A security deposit is the amount of money a tenant pays to secure a place of residence. Security deposits are used to cover the costs to rehab a property when the tenant leaves the property to return it to rental ready condition, but not all costs are applicable to the tenant. Security Deposits are used to cover tenant abuse and neglect, not wear and tear. How do you define abuse and neglect vs. wear and tear? That is a great question and there is no completely clear definition, a lot of it is subjective and this is where Deposit Defender helps protects you, the landlord.
Deposit Defender is the most comprehensive inspection app on the market. This app allows the landlord to thoroughly document the condition of the property with the ease of their phone or tablet (Apple and Android compatible) prior to the tenant taking possession. This provides the landlord with a clear, concise, report that is date stamped and can be used in court, should the situation arise. Small claims court cases between landlords and tenants are one of the absolute most common cases filed, the burden is on the landlord to prove the deductions from the security deposit are justified, truthful and accurate. The more prepared a landlord can be by correctly documenting the condition of your property, the better the chances are for not only keeping the portion of the security deposit in question, but additionally, protecting the landlord from possibly being charged a fine/fee/award to the tenant, which can be up to 3 times the amount of the original security deposit!
- An easy to use app, that downloads to your phone/tablet that anyone can use for $4.99
- Provides an inspection layout/template of your property (ie: number of bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.)
- A list of items to be documented in every room (ie: doors, windows, blinds, floors, etc.). Within this list you can add the following to each item:
- Pictures (unlimited)
- Notes
- Voice/Talk to text
- Once you purchase the app, you can access your inspection at any time, it does not expire
- You are able to conduct as many inspection as you like at no additional charge, this allows you to conduct before and after inspections
- You can print out the inspection and bring it with you to court