How to Move Out of Your Rental

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Renting a residential property, whether it’s a single-family house, condo, or an apartment, can be almost as complicated as owning the same home. Assuming that you’ve adhered to the lease agreement and any laws and regulations for your state and locality, there are still a lot of steps to follow when you’re planning to move out. Read more to make sure you don’t miss anything important!

GIVE PROPER NOTICE
When you know the date by which you will need to move, the first important step is to provide proper notice to your landlord. Check the language in your lease agreement regarding the required advance notice to the landlord, usually 30 to 60 days in advance.

If you need to vacate your rental prior to the date the notice is required, it’s best to contact the landlord immediately to discuss the possibility of a shorter notice period.The lease agreement often stipulates that a notice period shorter than required may result in a deduction or even a complete forfeiture of your deposit and, depending on how short a notice it is, possible additional monies for rent owed for the duration of the lease period.

If you are beyond your initial lease period and are considered to be in a month-to-month lease, the same requirements for providing notice may also apply. Regardless of which type of lease you are currently in, make sure you understand any repercussions a short notice will have and put any alternate agreements in writing should you negotiate something new with your landlord.

Note that If you’re an active member of the military, notice requirements as stated in your lease do not apply if you receive orders for a new duty station. Under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), you may terminate a lease agreement without penalty under certain conditions, but you will still need to provide notice and a copy of your orders. While all states require landlords to honor lease terminations under these circumstances, you should always check the appropriate laws or regulations governing renters in the military.For more tips on how to notify your landlord, this article in Forbes provides additional suggestions.

SUB-LETTING
If you are planning on subletting your rental, check the terms of the lease to determine if it is allowed and what the requirements are. Obviously, you will need to notify the landlord in writing of your plans and suggest a meeting to discuss the next steps.

If the third party is interested in setting up an entirely new lease agreement with the landlord, make sure to notify the landlord of this situation as well. In this scenario, a lease assignment or subleasing would relieve you of any further obligations to the lease. While the outcomes are the same (another person moves in), the legal aspects are vastly different. To better understand the differences, as well as some alternatives, read this article by June Homes.

CLEAN & REPAIR
Regular care and maintenance while you’ve rented the property matters a great deal, regardless of who is ultimately responsible. The security deposit can be used to offset costs your landlord will incur for cleaning or repairs that are beyond normal wear and tear, and, in many cases, the security deposit will not be enough to cover the costs of a poorly maintained rental unit. Even if there are repairs to be made that are specified as a landlord’s responsibility, it is your duty to notify so that issues do not become worse and further devalue the property.

Before you are ready to move out, take the time to clean the rental. Cleaning the interior includes:

  • all appliances that are included with the rental unit;
  • carpeting and floors;
  • walls, doors, and door frames;
  • windows and sills;
  • dust any ceiling fans and baseboards;
  • light fixtures and switches;
  • tubs, toilets, and sinks.

It’s usually a good idea to hire a professional cleaning service to handle the usual chores prior to your move-out. The primary reason for doing so may simply be the lack of time, but using a professional cleaning company may also help justify disputes in the return of any security deposit.If there are any obvious issues, such as marks on the walls or rips and tears in carpeting, you’ll need to handle these separately before the move-out inspection.

Again, regular care and maintenance during the rental period, as well as any timely, appropriate notification to the landlord is essential so that you’re not stuck with additional charges from the landlord on top of a forfeited security deposit. If you’re still not sure about required cleaning prior to moving out, this checklist from PODS may be of some help.

PROVIDE NOTICE TO UTILITIES & SERVICE PROVIDERS

When you first moved in, you should have noted all utilities associated with the rental. The renter is almost always responsible for the electric bill but sometimes garbage collection, water/sewer charges, and gas used by kitchen ranges and water heaters are covered in the monthly rental. If not, be sure to notify the appropriate utility service of your move-out date and then immediately inform the landlord that you have contacted these services.

The landlord usually will not want these utilities actually shut off. If so, be sure to get the landlord’s billing information prior to notification to the utility providers. Then you can include this forwarding information to the providers. It’s also worth noting that sometimes a utility provider will require you to fill out a form so having the landlord’s billing formation becomes doubly important in this situation. For a more detailed guide on transferring utilities, this article covers a lot of the information you’ll need.

Cable and internet service typically involves the use of the provider’s equipment while those services are provided. Be sure to return these items to the provider’s service location as agreed upon immediately prior to your move-out date.

COMPLETE A MOVE-OUT INSPECTION
Remember to use your notes from the move-in inspection and any photos taken during the inspection to compare against the property’s current condition. Again, you should refer to the lease agreement for any specific items called out in the document. If the property is a single family home, don’t assume that the condition of lawns, shrubs, and home exteriors are not applicable when the move-out inspection is conducted.

If you’re not certain that the landlord has kept up with any rental-related issues during your rental period, make sure to review these items with the landlord.Here’s another article with more detail regarding move-out inspections.

PROVIDE YOUR NEW ADDRESS
You’ll need to provide contact information to the landlord, including your new address, any new phone numbers, and, ideally, a current email address. If you’re expecting a refund of your deposit, this is a fairly obvious step but don’t assume that all will go well after you’ve moved out. This information will also serve as a courtesy to the landlord.

AFTER MOVING OUT
While the laws governing security deposit refunds vary from state to state, depending on your lease agreement, you will likely receive your deposit within 30-60 days of your actual move-out date. Again, the landlord will consider the normal wear-and-tear vs. actual damages to the rental when calculating your deposit refund. Assuming that you’ve followed the necessary steps prior to moving out, as noted above, there should be no surprises in receiving your refund in a timely manner. Very rarely, however, you may have to force the landlord’s hand to receive your deposit refund. This article will let you know what’s involved if you decide to follow this path.

For more details on steps to follow when planning to move out, check out this article.
And don’t forget to read The Ultimate Moving Guide, Checklist, and Supplies as a great guide and checklist complete with links to supplies for moving!