When the time comes to take down the Anna Kournikova calendar, haul out the lime-green couch and finally move out of the hole you live in, know that you have rights and obligations.

The city of DeKalb has a tenant handbook which outlines the legal rights and duties of landlords in DeKalb.

Jim Mason, owner of Mason Properties and member of the fact-finding committee which compiled the handbook more then two years ago, said the handbook is there to enlighten and alert the landlords and tenants what is required of them.

“When I worked on that [tenant handbook] for eight months, I found out a lot of landlords didn’t know the law,” Mason said.

For instance, Mason said landlords are required to give the tenants a copy of the lease.

The handbook outlines potential requirements of the tenants when they move out. For example, some landlords require their tenants to clean their carpets.

Excessive damage to an apartment could result in loss of the security deposit.

Tenants are responsible for cleaning up anything more than normal wear and tear.

Normal wear and tear includes dust, worn carpets and excessive holes in the walls, Mason said.

Mason said he has seen as much as $5,000 worth of damage in one apartment. He said he has seen drywall and studs removed and even an entire shower that was so dirty, the tenant covered it with a layer of spackle.

Replacing the carpeting can cost as much as $1,000.

The conditions of apartments are much better than they have been in the past, Mason said.

Back in the 1980s, apartments were left in terrible conditions, but that improved in the 1990s.