Cleaning costs may be landlord's expense

Q:

Can I use the security deposit for unusual wear and tear on an apartment that I own to cover the cleaning of a very dirty kitchen stove?

It took me three days and several cleaning products to clean a kitchen stove and all of my own hard work, time and money. Can I use the security deposit to cover all this work and expense?

A:

Your question about whether the security deposit covers a dirty stove is one of those “gray areas” for which there is no clean answer (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun).

Any costs that are associated with normal cleaning of a unit after a tenant vacates are not covered by the security deposit. These costs are considered simply part of the costs of doing business – they come with the territory of being a landlord.

The security deposit can be used to cover costs associated with extensive cleaning beyond the pale of “normal wear and tear.” Where the pale ends, however, is subject to interpretation. No matter how black with grease, a dirty stove has got to be considered one of those gray areas.

I will say, however, that in your case, the grayness of this situation got paler because

by cleaning the stove yourself, you automatically forfeited any chance to deduct the costs of cleaning it from the security deposit.

In addition to passing the “beyond the normal wear and tear” test, in order to deduct a repair or cleaning expense from the security deposit, you must provide the tenant legitimate, i.e. “outside,” estimates of the costs paid to correct the damage.

Doing the work yourself does not cut it. You have to hire to have it done and provide the tenant written estimates and/or receipts for the work.

While I’m on the subject of cleaning, I was speaking with a realtor friend recently who complained that many of the homes he has been trying to sell need a good cleaning.

Cleaning and de-cluttering your home are the easiest and cheapest staging tips for any seller.

Along with cleaning, shampooing rugs, washing curtains and blinds and windows, scrubbing kitchens and bathrooms, it is very important to rid your home of odors.

There is no bigger turnoff than entering a home and being greeted by a strong pet or smoke or musty odor.

Clean out closets, buy a new shower curtain, put up fresh towels in the bath. And yes, clean dirty stoves. Nothing sells like cleanliness.