Things to Consider Before Moving Out of a Rental Apartment

Moving out of your house is often a bittersweet process. You feel pleasure to discover your new surroundings and opportunities, but at the same time you have to do a lot of hard work involved in the transition.

Whether it’s across the country or the town, you may be lured to set your priorities and sights on your new place. 

You may have to do some work before vacating a rental apartment. If you don’t know where to start from, then check out this list of things to consider before turning in the keys:

1. Get Organized:

You need to keep track of a lot of details, such as: 

• Truck rentals, 
• Utility shutoffs, 
• Home repairs, 
• Cleaning crews, 
• Packing days and more,

Prepare a spreadsheet or make use of calendar to make sure that you don’t miss a task or deadline. This way, it'll be easier on you, while most movers, especially reliable moving companies, will be grateful for your organized approach.

2. Analyze Your Lease:

Each rental agency has different policies regarding the vacate notice, required repairs, utility transfers, checkout, etc. So, pull out your lease and assess it closely. 

The lease will specify what you are likely to do upon moving out and may include anything from security deposit policies, notice period and professional carpet cleanings to final trash pickup.

3. Consider repairing:

All rental agencies require you to return the home in the same condition as they provided you. 

More concentration should be paid on walls, so, you are required to repaint or prime walls to get them back to their original color. 

Check with your lease to determine what level of coverage is acceptable for moving out. Similarly, you are expected to repair the walls if you hang pictures, art pieces, or other things on your walls. 

Many agencies have policies about what must be repaired before moving out, so get clarification before doing it. And, in case you don’t have time to do these labor-intensive chores, then you can choose the option of payment also.  

If you don’t have the time or interest in taking on these labor-intensive chores, many rental companies have an option to pay instead. 

Most commonly, agencies will charge a flat fee per wall that isn’t painted back to its original color. Weigh all the options viz. time, cost and commitment before considering doing it yourself or paying the fees.

4. Move-out everything:

Think beyond just your clothes, households, and furniture when preparing to move out. 

Prepare to deal with harmful supplies and chemicals (paint, propane tanks and cleaning supplies), trash, plants and other items you don’t wish to move.

5. Clean the place:

Just like repairing the damage, you may also be required to clean your rental apartment prior to move-out day. 

You can do it yourself with the help of family members or you can seek professionals help for the cleaning purpose.

You can make your decision by noticing the condition of your carpet. If there are some major stains, then you can hire professionals to get the job nicely done, so, plan the budget and book the companies earlier. If you plan to clean your carpet or unit by yourself, then be sure to do this job properly. 

Vacating an apartment demands a good bit of work. There are a lot of tasks to keep track of from shutting off the utilities and packing-up everything to re-establishing the unit to its original condition. 

So, plan early to get organized and schedule as much as you can to prevent last-minute hassle. With a bit of hard work, you will be certain to get the security deposit back as you hand over the keys to your property manager.

It is also vital to find an apartment before finalizing on your decision to move out from the existing one. There are plenty of online sources through which one can easily find a rental apartment online. I hope all the above-mentioned tips will help you move out of your rental apartment without any hassle.