Ending your lease and moving out of the apartment is a stressful situation to be in. There is a long list of things that you need to do, and it can get overwhelming when one task overlaps with another. There are critical to-dos that you’ll need to complete to make the transition as smooth as possible. To make sure that you end your lease on good terms with your landlord and that you get your security deposit back, below are steps you’ll need to follow.
Follow the 30-day notice
Most leases indicate the end of contract date. If you have a rolling contract lease, you’ll need to give the landlord at least one-month notice before the move out date. Giving your notice should be a priority as doing it too late may lead to a lease renewal or a penalty fee for breaking it. Worse, your property manager or landlord might withhold your deposit when you move out.
Transfer your utility bills
If you’ve subscribed to an energy or gas provider that’s not handled by the property manager, it’s your responsibility to sort it out and make sure to notify them that you’re moving out. There’s nothing worse than changing address but still having to pay your utility bill when someone else moves in just because you forgot to cut it off before leaving. Give your provider a ring to ask if you can transfer the service to your new address, if you want to, or how you can cut it off completely.
Do general cleaning
You’ll need to make sure that the property is spotless when you move out so you can get 100% of your deposit back. The usual wear and tear is normal and expected, but you’ll need to clean the unit thoroughly before leaving. If you don’t have the right equipment or the time to do it yourself, you can hire an end of tenancy cleaning London company offers to do the job for you. Carpets should be shampooed, everything scrubbed, and holes filled with plaster or putty before handing the keys back.
Change your address
It’s more convenient to change your billing address before moving out to make sure that any mail you’re expecting will go to your new address. You can do it at the post office so they can redirect any mail to your new home. You can also do it on the internet for your online accounts.
Make a final inspection
The final inspection will be easy if you have a checklist that you can refer to. It’ll be easier to see if you’re missing anything or if everything’s ready before leaving. Make time to be there when your landlord does the final inspection to discuss discrepancies or note any problems that are spotted during the walk-through.
Moving out is made easy when you do it systematically. As mentioned above, prioritise giving your landlord an early end of lease notice, and you can proceed with the other preparations from there.
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