Finals are hard.

It’s time to clear out! The end is near with only five more days of finals left, which include Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. For those of you leaving glorious Chambana for the summer to travel or just sit on your bottom at home, there are a few things you need to look into before jetting off to wherever. You will be leaving the tiny hellhole of an apartment you called home for the past eight months, but to ensure that your place won’t continue to cost you money while you are gone, make sure you attempt to follow (or at least read) the suggestions listed below. And enjoy the next three amazing months of summer!

CLEAN EVERYTHING

Make sure you leave the apartment just as clean if not cleaner than when you moved in. This means cleaning inside the fridge and stove and behind all the appliances.

TAKE PICTURES AS PROOF

Use 35 mm film or a disposable camera – not a digital in case of technology problems – to take pictures of all the appliances and rooms to prove that you cleaned everything.

HAVE A WITNESS

Try to get someone who is not a family member or whose name is not on the apartment lease to watch you take the pictures. This is in case there is a dispute later.

FIND YOUR MOVE IN CONDITION FORM

Make sure you go through the form as you clean and that everything is how it was when you filled out the form at the beginning of the year.

DON’T CASH YOUR SECURITY DEPOSIT TICKET

If you don’t agree with some of the deductions taken from your security deposit check, don’t cash the check. First contact the landlord to tell them you have pictures as proof that you cleaned your apartment. If they don’t want to see the pictures, it’s time to talk to the Tenant Union.

DONATE YOUR FURNITURE

If there is furniture you don’t want and it is in good condition, donate it to Homeworks, which benefits Habitat for Humanity. For more information visit http://www.prairienet.org/

habitat/homeworks/

DROP OFF YOUR KEYS

Have all your roommates drop off their keys at the same time and make sure you get a receipt that proves you turned your keys in.

SUBLEASING

If you are subleasing to someone during the summer, talk to your landlord and see if you can get him or her to agree that damages to the apartment not on your original condition report are first charged to the subtenant. It would be good for the tenant and subtenant to conduct an inspection of the rental unit together at the beginning and end of the summer as well. It is always best to have the subtenant to pay the landlord rent and a damage deposit. Make sure everything that is agreed on is in writing and that you get permission from the landlord.

If you are leaving your apartment empty for the summer it is a good idea to check on it once in a while. In many cases, if your apartment is broken into you are liable for it unless you file a police report.

Source: Nancy Dietrich-Rybicki, Tenant Union