3 Things To Know When Moving Out Of A Rental Property

You’ve been living in a rental property for…well…however long you’ve lived there, and it’s time to move out. This was the first rental property you’ve ever lived in, so you’re a bit unsure what to do.

When you leave a property that you or your family own, things are crystal clear. You own everything, so you decide what stays or goes. With a rental, you’re not entirely sure what you need to do or what will be done for you.

With that in mind, here are some key things to know when moving out of your rental property:

Leave Things How You Found Them

It’s a good idea to have pictures of the property when you move in, so you can compare it to when you move out. Ideally, you want to leave things how you found them. So, if you moved in and there were beds in the bedrooms, you have to leave them there.

Don’t take or remove anything that you didn’t buy, regardless of if the landlord is going to keep it or not. Make sure any removalists you hire know what to take and what not to take, so they don’t end up accidentally taking things that don’t belong to you.

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Clean The Property

The chances are your landlord will get a cleaning team in to give the place a deep clean once you leave, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still clean the property. Aside from just being good manners, cleaning the property can help you avoid getting penalised and having your deposit withheld.

If there’s a significant amount of dirt and rubbish for the landlord to clean, they will take the charges out of your deposit. Instead of getting all the money back, you will only get a fraction. In extreme circumstances, you can get none of your deposit back and actually be made to cover the costs of additional cleaning. While you live in that home, you are responsible for its cleanliness. If you leave it in a right state, don’t expect any of your deposit back.

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Check Your Tenancy Agreement

Before you move out, check the tenancy agreement to be sure what you are allowed to do. Now, you obviously are allowed to move out at any time, the question is what you will need to do.

As per your agreement, you might have to pay the rest of the rent on your contract – if you have been given, say, a twelve-month contract. Leave 8 months in and you should pay the remaining 4 months when you leave. You may also need to give a period of notice before leaving, which is usually so the landlord can get things in order for when you go. If you’re at all confused, just look at the tenancy agreement or contact the property management company for some help.

All in all, moving out of a rental property is slightly more stressful than moving out of a home you own. This is simply because you aren’t really in control over everything and there’s someone else you need to be wary of. The three things spoken about in this post will help you understand what sort of challenges you’ll face in this situation.