Nine Easy Ways to Fix Damage to Your Apartment (and Get Your Deposit Back)
If you rent , you know there’s another hurdle that makes buying even more difficult: the security deposit . Typically, the average security deposit, based on your monthly rent, is $750 , which is a lot for most people. In theory, that money is returned, sometimes with interest, when you move out. But nearly 60% of renters don’t expect to get their full security deposit back, and one of the main reasons is damage to the home.
Every home experiences the normal wear and tear that comes with living in it. Things wear out, age, and deteriorate, and it’s no one’s fault. But if you’ve caused damage to the property that doesn’t fall under the definition of wear and tear, your landlord will be happy to deduct the cost of repairs from your deposit. But in many cases, this can be avoided by spending a small amount on simple repairs that almost anyone can do.
Wood repair
Scratched wood floors? Scuffed cabinets? If you’re worried that your landlord might consider these scratches to be damage that requires replacement or refinishing of the wood in your apartment, a set of wax crayons and wood markers is an inexpensive way to hide all of these blemishes. With a little patience, you can fill in shallow nicks with a matching wax crayon and paint over scratches with a matching marker to make these imperfections virtually invisible.
Plasterboard putty
Drywall is a fantastic material. It’s cheap, but it does its job as a wall very well. But it’s pretty easy to damage. All it takes is a slight misstep or a misjudgment of distance, and bam! You’ve put a hole in your wall. A hole that your landlord will probably claim will require a whole crew of workers.
But you can fix it really quickly and really cheaply. For small holes, this all-purpose patch from 3M is a miracle worker: Just apply the filler, scrape it off flush with the wall with the back of the applicator, let it dry, then sand it with the included sanding pad. Then paint (if needed) and you’re done!
For larger holes, this drywall repair filler is incredibly easy to use. Just apply it to the hole to fill it, wipe away any excess, let dry, and then paint. No sanding or anything else required.
Window screens
Have you punctured your window screen? Aside from letting all the bugs into your home, you’re also facing the possibility that your landlord will charge you for a replacement. Luckily, replacing your window screen is one of the easiest repairs you can do. Simply purchase a screen repair kit (if you already have the tools to do the job, you can simply purchase the screen material). Replacing the screen involves pulling out the splines (the caulk-like cord that holds the screen in the frame grooves), removing the damaged screen, cutting a new piece to the correct size, and inserting it into the grooves along with the splines to secure it in place. Sometimes you can reuse the existing splines, but kits will come with new splines.
Touch-up paint
If the paint on the walls, cabinets, or appliances in your apartment is chipped or worn, you could lose your security deposit if the damage is too obvious. But you don’t have to repaint everything to keep your deposit, just a little touch-up paint . This will be most effective if your apartment is painted standard Landlord White, but you can find other touch-up paint colors if you look. Simply paint over the chips and let them dry. If you’ve damaged the finish on your refrigerator or dishwasher in some way, you can buy special touch-up paint that will effectively cover up minor damage.
Carpet Stain Remover
If you let your dog into your apartment or tripped and spilled an entire glass of red wine on your carpet without bothering to deal with the stains and odor, your landlord will be unhappy. While removing stains and odors from carpet can be a daunting task, a bottle of stain remover can work wonders, even on greasy stains. There’s no vacuuming or scrubbing involved—just apply, shake, and blot, and most stains will just disappear.
Carpet patch
If you can’t remove a stain from your carpet, or you’ve damaged it so badly that it can’t be repaired or hidden, you might want to consider patching it if you have spare carpet. Landlords sometimes leave extra carpet around the apartment or in storage, so start with a little research. If you’re lucky and find a suitable piece of carpet, you can cut out the damaged area, cut the patch to size, and secure it with double-sided carpet tape . For a relatively small area, this repair will go on surprisingly smoothly and last a long time.
Laminate repair
Cracks or chips in your rental laminate countertops or floors? Don’t panic: For minor damage, you can use a product like SeamFil , which is applied as a gel or cream and dries to provide a perfect bond with the laminate. With a little patience and care, you can achieve results that are virtually invisible. The key is to get the color as accurate as possible, and remember that the company recommends using SeamFil Solvent to clean the surface before applying filler, which can add to the overall cost of the repair.
Window repair
I once broke a window while trying to hang holiday lights, and the crack plagued me for years until I finally replaced the windows in my house. If you don’t want to pay for a new window when you move, you can repair a small crack yourself using a two-part epoxy like this one to fill and hide the crack. This epoxy fills the crack like putty, dries clear, and strengthens the glass. If the repair is small, chances are good that no one will notice.
Drain cleaning
A surprisingly common reason landlords put down a deposit is clogged drains. Sure, clogs can lead to flooding and water damage (and ultimately damage the plumbing itself), but they’re usually pretty easy to fix. If you haven’t yet thought about how slow your home’s drains have gotten over time, it’s not too late: A set of plastic drain cleaners is incredibly cheap, easy to use, and very effective at removing a (probably disgusting) clump of hair from your drain, leaving it looking brand new in time for your landlord’s inspection.