Brought to you by . . . the Tenant Resource Center
TOP FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE MOVING OUT,
BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE TENANT RESOURCE CENTERHere are five great tips for tenants and important reminders for landlords in the moving season.
5. The Tenant Resource Center (TRC) has some great brochures that quickly sum up rental rights and responsibilities, useful for tenants in a rush and overwhelmed with moving. Check them out on our website, here and here.
4. Landlords may not require tenants to pay in advance for carpet cleaning or perform the cleaning themselves before move-out. It is the landlord’s responsibility to prove that the carpet was soiled or stained beyond normal “wear and tear”—and not already in that condition when the tenant moved in—and then deduct the actual cost of cleaning from the deposit if appropriate.
3. Schedule a check-out time with your landlord if possible. If there is a dispute about something, it can often be quickly resolved by talking with your landlord in person. For example, you could decide to clean certain items better before the cost is taken out of your deposit, or other similar things pointed out during a check-out inspection. Fill out a check-out form together (if possible) and keep a copy. A sample check-out form is available on the TRC website at http://www.tenantresourcecenter.org/forms/.
2. Tenants are encouraged to take pictures of the apartment before turning in the keys. In the City of Madison, landlords are required to provide photographic evidence of any claim of damage that can be documented in a photo if making deductions from the security deposit. But just in case they don’t, the tenants will have their own photos, making it very difficult for the landlord to make false or exaggerated claims about damage to the apartment.
1. TRC will have extended office hours and an information table in the community this weekend on Sunday, August 15 from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. Just drop by either our main office at 1202 Williamson Street or Bayview’s Triangle Ethnic Fest at the “Triangle” at Braxton Place, both from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m., if you have moving-related or other rental problems over the weekend. Additionally, e-mail questions to TRC will be frequently checked and answered throughout the weekend. Put the word “MOVING” in the subject line for questions related to moving in or out of an apartment, for the quickest response and send your message to asktrc@tenantresourcecenter.org.
As always, TRC is open for calls and walk-ins, no appointment necessary, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 1202 Williamson Street, Suite 102 in Madison, phone 608-257-0006. TRC can provide services in both English and Spanish during all business hours, but now also has a housing counselor available at this office specifically for Spanish-speaking clients from 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, beginning on Monday, August 9. The Housing Help Desk (HHD) in the Dane County Job Center at 1819 Aberg Avenue is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 8:00 a.m to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
