Are you going to be moving out of the rental property you’ve been living in soon? If so, you’re probably starting to feel at least a little bit stressed out about it. It can feel like there is so much to do and simply not enough time to do it when you’re making a move. One of the easiest ways to ensure that your move goes smoothly is by putting together a rental moving out checklist. You can make your way through the checklist in the weeks and days leading up to your move so that you don’t forget to do anything important. Here are essential rental moving out checklist you need to remember to do prior to moving out of your rental property.
1. Hire a Moving Company
About a month or two before you’re scheduled to move out of your rental property, you should start the process of looking around for and hiring a professional moving company.
The moving company you decide to hire should have plenty of experience working with those in your area. They should also offer affordable rates and should be well equipped to transport all your possessions from your old place to your new one.
Don’t wait until the last minute to try to book a moving company as the one you want might not have any movers available. Give yourself plenty of time to hire a moving company, and you shouldn’t run into any issues finding movers to lend a hand.
2. Pack Up All Your Possessions
A moving company can help you move all your furniture and boxes out of your rental property and into your new home or apartment. But they’re not going to help you pack up all your things.
It’ll be up to you to do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to packing. Invest in packing supplies that will allow you to safely pack all your possessions away for your move.
Some of the packing supplies you’ll need to pack include:
* Heavy-duty boxes in a variety of sizes
* Packing tape
* Box cutters
* Packing paper and/or bubble wrap
* Labels
* Permanent markers
* Scissors
Packing is another thing you shouldn’t leave until the last minute. It’s a good idea to begin packing about three weeks or so before your scheduled move date.
3. Take Pictures Off the Walls and Patch Up Holes
While you’re in the process of packing your possessions up, you should start to take down any pictures you may have put up on your walls.
Many of these pictures will likely leave holes behind in your walls. Some landlords won’t mind a few holes here and there, but if you have a lot of them, it’ll usually be your responsibility to patch them up.
Try not to put this task too far down on your rental moving out checklist. You don’t want to be scrambling around on your move-out day attempting to patch up your walls to avoid a penalty.
4. Paint the Walls Back to Their Original Color
Did you paint the walls in your rental property during your stay?
If you did, there’s a good chance your landlord is going to want you to either paint them back to their original color or pay to have someone else come in and paint them.
Check with your landlord or consult your lease to see what the policy is with regards to painting your walls. If you leave yourself plenty of time, you shouldn’t have any trouble painting your walls the right color before moving out of your rental.
5. Repair Any Broken Items
In addition to patching up any holes in the walls and painting the walls back to their original color, you’ll also need to make repairs to anything that is broken in your rental.
That handle that fell off of your closet door? It needs to be put back on unless you want to pay a fine for moving out without fixing it.
That toilet paper holder that was broken by a guest a few months ago? It also needs to be reattached to the wall to avoid a fine.
Walk around your rental a couple weeks before moving out and make a list of any repairs that need to be made. You can either fix them yourself or pay a handyman to come and make repairs for you.
6. Clean Out the Rental From Top to Bottom
One of the last things you’ll need to do before moving out of your rental is deep clean it. Once you have everything out, you’ll need to clean the rental from top to bottom to make sure it’s in excellent condition for the next renter.
While cleaning, you should make sure that you:
* Vacuum and potentially even shampoo carpeting
* Scrub down toilets, showers, sinks, and floors
* Wipe down walls
* Clean out the refrigerator and freezer and deodorize them
* Dust everything
If you’re not up for the challenge of cleaning your rental, learn more about having someone come in to do it for you.
But whatever you do, don’t leave a big mess behind. It’ll almost always result in you taking a financial hit later.
7. Meet With Your Landlord One Last Time
The final thing you’ll need to do prior to leaving your rental property for the last time is meet with your landlord.
Your landlord will walk through your rental with you just to make sure it’s in good condition. They’ll also collect your keys from you and talk to you about sending your security deposit back to you if you put one down in the beginning.
Work Your Way Through Your Rental Moving Out Checklist
There is going to be a lot to do before you move out of your rental property.
By assembling a rental moving out checklist, you can make everything more manageable. You can also avoid forgetting about something important that needs to be done.
Check out our blog to learn about some apps you can download to make your next move even easier.
