Wisconsin's Weekend Morning News
Helpful Tips for Tenants and Landlords
There is nothing worse than facing the fact that you've got to move. And it's so stressful, but there's even more stress involved. And we've got some tips for tenants joining us. Is Michelle Reine and our consumer expert? And tell us some of the things that people face, especially this time of the year. Well, yeah, everyone has rights and responsibilities in these rental agreements. And it's a stressful time when you're having to move. So if you are needing to move out, ask the landlord for a walkthrough of the housing unit before the final check out. This helps protect your security deposit and puts you both in the same place on how the apartment looks, that condition of the property before you move out. Maybe there's some things that you can fix or repair that the landlord is going to point out to you that you'll end up getting more money back off your security deposit if you just known through that conversation. And then go ahead and take those detailed photos or a video of the property. So you have some documentation as to how you left the property. And so important. Do not forget to give the landlord your new addresses to where you'll be moving. That's going to ensure your security deposit gets back to you faster than if the mail has to forward it. Now do landlords have to return security deposits? Yeah, they absolutely do. If they don't return the money, they need to return an accounting saying what they withheld the money for. And they need to do that within 21 days after the rental period expires. So if you move out early, the landlord still has the time period from when the rental agreement would end. It doesn't mean you'll necessarily get your security deposit back early. All right. Now, what about moving in to a property? Are there things you should do before you move your furniture in? Yeah, absolutely. Again, here we're going to talk about protecting your security deposit. And that means tenants have seven days after the start of their tenancy to inspect the premises, that new property they're in and notify the landlord of any defects by returning what's called a check-in sheet. This can be a notebook piece of paper where, again, you are documenting the property and you probably want to take pictures. But that way later on, if there is damage when you move in, when you're moving out, you won't be held responsible for that damage. So take the time to do that seven day check-in sheet and then be sure the landlord's given you the contact information of a person who you can contact regarding maintenance problems, including name and address. And this is so important because you don't want to let some maintenance issue get out of control by not reporting it. So you need to know who to call his attendant. And how important is that lease and the fact that you read it before you sign it? Oh, critical. You want to know what is in that agreement and what is going to be required of you? Who is responsible for paying the utilities? What repairs and property maintenance the tenant is expected to fulfill? So are you going to be responsible for mowing the lawn or shoveling the sidewalk, depending upon the type of dwelling unit that could be possible? And you want to understand your obligations under that rental agreement, when rent is due and how much you'll be paying, should be part of that. And if the landlord promises to make any repairs before you move in, make sure they're part of that written agreement. And let's give that consumer protection hotline in case you're running to any problems. 1-800-422-7128.