A college student’s first apartment is a sanctuary, and maintaining one’s sanctuary can prevent any unnecessary deductions from refundable checks.

When moving into an apartment most people are required to pay a security deposit. The security deposit is usually refundable in full if the condition of the apartment is good upon the termination of the lease.

In order to receive the original security deposit in full a renter must keep the apartment in the same shape they were in originally.

“We do expect that the renters keep the apartments looking nice and we expect them to clean after themselves when they leave,” said Jenny Creta, Crosswinds marketing associate. “People who rent out houses and rooms can rent them on an “as is” basis and there is no law that I know of that says that we have to maintain the appearance of the apartments. The tenants have to take some initiative.”

Upon termination of the lease, renters should clean the apartment thoroughly, including cleaning out all appliances and vacuuming the carpet. It is expected from most apartment managers, though most go back after the tenant has vacated the premises and re-clean.

“All of the apartment complexes under United Dominion are required to repaint, re-clean and shampoo the carpets, as well as change the locks,” Creta said.

Maintaining the carpeting in the apartment is one of the more difficult tasks for the tenant as well as for the management. Stains and cigarette burns commonly damage the carpet, and people who had large pets often have more carpet damage.

“It would be nice if I could say that we keep all of the carpets for the six year period, but most of the time we are lucky to keep them for over two years,” Creta said.

In the lease, management companies usually include details about their monthly maintenance. Some apartments change the air filters once a month, some require the tenant to do it. Some apartments spray for pests every couple of months and some will only spray if the tenant calls about a bug problem.

“At my first apartment they said that they would spray for bugs every two weeks, but the only time I ever saw them was the week after we moved in,” senior Monica Duncan said. “The pest problem was unbelievable and they didn’t follow through the deal that they told me.”

Three to five days after a tenant has vacated an apartment the management will conduct an inspection of the apartment to determine if any of the security deposit needs to be withheld. According to North Carolina law, management companies must return the security deposit within 30 days of the lease termination.

“Some apartments don’t clean after a tenant moves out,” Assistant Community Director of Crosswinds apartments Ceri Hagery said. “If something is damaged or needs to be cleaned they’ll contract out, that’s why they charge so much.”