Landlord Question and Answer Forum

When my tenants moved out they cleaned out fridge and freezer into garbage bags and left in the garage with other dry trash, broken furniture, small appliances, etc and 2 trashcans full b/c they had stopped paying for trash removal. We had a hot March and the refuse "baked" and fluids ran. I made 2 pick-up truck runs to the dump to remove the garbage and had to pressure wash the floor in the garage to remove the "fluids". I have photos of the trash loads and the condition of the garage floor. Not surprisingly, the inside of the house was filthy too so we are already charging the $200.00 clean up fee allowed by our state. What can I reasonably charge for garbage removal?

So far you did good. In this business as in any other, you are always making (hopefully) good decisions. Before I respond, how would you answer your question about the garbage removal? Also, did it cost you $200 (or less) to clean the interior?

Posted by Bob R, CA on Thursday, April 26, 2012

Professional carpet cleaning cost $175.00. I cleaned the house myself and it took 4 hours to get back to rentable condition. i have before and after pics. I am not sure what the rate is for housecleaning per hour though. I was thinking of $100. for garbage removal.

Posted by Kelly S, NC on Thursday, April 26, 2012

Kelly, I'm not aware of NC only allowing $200 for cleaning deposit. Are you sure that it's a law? If so, could you provide where the info can be found, please. If you cleaned the unit, you may be able to charge the tenant for your time. That amount would have to be considered reasonable. If the unit is still empty, have someone like Merry Maids give you an estimate for work to be done, time and cost. Tell them it's for future work. Use this amount to help you determine an hourly rate. You should also check to see what the State law says about it, in anything. Assuming you collected a "cleaning deposit" + a "sec.dpst", usually you can deduct any additional amount (above the designated cleaning deposit) required to cover your expenses. As for the garbage, you probably can charge them your hourly rate (as mentioned above), any equiptment rented, dump cost, and mileage/tolls. Check with your tax person. They should be able to help you. Hope this helped.

Posted by Bob R, CA on Thursday, April 26, 2012