1 of 2 tenants moving out & perplexed how to deduct from SD (renting per bedroom)

[Jill Jay]

Good morning! Wondering if anyone else here rents per bedroom to college students? I'm a somewhat new landlord & have 1 tenant moving out while the other is staying. Wondering how to go about the security deposit & getting the unit ready for the next tenant. Cleaning fees are usually taken out at the end of a lease but how would that work when 1 of the 2 tenants are staying? My thoughts are to hire a cleaning company for the common areas & her bedroom but to be honest I don't know if it's even possible to fairly deduct from one without affecting the other's security deposit until the following year when they're graduating.

Thank you for the help BP  :)

[Corby Goade]

This is a great question, lots of landlords deal with this.

The property should have ONE lease, every person on the lease is 100% responsible for the lease in it's entirety. Rent is paid or it is not. If one roommie doesn't pay their portion, that's their problem, not yours. They all get evicted or they all stay. 

Same thing with deposits, fees, etc. If one roommate moves out, they figure it out on their own. Your fees and deposits stay in escrow until the lease ends and you liquidate. 

Set the lease and terms up so that you are the landlord, not the friendship mediator, otherwise you'll go insane!