Move Out Checklist for Landlords and Tenants
Often times the most difficult part of renting apartments is the turnover period. This is when the lease agreement for one tenant expires and the new tenants are preparing to move into the space. At this point there is a lot of room for error and things can either go smoothly or there could be conflict between the landlord and tenant. Luckily, Tverdov Housing follows very specific guidelines during the turnover period and in order to make this time as easy as possible for tenants we give very detailed for the move out checklist to the tenants. These instructions are our move out checklist, which we email to tenants during the last month of their Lease and even post it to their door if needed.
MOVE-OUT INSTRUCTIONS BREAK-DOWN & TIPS
1. Schedule your Move-Out Inspection:
A week prior to your move-out date, the contact person on the lease should get in touch with a member of the Tverdov Housing team and schedule a move-out inspection. The move-out inspection must be completed before the move-out date and time listed on the lease agreement.
This is very important because the earlier you schedule your appointment the more time you have to fix any of the problems that may cause deductions in your security deposit. An earlier move-out inspection could end up saving money at the end of the day because you and your roommates will have time to make any necessary changes such as cleaning, repairs, etc.
2. Hire a Cleaning Service:
Let me start this by saying it is NOT required that you hire a cleaning service, however, we HIGHLY recommend all tenants do so in order to ensure that the house is up to professional standards when returned. We expect all of our houses to be returned in the same condition they were given and we hire professional cleaning services prior to every lease start if the properties have not been cleaned properly. Hiring a service (and providing proof) ensures that no deductions due to cleanliness will be taken from the security deposit.
3. Repair any Damage:
There should be NO new damage to the property upon lease expiration. All damage should be repaired whether it be holes, cracks, peeled paint, or anything else that was not there prior to the lease start date. Based on experience, command hooks do cause paint damage and we recommend that tenants do not use them to prevent unnecessary damage.
4. Replace Bulbs & Batteries:
This is very self-explanatory. Just simply make sure that any dead light bulbs and batteries are all replaced. Be sure to check oven lights and fire alarms/sensors for dead bulbs and batteries. You are responsible for them!
5. Take out All Trash:
Again, this is very self- explanatory. Be sure that there is NO trash on the premises of the house. It is the responsibility of the tenants to have all garbage removed. There should not be piles of garbage at the curb or in the backyard upon lease expiration. Be sure to get rid of it little by little leading up to the lease ending date.
6. Remove all Furniture:
Lack of furniture removal is an ongoing issue for landlords. In many cases, tenants do not feel like taking their bulky furniture home so instead they leave it behind for us to take care of. Moving big furniture out of hundreds of houses during the turnover period is very time consuming and for this reason we are forced to hire a service to do it. This costs money, which will then be deducted from the tenant’s security deposit. Therefore, save us the time and you the money and just take the furniture that you brought with you when you leave.
7. Return All Keys:
All keys should be returned on the move-out date. Any missing keys will be charged to the security deposit because we will be forced to replace all locks and purchase new key replacements for the incoming tenants. Again, save us the time and yourselves the money and just return all of the keys that you were given in the beginning of your lease period.
8. Provide a Forwarding Address:
Last but not least, provide 1 name and return address for the security deposit. We will distribute the security deposit within 30 days of the passing of the move-out inspections. Also, head down to your local post office and let them know you are moving. You don't want important letters/packages going to an address where you no longer live!
Ultimately, our goal here at Tverdov Housing is do things as efficiently as possible. We have learned over the years the right and wrong way to do things. We do not want to see you lose money for things that you could easily have fixed prior to your move-out and we could guarantee that if all tenants follow these detailed move-out instructions that there will not be a problem upon the lease expiration date.