A security deposit on your apartment in Jacksonville can be a large amount of money. The first thing on your mind when you decide to move back is getting that deposit back. I know it is on my mind when I am planning on moving out of my Jacksonville apartment.So, what do you need to do to make sure you get your entire security deposit returned to you? Good question.
The first thing is to make sure you understand your lease.Your Jacksonville apartment lease will state exactly what you need to do to make sure you receive your entire security deposit back. You probably have to give a certain amount of notice before moving out.Know ahead of time what that time frame is. If you leave early, you could risk forfeiting your entire security deposit plus incur additional lease fees. Make sure you read this part of your lease on your Jacksonville apartment and understand exactly what is expected as far as notice of intent to leave.
If you have given ample notice, then the next thing to focus on is the condition of your Jacksonville apartment.If you leave your Jacksonville apartment in bad condition, then you can almost guarantee your security deposit will not be returned to you. As stated above, your lease should explain exactly how to clean to leave your Jacksonville apartment.
If it is not specifically stated, make sure to check with the landlord prior to moving out and make sure you understand what is expected. Most apartments in Jacksonville have a checklist of cleaning expectations.If they do, then that makes your job easy.If there is no checklist or specific set of things to clean, then I would just make sure your Jacksonville apartment is as clean, or cleaner, than when you moved in.
The last step in the process is to make sure and set an appointment with the leasing office to inspect your apartment before you officially leave the premise. Setting an appointment will make sure that the leasing manager is available and can inspect your apartment, that way, if anything still needs taken care of, you can finish before you turn in all keys and drive away.
If you cannot set an appointment or your leasing manager says there is no need to inspect your Jacksonville apartment, then I would suggest taking dated pictures of the apartment and keep those until you receive your security deposit back.This will save you the hassle of trying to prove you left the apartment clean. Make sure to turn in all your keys before you leave.You can be charged for any key that is not returned and this amount will be taken from your security deposit.
Once you are all done, make sure that the leasing office at your Jacksonville apartment has your new address.They can mail you your security deposit if they don't know how to find you.Florida law states that they must return to you the unused portion of your security deposit within 60 days of moving out of your Jacksonville apartment.