Tips for filling out your apartment inventory checklist when you move into a new place

When you first take possession of a new apartment, your landlord will likely give you an apartment inventory checklist to fill out. It'll look something like this or like this.

You'll want to fill out the inventory checklist -- noting the condition of each item listed -- as thoroughly as possible. Taking the time now, when you first move in, to note all pre-existing damages in your apartment will save you money later, when your landlord adds up your security deposit deductions for damages as you move out.

For more tips, read "How to Fill Out Your Apartment Inventory Checklist," published today alongside all my previously published landlord-tenant articles at Associated Content.

Congrats on your new apartment!



*

Outrageous security deposit deductions for cleaning? Here's where to turn for help.

Rent apartments long enough and chances are good you'll eventually run into a landlord who nickle-and-dimes you out of your security deposit with outrageous, exorbitant cleaning fees after you've moved out.

Sure, sometimes security deposit cleaning deductions are justified. If you didn't return your apartment to move-in condition when you moved out, expect your landlord to recoup his cleaning costs for the next tenant out of your security deposit. However, if you think your landlord charged you in excess of what it actually cost him or her to clean your apartment, you may have options to recoup some of the money.

Read "How to Dispute Outrageous Security Deposit Cleaning Deductions" for some advice on where to turn for help.



*

Were your move-out cleaning charges kosher?

How does a landlord decide the price of security deposit deductions for cleaning when you move out of an apartment?

Read "How Does a Landlord Decide Cleaning Charges at the End of a Lease?" if you want to know what deductions to expect in 30 days when your landlord returns the balance of your security deposit to you, or if you've been charged for cleaning upon move-out and wonder whether or not your security deposit cleaning deductions were reasonable or "normal."


*

Are Bed Bugs Lurking in Your Apartment?

You may have seen bed bugs crawling all over the news in recent weeks, thanks to a recent study that reported a dramatic increase in the U.S. bed bug population.

Ew, right?

If you're like me, every time you read or hear a story about bed bugs, you worry that you have them. Here's how to know if you do, in "Are Bed Bugs Lurking in Your Apartment?"

The article links you to a "bed bug registry" that collects reports of bed bugs in hotels and apartment buildings. It also provides helpful info for identifying bed bug bites and how to look for signs that your apartment might be harboring the nocturnal pests.

Sleep tight, ha.


*