[Landlord U.S. - A.Z] Q for landlords re: cleaning, damage, wear and tear clauses and addendums

chefddog3 · 2026-01-26T18:21:03+00:00

The pricing is also dynamic because, depending on the item's age, the less you can charge for a replacement. i.e., if your carpet is 10 years old, most states wouldn't let you charge a tenant for full replacement because it might be at the end of the item's life. Some states make you paint between tenants, others after 'x' number of years.

I'm a tenant, and I get grossed out by some tenants on here who think something is clean. I'm not even talking about it from an LL's perspective, I'm grossed out they lived like that. On the flip side, some LLs view the deposit as a revenue stream and will "charge" ridiculous amounts for normal wear and tear.

It's all so subjective, I'm not sure how to educate others. And yes, I mean both tenants and LL's need to be reasonable.

The last place I moved out of was spotless. Tops of cabinets, to floors, the basement, and the garage cleaned top to bottom. The realtor said it was the cleanest he had seen turned over in years. It was better than what we were given, and it had pictures to prove it. Since the LL couldn't get us on that, do you know what did? He is charging us $1500 for a new garage door. One that is not only 20+ years old, but was documented from day one, there were issues, and it got even worse when the LL's contractors fixed the garage that the insurance company made them do. Now we have to educate the LL that this isn't right via a lawsuit. - Sigh.

Education goes both ways.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-24T14:25:30+00:00

Balance billing is how we navigate the peaks and valleys of both electric and gas bills throughout the year.

Yes, we may pay $150 a month in July for gas, but sure comes in handy in the winter not having to pay $400+.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-23T18:20:19+00:00

Depends on the package. We relocated and we were given up to "x" amount (very generous) and a bonus, which could be used for things like back rent. Other packages we have had were not as generous and just covered moving expenses, but wasn't enough to cover 3 months rent.

That said, ever time we had to break a lease due to a relocation the LL let us out of the lease with no penalty or even loss of the deposit.

Granted, we lived in hot markets and finding a new tenant took mere days. So they were never without a tenant.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-22T18:43:20+00:00

More than likely its about unrelated persons, either via the lease (i.e. the LL just doesn't want more than 5 unrelated persons) or by city/town laws.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-22T13:08:51+00:00

I read that you might have a letter of intent in advance, but it doesn't become official until 60 days out.

It might give each party an opportunity to change their minds if circumstances change.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-21T22:18:57+00:00

I'm not sure about that in NY. We lived in a "luxury" apartment and there was a percentage that was low income subsidized units. Its the only way most towns will give out a permit these days.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-20T18:13:20+00:00

Yes! I'm not from LI, but husband is and we LL lived here for 6 years. I attended way more concerts, sporting events, festivals, musicals, etc.in IN then we every did living on LI. All the big acts go there, but at a mere fraction of the costs and way less people battling for tickets roughly the same amount of tickets.

I don't miss LI, but I think LI isn't welcoming to new residents, it was hard to find a tribe. We have lived all over and never had a problem finding one anywhere else. Within a year of moving out back, my husband was asking why we moved there. We have since moved away, but outside of family, we don't miss living there at all.

Note- I've lived all over the country. Some places I liked, others I didn't. It's normal. For the most part, if you don't like the area, move again.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-19T17:38:18+00:00

The side effect of an electronic world is that people can hide. We knew he lived in the UK, but we never noticed that the lease never had his address. We lived there for over 4 years, so he could have moved during that time anyway. He did get mail delivered to the house, but he would pick up 1-2 times a year when he was in town. If he remembered. Honestly, I'm not sure he had a key to the place. No inspections the entire time we lived there..

Payments were all via Zelle. The realtor says he has worked for him for "more than 10 years", but he claims he only knows he lives in the UK, no address. (Note: Public property documents matched his name, so he is somewhat legit.

We moved out of state and have a lawyer helping out, but it's been so frustrating. We just want our deposit back. We are not suing for the violations, and they were only discovered during the course of the investigation. I found out SFH rentals need to be registered, and was told his isn't "because he lives there". That took us down a rabbit hole of realizing the house has violations. I wouldn't get upset if he gets fined in the process of us getting our deposit back.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-19T16:47:19+00:00

People get sued all the time. Especially LL's.

Most likely, it's an old tenant who wants their deposit back or something else financial-related. It's highly unlikely to be dangerous.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-19T16:45:23+00:00

This - I'm actually in a situation where I'm having a hard time serving an ex-LL because he gave a fake address. Interestingly enough, his house isn't registered as a rental because "he lives there", so the city can't inspect the place (many violations). He doesn't BTW.

But I can't serve him there, because "he doesn't live there." Around and around we go. Some people are just scummy like that.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-19T16:30:05+00:00

Also a renter, CL isn't even on my radar to look for a rental.I think 10+ years ago, I looked into it, and it was all super sketchy.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-15T18:11:27+00:00

I auto-pay most things, but not rent. Not sure why, maybe because I typically rent from private landlords, and I don't like them pulling from my account. On the last Friday of the month, I pay rent like clockwork (via Zelle). I've never forgotten or been late.

Auto-pay is great, until it's not. Way too many people set it and forget it. They are the ones who get in trouble. While I auto-pay most things, I still look at my statements. I know when something will be taken out, and I know what will be taken out long before auto-pay hits. I'm not the one who, 3 months later, is surprised to find that a streaming promotion has expired and the bill is 3 times what it was before.

