10 Tips on Tidying Up Apartment for Inspection

Most apartment communities have an annual apartment inspection.  During this time it is important to be sure that you are following the terms of your lease agreement.  Otherwise, you might find your self having to pay for current damages, later lose your security deposit or worse sued or evicted.  So be sure you take a look at your lease prior to the inspection and make adjustments where necessary.

1) Carpet Cleaning

It isn’t a big deal to have your carpet cleaned prior to an inspection unless it is hideous and smells foul due to pets.  Some property management companies might offer carpet cleaning to residents who renew their leases earlier.  Do ask what specials are provided if you plan to stay another year.

2) Window Treatments

If the curtains are uniform with the outer appearance and/or blinds that were already installed in the apartment prior to move-in have not been removed typically there is nothing to be concerned about.  However, if the lease agreement says anything about the window treatments staying up or they must be uniform, you might want to put them back up prior to the inspection.

Photo by Mike Marquez on Unsplash

3) Housekeeping

The apartment will be checked to see that it is clean which includes no visible signs that insects are living with you.  However, if they are you should be calling the leasing office before the inspection so that pest control can come out and take care of the problem.  Cleaning might include: dusting, vacuuming, hanging up clothes, picking up belongings from the middle of the floor, mopping floors, cleaning toilets and sinks, and removing trash.

4) Paint and Other Personal Handy Work

It isn’t necessary to paint anything, but if there were unapproved paint jobs, murals, or challenging handy work that involved major changes to the place, this will be a problem for the staff to sell the suite in the future since it doesn’t look like the others.  Be prepared to pay much to have the suite renovated back to the way it originally looked no matter how much you disliked it prior to your “improvements.”  The leasing staff has to sell a suite based on what is being advertised to the public.  Anything else would be a lie.  If the changes aren’t drastic, you might get the pass, but don’t make any additional personal improvements.  

5) Pet Violations

The apartment will be inspected to be sure you are following pet rules like taking the animal out to perform general activities.  Believe it or not, some pet owners do not consistently take their pets out so they are left to roam within the apartment to expel waste.  This of course causes damage to the flooring as well as creates an offensive odor to all who live near the inconsiderate resident.  Another issue is the resident complaints that a neighbor suddenly has a pet that may also be breaking the breed restriction rules.  If a resident didn’t pay a pet security deposit and is not paying monthly rent for the pet, he or she is violating the lease agreement.  The resident will be asked to remove the pet or pay the fees; if not he or she most likely will be faced with an eviction.

6) Hoarding

The staff will make a note of an excess of items that might pose a potential health risk.  From clothes to people, if the space is crowded you will be asked to rent a bigger space.

7) Hazardous Materials or Equipment

Your apartment is not the best place to store flammable liquids from work or materials that are a disturbance to neighbors.  Chances are someone complained about what is happening in your apartment whether it is a smell, strange sounds, or something that is affecting one’s well-being.  The hunt is on to look for the problem belongings and when found you will be told to store them elsewhere.

8) Damages to Walls, Windows, Doors, or Appliances.

The staff will be checking for anything that should have been reported.  Arrangements will be made to have those items fixed if the resident makes the request.  Anything that the security deposit doesn’t cover will be billed to the resident and expected to be paid along with the rent.

9) Water, Gas and Heat

If all is working properly, nothing to be concerned about, but if not request that maintenance take a look prior to the inspection.

10) Electrical outlets

They will probably not be checked unless you bring attention to what is working and what is not.

Other items that might be noticed are non-working faucets, holes in floors, broken shelves, and doorknobs.  If they aren’t observed, once again let the staff know especially if these things had never been checked or fixed after you moved in.

Nicholl McGuire is the author of What Else Can I Do on the Internet? and other books.

When Can the Landlord Enter Your Rental?

You have been away for awhile and you notice that someone has entered your apartment without so much as a notice, uh oh!  Your apartment is not open to maintenance or apartment management to go and come as they wish after the lease contract has been signed.  However, there are those who might think otherwise.  This is why you have to do your part to ensure your rights are not violated.

A woman told me she was leaving her current dwelling because the landlord thought it was okay to visit her apartment while she was working.  She believed the owner was looking to get her in trouble even though she was a U.S. citizen.  She wasn't harboring any fugitives and wasn't doing anything to break the law, so why the invasion of privacy?  She also noticed strange holes in her wall as if someone was behind it looking in at her.  She covered those halls and lodged a complaint with her landlord who she suspects was behind the holes.  In her situation, I recommended security cameras, notifying neighbors of someone possibly entering her apartment in her absence, and filing a report with the police.

So when should the landlord and maintenance enter your apartment?  Check your lease contract and other paperwork you may have signed.  They are suppose to call first and possibly leave a notice on your door or in your apartment that they have entered your unit while you were away. The staff should only be entering when there is an emergency such as a water leak, damage to the apartment, electrical problem that might potentially lead to a fire, or a wellness check because a relative or friend is concerned about your safety or pet in your absence.  Yet, if reasons are not listed in a contract and there is no notice left behind, you have every right to question why they needed to enter your apartment while you were gone.

A resident was upset to find some items moved around in her apartment, she didn't go in.  She immediately showed up in the leasing office wondering if someone was still in there, she was visibly shaken.  Maintenance had entered her dwelling due to a water leak, but failed to leave a note.  Lucky, no one was in there and she wasn't carrying a weapon.

Simple communication between management and residents can put all at ease and avoid potential problems in the future.  Share your concerns with the corporate office and document anything that looks out of place, suspicious or you notice a consistent pattern of strange things happening in your apartment and put your neighbors on alert.

Nicholl McGuire
Author of What Else Can I Do on the Internet?