Interesting pair of Craigslist ads ( Archived) (5)

$1000 WANTED: Single Mom Needs A Place To Rent With Pets

I am a single mom of a teen and we foster several indoor animals. We need a 1 or 2 bedroom place for 1000. or less in or near xxxxxxx county. Please respond to this post if you have something available or know of anything. Thanks

Right below that ad is this one.

BEWARE!!! DO NOT RENT!!

Please be VERY careful of a lady who wants to rent from you who has 7 cats and 2 dogs and a teenage daughter. She WILL trash your place. Have never seen anything like this in my entire life, the mess she is leaving her current landlord with. Absolutely filthy. It is going to take thousands of dollars to put the place she is staying at currently back to it's previous condition.

BEWARE!!!

I couldn't agree more. Although I have gotten back my deposits over the years, I am in the minority. Most renters do NOT leave a house or apartment clean enough to deserve their deposits back. Personally, I don't think it's all that difficult to do, but most renters don't want, or don't see, the necessity. In Oregon, here is a sample of what is considered cleaning adequately enough to deserve the deposit back, also assuming that no damage beyond "normal wear and tear" is done.

1. All nails/hooks/grips removed and area smoothed. Walls washed.
2. Any carpeting completely vacuumed. Completely.
3. Hard floors swept and mopped. Baseboards clean, including the tops.
4. Cooking range completely cleaned inside and out. No burnt anything anywhere.
5. Refrigerator washed inside and out. Deodorized.
6. (Biggie here....) ALL kitchen cabinets cleaned. Drawers pulled out and thoroughly washed, including the rims. No smudges left anywhere.
7. Bathroom(s) absolutely spotless, no grit or grime anywhere. Tub surround completely washed.
8. In short, the entire apartment must SPARKLE. Really SPARKLE.

Most people who do not have a financial interest in a building don't want to do this much cleaning. The rules are fairly clear. A good thing is to take dated pictures before moving in, and after completely moving out. Never agree to a move-out that doesn't include a walk-through with the landlord signing off at the end.

I wish I could say "yes", but actually, the opposite is true. More people live in cluttered, chaotic or near-chaotic environments, and this is even truer for many renters. Also, I just saw one of those 'Hoarders' programs, and the narrator said that in the United States, there are more hoarder or borderline hoarders, than not. I actually believe this.