Q: My lease states that a percentage of my deposit will be used for prof. painting and cleaning once I move out. Legal?
My landlord put a section in my lease in which he states that once my lease is up and I move out, I will receive my deposit, minus the amount it costs him to have it professionally painted, cleaned and the carpets cleaned. I always assumed this referred to extreme amounts of cleaning or damage. I've only been there a year and plan to move at the end of the lease. I've been extremely clean and planned on shampooing the carpets and fixing any nail holes. After talking to him it was made clear that no matter what I do or how clean and nice I leave the apartment, he still plans on having someone paint, shampoo the carpets, and professionally clean, and paying for it out of my deposit. I asked how much this would normally run. He said, "oh, not much, only about $500" !! That's a lot to me and I don't want it spent on needless stuff. Then my friend told me it may not even be legal - technically he should only be using my deposit money for repairs of damage I've done or messes I've made.
A: A lease is a particular form of contract. It sounds like you signed a contract to permit the landlord to do this. Bring a copy of the lease to a lawyer to see what he or she thinks after having a chance to read the whole lease, however.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
