INDIANAPOLIS — Imagine being jammed with thousands of dollars in fees when moving out of your apartment.
That's 37-year-old Zac Coleman's reality.
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“The total cost is $5,101.27," Coleman said. “The bill lists $3,000 for painting labor. $700 or $800 for painting materials. $300 for a deep clean. $100 for a carpet clean, but with the carpet clean, they put times three."
Coleman moved out of his two-bed, two-bath unit at Nine+Eighteen in July.
“The level of the amount of money that they’re wanting for painting or labor with painting. But also the miscellaneous charges: vanity sink stoppers, door stoppers, plumbing, door frames. Weird charges that we had no idea about, or why we were being charged for those," he said.
Coleman forwarded WRTV his email communication with property manager Rubicon Development Group, as well as his lease agreement.
His property manager said, “The cost of returning the apartment to its original condition is high due to the tenant's use of dark blue and green painted walls.”
In multiple sections of the lease agreement, it states that tenants must return “possession of the premises to Landlord broom clean and in the same order and condition in which a tenant received the premises.” And if they do not, the tenant is “liable for… repairs or damages caused by negligence, carelessness, accident, or abuse…”
Coleman acknowledges he’d have to pay for certain damages, but he says his issue is with the sheer cost and lack of communication and transparency.
“We asked for documentation, receipts, invoices. And all they could respond was that charges were valid and that we needed to pay them immediately," he said.
Coleman is not alone.
Two other former tenants, Reagan Markland and Maria Maccaroni, also experienced something similar.
“They said of the nearly over $1900 deposit, we were only going to get $165 back in total," Markland said. “The damages don’t match at all what was on the form that we filled out, to the point where part of me was like ‘Did they somehow switch our unit with another?' Hundreds of dollars in cleaning costs, in painting costs and labor. If one point it mentions needing plumbing repair. We’re like ‘That’s completely out of left field.’”
“In total, it was a little over $3,000," Maccaroni said. “I would’ve understood the line item that was like painting, which was $600, and then the cleaning fee. Whatever. That seems reasonable. $2500 extra? I don’t know what that was for.”
WRTV reached out to Dee Ross with the Indiana Tenants Association, who says this is all too common.
“What we’re seeing right now is a pattern across Indiana where landlords are coming after the tenants with thousands of dollars in so-called move-out fees. These charges often have little transparency and sometimes no real legal basis," Ross said.
Ross has the following tips for renters.
“Read your lease. Read the move-out and security clause carefully; it should clearly say what deductions are allowed. Watch for vague phrases like ‘management reserves the right to assess additional fees.’ That’s a red flag. Take photos and videos of the unit when you move in and when you move out. If you’re charged, ask for an itemized list. In Indiana, landlords must provide, by law, within 45 days, the list to you if they withhold your deposit. Tenants can dispute any unfair charges in small claims court," he said.
Coleman filed a claim in the Marion County Small Claims Court earlier this month seeking:
- Full return of the security deposit and a pro-rate credit of $3,149
- Statutory attorney fees and court costs
- Any additional relief the court deems just
WRTV reached out to Rubicon for comment and has yet to hear back.
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Nico Pennisi is the In Your Community reporter for Downtown Indy. He joined WRTV in October 2022. His passion has always been telling the stories of people who often get overlooked. Share your story ideas and important issues with Nico by emailing him at nico.pennisi@wrtv.com.
