expiration-date gets closer, we wanted to make sure you had all the necessary tools to have a smooth move-out experience. Please refer to the information below for reference:


General Information:

1. All tenants MUST be vacated from the house, and all belongings removed by NOON on the day the lease ends. There are NO exceptions.

2. You should have received a link to the move-out questionnaire. It is important that you complete this with your actual move-out date (your actual move-out date might be before your lease end date). We will assume the property is fully vacated, based on the date you have included in your move-out questionnaire. 


  • Scheduling Your Move-Out (building move-out only): 

    1. If you are residing in a condo building, you are required to get in touch with the management office to schedule your move-out with the building. The information for the building can be found in your lease.

    2. Some buildings require that a move-out fee/deposit be paid at that time. Failure to pay these fees may result in additional fees and will be paid using funds from the security deposit. 


As per you are required to surrender the premises in good and clean condition free of trash and debris, ordinary wear and tear accepted. We'd be pleased to assist in arranging a professional cleaning service for you once you have completely vacated the premises. Simply contact your account manager to express your interest in availing of this service. The cleaning expenses will be deducted from your security deposit before its return. Please note that the average cleaning cost is outlined below (excluding tax)."


Cleaning:

a) Condo/Apartment:

  • 0 to 1 Bedroom: $222
  • 2 Bedrooms: $264
  • 3 Bedrooms: $288

b) Townhouse/Single-family:

  • 2 Bedrooms: $288
  • 3 Bedrooms: $378
  • 4 Bedrooms: $408

Steam cleaning:

a) Condo/Apartment

  • 0 to 1 Bedroom: $198
  • 2 Bedrooms: $222
  • 3 Bedrooms: $239

b) Townhouse/Single-family:

  • 2 Bedrooms: $257
  • 3 Bedrooms: $316

  • Keys

    1. Tenant must leave all keys on the kitchen counter (unless otherwise directed by Agent). Tenant fails to return all copies of the keys and other related items at the expiration of the Lease, Tenant will be responsible for a $95 administrative fee, and the cost to change the locks or replacing unreturned items. In the event the locks are changed by Tenant, Landlord/Agent and any Tenant should be notified immediately and receive a copy of the new key within 24 hours.

    2. Additional parking tags, garage door openers, fobs, passes, stickers, and permits that came with the property need to be left with the keys


  • Utilities
  • 1. It is very important that you close out any utility accounts that you were responsible for during your tenancy. **Please note. You are responsible for keeping the utilities in your name until the last day of your lease.TENANT MUST NOT TURN OFF UTILITIES UNTIL THE LEASE END DATE (IE. LAST DAY OF TENANT’S LEASE, NOT TENANT’S MOVE OUT DATE). TURNING OFF UTILITIES PRIOR TO TENANT’S LEASE END DATE WILL RESULT IN A $195 FEE AND FURTHER EXPENSES IF CANCELLING THE UTILITIES RESULTS IN DAMAGE TO THE PROPERTY.
  • 2. Any unpaid balances will be deducted from your security deposit, in addition to a $100 fee for not closing out the account as directed.
  • 3. If you fail to close out your utility accounts, you will not be reimbursed for any amount of time that the utilities remained in your name after the lease ended.  
  • 4. If your lease states you are responsible for paying for any utilities, please send receipt/proof to support@washingtontenants.com that the final payment has been made.  This will need to be completed prior to your security deposit being sent.

  • Security Deposit

    1. Per housing regulations, the security deposit will be returned to you within 45 days of the end of your lease date. The deposit will be handled by our accounting team internally and after the inspection report has been processed, your deposit will be returned within the 45 day time-frame. Please note we are unable to provide any further information regarding deductions from your deposit until the accounting team has processed the deposit return and sent it to your forwarding address.

    **Note: We will be unable to return the security deposit to you unless we have your forwarding address. It is vital that you complete your move-out questionnaire.


  • Condition of Leased Premises

**Please note

  • If there is a damaged surface in the Premises (ie. Walls, ceiling, doors, floor, trim, etc), the damaged surface will be fully repainted. Example: If there is one wall in a bedroom that has damage on a 2x2 ft. section, the entire wall is repainted. The paint must be an exact match and this is the only way to ensure it is returned to the original condition.
  • Tenant is encouraged to complete any repair work by hiring a professional, insured contractor, prior to moving out to avoid this cost. If the work is completed and it is not performed correctly, the charge to repair this work will be billed to the Tenant. Example: If the walls are a “flat paint” and the contractor uses eggshell or semi-gloss, this will need to be repaired.
  • If Tenant repainted wall during tenancy, the wall must be returned to the original color.

  • Move-out Damage: In some cases, Tenants might attempt to repair damage, prior to leaving. Tenants are allowed to do this but we strongly recommend a professional company is used. There are many times when the "repair work" performed makes the damage worse and creates more expense for the Tenant. For example, any nail the size of a picture nail is not considered Damage and will not be deducted from the Tenant's deposit. If the Tenant attempts to spackle or patch the hole, it will require Landlord to re-paint the entire wall and Tenant will be billed for this. If the Tenant tries to use touch-up paint on walls and the touch up paint does not match, the entire wall will be re-painted and the Tenant will be billed. Our goal is to deduct as little as possible from a Tenant's deposit so we want to provide as much information on this as possible. Refer to this link for additional details

“Wear and Tear” vs. Damage (Definition)

In an attempt to provide as much information as possible to Tenants prior to move-out, it is important you recognize the difference between normal “wear and tear” and damage. You are not required to pay turnover costs for typical wear and tear, but you are responsible for damage. Here’s a list detailing what falls into each category. Keep in mind, we always conduct an initial inspection for reference. In addition to the chart, the pictures on the following pages are provided to give you a visual sense of the difference between normal wear and tear and damage.

Examples Of Normal Wear and Tear:


Examples Of Damage

Fee Schedule

  1. Light bulb replacement: $15 per standard light bulb. $15-25 for specialty light bulb (ie. track lighting bulb)
  2. Wall Paint: The average cost to repaint a 120 Sq. Ft. room (without standard 8-8.5 ft. ceilings) is $385. This cost will increase if the wall was painted with dark color.
  3. Ceiling and Trim Paint: The average cost per sq. ft. for painting is $4.00 per sq. ft. with no damage (ie. holes, indents, etc). This cost will increase if the surface was painted with dark color.
  4. Drywall Repair: In addition to any painting, drywall repair costs average $90 per hour. Materials are extra.
  5. Smoke Alarm/Carbon Monoxide Alarm: If Carbon Monoxide Alarm is damaged or missing, the cost of replacement is $43.00 without labor. If a Smoke Alarm is damaged or missing, the average cost for replacement is $36 without labor.
  6. Smoke Alarm/Carbon Monoxide Alarm Batteries: $8 per smoke alarm.
  7. Replacement of HVAC Filter: If HVAC filter is not replaced after Tenant vacates Premises, a new filter will be installed and the fee will be deducted from the security deposit. The average cost $25 per filter (for materials only). If the contractor does not have the filter size when performing the repairs, there is an additional trip charge.
  8. Exterior Landscaping Cleanup: If Tenant is responsible for maintaining outside landscaping, Tenant must return Premises with grass cut, leaves and debris cleaned and removed, shrubs trimmed, etc. The average cost per hour for exterior cleanup is $95 per hour.
  9. Trash Removal: Any items left by Tenant will be disposed of by the end of the lease term. Average cost for trash removal company: quarter truck (minimum: $195), half truck ($300), three quarter truck ($450). If items have to be removed from the property, there is an additional labor charge for this.