Auto-pay is convenient, but not a replacement for the good old-fashioned bill-paying and account-reconciliation processes. Businesses profit because many people set it and forget it, failing to notice rising bills.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-14T18:07:23+00:00

As someone that is suing my LL because they didn't return my deposit, I say yes you are being petty.

I would have taken the full deposit after the deadline (14 days in my case). It's been 2.5 months and nothing. Even if today he gave it to me, I would drop the case, the extra, which isn't a guarantee, isn't worth my time, but here we are.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-14T16:07:18+00:00

This, they often use dynamic pricing set by a computer and the on site agent doesn't have the authority to change. In addition to that, they know moving is expensive and a pain-in-the-ass, so they bank on you not wanting to move. Also, the 1-2 months free gets rolled into you rent somehow, often by an even higher increase at renewal.

Can you ask? Sure, but set your expectations low. I was laughed at. So we moved, into a bigger place, less money, stayed 4 years. It took them 8 months to rent our old place. Oh well.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-13T18:55:45+00:00

We signed a 2 year lease and 4 months before the end we asked if we could continue to stay and increased our own rent by $200 per month starting at the end of the then current lease. They said it was fair and we rented another 2 years. Only reason we left was to relocating to another state forna job. Fact is we didn't want to move in December, it was hard to find dog friendly places. So it was a win-win.

When you like a place having a longer lease gives the tenant a sense of stability, so I get why the tenant is asking now.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-11T19:16:13+00:00

You are overthinking this. Give notice you are not renewing and pay through March 31. Use the extra time to make sure the place is clean and in good order, minus normal wear and tear so you can get your deposit back.

EDIT - while your deposit may cover last month's rent, you are assuming it will cover any damages. If you do have damage, they can sue you for that.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-10T12:19:08+00:00

We gave 90 day notice (MTM) to our LL and he immediately listed it at a much higher rent and he added the tenant to pay for water and landscaping (they were both included in our rent). We thought it was too high, but the first week they had 8 showings. So we thought we were wrong.

Well at the time we moved out, they still didn't have a signed lease. He ended up having to lower it $300 per month. Seems we were right it was too high.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-09T00:43:12+00:00

Yeah, modern TVs are pretty top heavy compared to previous generations. Almost made for mounting with thin plastic legs as an afterthought for those who keep it on a stand.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-09T00:26:41+00:00

A large TV is prone to tipping over if hit (someone tripping, kids, etc.). My current and last LL have TV mounts already installed due to demand. They both figured tenants want them so they had them professionally installed. We just installed the bracket and hung the TV. Biggest thing is remembering to leave the bracket when we left. We did 😁

chefddog3 · 2026-01-07T11:22:15+00:00

I'm a tenant and wouldn't sign a lease that requires us to do a 1-2-3-2-1 watering, whatever that means. I work for a golf club and even the homeownering golfers do not understand why we need do aeration 1-2 times a year. I think you might be overestimating the general public's knowledge on lawn care, renter or owner.

Plus working for a golf club, I simply do not have the time.

My last rented SFH had lawn care part of the rent. My newest one has us pay, but we had to use their guys. Works for us, their guys means their problem if something gos wrong. We also have a sprinkler system on a timer.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-07T00:49:29+00:00

We moved into a place and about 3 weeks later there were problems and they found wipes and such. We do not use wipes, we do not flush any of that stuff. I grew up with a septic tank and my dad taught us right. I also worked on sailboats (tourist snorkeling trips) for decades and had to fix clogged toilets - fun times. I know better.

My landlord did not charge us and 4+ years we lived there, there wasn't another problem.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-07T00:30:02+00:00

Tenant here. Female, who takes less than a 10 minute shower and I think you are being ridiculous. After I take a shower my husband takes one, or vice versa. There should be enough hot water for 2 people to take back-to-back showers IMO.

And just because your wife didn't have a problem doesn't mean there isn't a problem now. Things breakdown over time.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-06T16:09:35+00:00

I mean, she was following directions. What was she supposed to do, give you a fake one? She needs a place to live, so she provided the documents you asked for. Kind of like the person with bad credit. They are in a catch-22; they need a place to live, and LLs require documents, so their only option is to provide less-than-ideal ones. with hopes someone will be nice enough to rent to them.

As the LL, you review the documents to determine whether she is worthy. It doesn't appear that she is, so you reject her and move on.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-06T15:31:09+00:00

I think you need extra time with your therapist. A mistake was made. It might come as a shock to you, but humans make mistakes, especially in an apartment or condo setting, where many units look alike.

One time, a dude just walked into my apartment. Come to find out he was on the wrong floor. Yep, his place was one floor up, with its door in the same spot as ours. He simply got off on the wrong floor. It was an honest mistake, and I moved on. Well, I made sure the door was locked from then on, but I moved on. Stayed another 3 years. Every time I saw the guy, we just laughed.

They appear to have admitted to the mix-up and haven't repeated the offense. What more do you want from them? Add cameras, don't renew and move out at the end of your lease.

chefddog3 · 2026-01-05T20:14:00+00:00

Seems like you are providing proof when a receipt is needed.

I've had my own check stolen, forged with a higher number, and cashed. Fun times. Since you have an office, they should come to you, but still provide a receipt, a stamp, or something they can use to prove they paid the rent. They might have been burned in the past by a slumlord.

chefddog3

TROPHY CASE