Moving can be a universally stressful event for most people, but it’s often a necessary step to make room for a new and exciting chapter of your life.
This is the case regardless of the housing scheme you currently find yourself in—whether that’s living in your parent’s house, a fully purchased studio apartment, or a place that you’re leasing out.
If it so happens that you’re moving out of a rental home, then there are some nuances to consider to ensure that this move pushes through without a hitch. Moving out of a rental home not only requires you to physically clear out all the rooms in the house, but it also requires you to stay on top of your obligations as a tenant.
If you want to ensure that you’re moving out of a rental home appropriately, then you’re in the right place. This article will give you five useful tips to help you move out of a rental home in a more organised and appropriate fashion.
Let’s jump straight into it.
Methodically Eliminate Clutter
After living in your rented space for an extended period, you’ll likely have a bunch of clutter just sprawling around the house. This is completely normal—and it’s not unusual to want to leave this clutter behind to make room for new beginnings in your next living area.
One way to methodically decrease your house’s clutter is by deliberately categorising your items into specific buckets: to keep, to throw away, to donate, and to sell. These categories are self-explanatory, and the way you assess which of your items belong to which box is solely up to your discretion.
Doing this categorisation process helps you manage your items more easily, as you’ll have ready-made and labelled boxes that you can immediately track for future use. On top of that, categorising your belongings can also help you stay organised and ensure that nothing gets left behind as you pack things from room to room.
If you don’t want to remove all your home clutter yourself, then a good solution is to hire a dedicated service provider to remove rubbish for you. Professional services such as rubbish removal from 1300 Rubbish can be a godsend in helping you keep your place clutter-free. They are easy to work with and can make clearing out your rental house easy and without stress.
Thoroughly Review Your Rental Agreement
Another tip to bear in mind is to review the terms of your rental agreement.
Before you turn in the keys and officially move out, your landlord will most certainly require you to accomplish a bunch of tasks as part of your contractual agreement.
This ensures that the exit and handover arrangement proceeds smoothly. As such, pay attention to the details of this agreement and ensure that you hold up your part of the bargain.
For instance, you may have to follow a checklist to leave the property in good shape before you move out. This may mean clearing out your space of any remaining trash and fully removing any refurbishments installed on the walls and ceiling.
You may also need to notify your landlord of your move in advance. This way, the turnover for the key and the rental bond agreement will be aligned on both of your ends, leading to fewer delays and disagreements.
Fulfil your landlord’s specific set of requirements before handing over the key. Also reread the terms to make sure you don't miss any required tasks. This way, moving day will feel a lot smoother, and you won’t have any pending surprise tasks by the time you settle into your new space.
Pack Your Belongings Promptly
The last thing you’d want to do is to leave the bulk of your packing work for the last few days before moving day, as this can cause you to rush and potentially be sloppy in your packing tasks.
As such, make it a habit to pack your belongings gradually as soon as you’re confirmed to move out of your rental space. Start with items you don’t often use, such as seasonal clothing and books. Put them in reinforced cardboard boxes or plastic containers and label them for easy access and identification.
Then, as the big day approaches, work your way towards packing everyday essentials like your toiletries, utensils, and clothes. By performing this step methodically, you won’t have to pack a dozen or so boxes all at once and can instead focus on dealing with more pressing, on-the-day responsibilities during moving day.
For fragile goods, it’s best to put them in specific boxes with a fragile label on them. This way, when the time comes for you or the moving company to transport these boxes, they’ll be delicate with the boxes and become less likely to cause things inside the boxes to dislodge and break.
Clean the Property Thoroughly
Once your belongings have been packed in boxes, you’ll have a much easier time cleaning the rental property from end to end. This is a crucial step as your rental agreement may require you to leave the rental unit in pristine condition.
You shouldn’t wait until the very last day to start cleaning. Clean your property as soon as there’s space and time for you to do so. Cleaning up can mean wiping surfaces, mopping floors, and removing dust that may have accumulated in crevices and corners over time.
The kitchen and bathroom would also need some special attention. Clean appliances and fixtures with the appropriate cleaning supplies (like bleach or cleaning solutions) and ensure that they’re properly dried and wiped down.
A thorough clean can help keep your property in good shape before it gets handed over to the landlord and eventually its next unit owner.
Schedule Utility Transfers and Cancellations
One crucial thing you should do before moving out is sorting out your utility services. This may seem like something easy to cast aside until the final day, but this can cause complications if you’re not ready.
Go through your current utility accounts—namely gas, electricity, water, and Internet—and make a list of the services connected to your rental home. Contact each provider ahead of your moving date and inform them of the date you want to disconnect your service, typically by moving day.
Instead of disconnecting your service, you can also consider replacing it. For instance, your internet provider may allow you to move your existing connection to your new address. Perform this transfer for any utility (if applicable) to ensure that you won’t have to pay extra for utilities in your rental unit and will also have everything ready for you when you arrive at your new space.
We hope that this article will help you as you move out of your rental unit and into your next housing arrangement. All the best in your moving journey!
