Seeking Greener Pastures: The Renters' Ripple Effect

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Greenville's tenant vacancy rate is 6.7% to 7.5%.

So tenants often vacate units and move elsewhere. You've likely seen this movement in your neighborhood. When tenants stack unwanted items on the curb, the pile can be hard to miss.

Two-bedroom apartments in Greenville rent from $1,326 to $ 1,684 per month. The main reason tenants move out is that they need more space for a growing family, a roommate, or a home office.

How often do tenants consider what landlords do when they move out?

Here is an incomplete list: conduct a final walk-through inspection. Compare current conditions against the move-in checklist. Collect keys, garage openers, and property tags. Take dated photos to document damage. Itemize deductions for damages and unpaid rent. Return the deposit balance within 30 days.

Often the rental deposit is one or two months’ rent. Most deposits are not legally forfeited for cause, though partial or full withholding is common due to financial or physical breaches. It can only be withheld to cover actual, documented financial losses — not as an automatic penalty.  So say lawyers Heist, Weisse & Wolk.

Lease agreements often require tenants to return spaces completely emptied of personal property, debris, and trash, and to leave them as clean as when they originally occupied them. — RMS Building Services.

In some obvious cases, you can guess that someone forfeited part of their deposit.