Minutes of prevention can save dollars of deposit
■Some basic maintenance of
apartments and residence halls
can save students money
By Bethany Larson
for the Emerald
For many college students, every
penny counts.
Security and cleaning deposits
can often make or break a student’s
budget. With some common sense,
a few preventive steps and a lot of
ongoing cleaning, students have a
good chance of getting back all of
their deposit.
The level of required mainte
nance depends upon the residence
and the landlord. However,
whether a student lives in an apart
ment, a house or a residence hall,
the same basic rule applies: Return
it to its original condition.
Moving in
The first preventive step happens
at the beginning of a lease. Most
property managers have an inspec
tion sheet for tenants to fill out
when they move in. If a company
does not provide a sheet, students
should write their own and give a
dated copy to the landlord. Photos
taken before anything is moved in
are also good records to have.
Charges for damage to common
areas are often divided between all
tenants, so roommates play an im
portant role when it comes to de
posits. Kyle Gray, president of
Emerald Property Management,
said tenants should try to choose
roommates with similar values of
cleanliness and responsibility.
During the lease
Tenants can protect their deposits
from charges with regular cleaning
and general maintenance. Because
some landlords may charge for re
painting the walls, students should
follow the contract rules about
smoking and honor restrictions on
pets. If pets are allowed, students
should treat the residence for fleas
before they move out.
Tenants can avoid excessive
cleaning charges by taking care of
spills immediately. Also, keeping
carpet stain remover on hand can
be helpful. To avoid damage
charges, tenants should notify man
agement, without delay, of any
plumbing and electrical problems.
Preparing for inspection
Cathy Engebretson, office manag
er of Duck’s Village, recommends
doing a final “deep” clean of the
residence, starting about a month
before the tenant moves out.
“Do a couple rooms a week and
really scrub it, and clean all those
weird places you would never
clean normally,” she said.
A deep clean includes getting
cobwebs off the ceiling, wiping off
the light fixtures, vacuuming the
furniture cushions, scrubbing the
dirt on the walls and washing the
mini-blinds. Tenants should also
replace any burnt-out light bulbs
and smoke detector batteries.
Gray also said if tenants have ex
cessive holes in the walls from pic
tures, they should not attempt to
cover them without authorization
from management.
In bedrooms and living rooms,
having a clean carpet is an impor
tant factor. Many apartment com
plexes have vacuums that tenants
can check out. Students should
consult the property manager if
they are considering steam-cleaning
the carpet.
The kitchen usually requires the
most attention, and the oven tends
to be the most problematic
feature. Gray suggests spraying
oven cleaner a day early so it can
soak for a while before the oven
walls are scrubbed.
Junior Sunshine Clark recom
mends cleaning the drip pans un
der the stove burners.
After deep cleaning, students will
have less stress and more success
with the inspection.
Yard maintenance
As with other areas of the proper
ty, return the yard to its original
condition. At the minimum, stu
dents should mow the lawn within
a day or two before they move. Se
nior Maren Zieba suggests letting
the grass grow longer between
mowing.
“It’s much more environmentally
sound,” she said.
Tenants should check the rent
contract for any specific plant care
requirements, such as trimming
bushes.
Residence halls
Although students living in the
residence halls do not pay a
Turn to Deposit, page14B
014116
Serving UO students for over 20 years
A ATTI
storage center
689-9230 - HWY 99 at Gilbert Center
014252
WELCOME DUCKS!
WE DAVE MANY PLACES AVAILABLE ON AND OFF CAMPUS.
On Campus
1220 Zi E. 23rdAvenue.4 Bedroom
2420 Kincaid.3+Bedroom
2460 Kincaid.4 Bedroom
1464 Jefferson.3 Bedroom
Other Areas
167 Lea Avenue (Santa Clara).3 Bedroom
173 Lea Avenue.3 Bedroom
161 Lea Avenue.3 Bedroom Howard
3727 Peppertree (Churchill).4 Bedroom
For more information please give us a QUACK at 485-1864.
COMMONS
apaRTmenTS
90 CoMmoNs DRive
338-4000
<ju\ ApyrT/nam
• CLubHOusE w/GaMe Room
• FiTNess CEnTEr
• AMPle REsiDEnT and VisiTor
PATKinG
• SwiMMinG Pool
• LiGHtEd VoLLeyBaLL &
BASKetBaLL COURtS
• OuTdooR Gas GriLLS & BBQ
IgjpaTCHinl
:oure to Ca
2sTaRtR.nGMAt2s3lT5h www.universitycommons.com
4 BeorooM, 2 bAtH
stArrmg aT $325