Questions about tenant responsibility upon moveout in NJ

[Edward Debbs]

hey all,

I have a house in NJ, and the Tenant moved out after 4 years.  I have some examples of the condition of the house and wonder what is his responsibility and what is mine, because in some instances it probably lies somewhere in the middle.  Also, keep in mind that the NJ standard for move out is "broom clean" which as far as I can tell is an uninformative and nearly meaningless term that gives you no information about removing grime from the kitchen bathrooms, cabinets and refrigerator.  Anyway.

1.  Several bags of garbage left in the basement.  Not sure what to charge here.

2.  Whole house is grimy and filthy, bathrooms, kitchen cabinets, fridge etc.  Not sure what to charge here.

3.  Many of the wood framed windows are water damaged from being left open when it was raining.  Have a contractor coming to clean this up and he wants 6 hours of labor for it.  I'm thinking some percentage of this will be tenant responsibility.

4.  One of the drawers in the fridge is cracked, but rather than calling me or replacing it he just kept shoving it in the fridge to the point where it has worn through the inside of the fridge to the insulation.  Planning on charging the cost of a service call (about $150) and fix it myself with fiberglass and order a new drawer.

5.  Oven was pulled out and the top part disassembled.  I think he had a problem with the ignition but I heard nothing about it.  Planning on charging him the amount of a service call.  I just bought a new stove and installed it.

6.  Dishwasher stopped working, he says, but when I get there I realize he somehow managed to rip the front pull handle and control board off the machine and broke the plastic.  Thinking of charging him the cost of a service call for this.  I replaced it with a new dishwasher.

7.  Several deep scratches and finish worn away on the wood floors from pulling out the entire, (too big for the room dining room) table daily with no protection on the legs.  Planning on charging 100% for this repair cost, and eating the cost for refinishing the rest of the floors with normal wear and tear.

8.  Wood damage to my bay windows and window sills from their two dogs.  Planing on charging them 100% for the repair cost.

9.  The yard was pretty neglected, and even though they did remove the debris, probably 50% of the yard is dead.  Also my lawn mower is damaged.  Planning on charging for the landscaping (maybe just the seed?) and the repair.

Wonder what/how you all would charge?  This is a nice, newly renovated house in an A neighborhood. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[Mark Langdon]

This is the clause I put in my Leases that you should put in yours from now on and this is what I expect so they know what's required to get there full security deposit back. But at the same time if its just a little garbage; a few light bulbs here or there; a little sponge mopping; I don't sweat it and just do it and move on to the next tenant move-in without backcharging as I hire a cleaning service anyway every time inbetween tenants.

"Upon termination of this lease Tenant agrees to clean house to its original broom swept condition. This includes the replacement of all burnt out light bulbs to their original wattage, sponge clean with appropriate cleaning agents of all tubs, sinks, showers, toilets, and countertops, moping of all ceramic tile floors, vacuuming all carpets, dusting of hardwood floors, cleaning all cobwebs on ceilings, floors, and walls. Any material left behind will be disposed of or towed away at the Tenant’s expense. Tenant agrees to repair any damage including that caused by the act of moving. Tenant agrees to make arrangements for final utility readings and pay all final utility bills. Tenant shall return all keys at such time and will go over with Landlord a final check-out condition list of the house to compare with the original move-in condition and leave in same condition as it was at the beginning of the Term, except for normal wear and tear."