Handling Deposit Refunds When Tenants Left Unit Less Than Clean

[Ralph Noyes]

At walk through, fan blades were all caked with dirt, cobwebs and dustbunnies abound, hardwood and tile floors hadn't been swept or mopped, countertops not wiped, exterior of kitchen appliances not cleaned, stove top still semi dirty (stove was brand new a year and a half ago but she claims "it wouldn't wipe off"), kitchen sink with soap debris on it, food stains splattered on kitchen backsplash and baseboards, bathtub not cleaned, closet floors/shelves/blinds/windows not wiped down, and my favorite - remains of a carcass of a hawk (feathers and...?) stuck to the wood on the back kitchen deck. 

I pointed all this out to her and gave her a chance to fix the issues, handed her a ladder and some cleaning products, and she cleaned the fans, the animal remains, and gave a half *** wipe down of the counters and windowsills. That is all.

Now, I feel naive for assuming they would clean like I told them to, and have already made a move-out checklist for future tenants to work through. How do you all handle situations like this? We've had the place deep cleaned in the past but that was like $400 and took 4 hours (it's a 1,150sq ft unit with fancy wood trim, tall windows, claw food tub, etc). What would be a reasonable amount to deduct for this?

Thank you!

[Patrick Drury]

@Ralph Noyes

I think you just answered your own question just have the unit deep cleaned then charge them what it cost you. If it took $400 in deep cleaning to get the property in the same condition, you gave the tenants the unit charge them $400.