Rental real estate has quickly become one of the most common types of property investment in the world of real estate. It is quite convenient for those individuals who yet cannot afford a house and are moving from rural or suburb areas to the commercial parts of a city. Moreover people who are bachelors or want close proximity to the job are greatly going to benefit from rental properties.
Rental properties are not supposed to be lived in forever. Rentals by nature are temporary properties that you will have to move out of, in this case planning to make the moving out much smoother is going to be your ideal situation. Following is a collection of processes you need to check off before you move out of a property. It isn’t going to be the easiest thing but if you want to make the process as hassle free as possible; you need to take things organized.
Steps involved in moving out of a property:
Moving places is a big hassle on its own. it becomes more complicated when it gets paired up with property maintenance and ensuring your stuff gets moved to the next destination. As tough s it sounds; moving properties is eventually inevitable for tenants. Here are some steps to take this process organized and smooth:
Reviewing the Lease:
It is very important to go through your rental agreement once again and determine what the conditions ou agreed upon were. The most common and basic ones such as no pets allowed ruling, or the rent is already on your mind. But it is important to once again read out the agreement and see what is in the fine print. If there is a disclosure that needs to be made before moving out? Is there a certain condition or standard the property should be in? is there any other agreement you made regarding you moving out as a tenant? All these things should be checked.
Since we want the moving out process to go as smoothly as possible; It is very important to not give yur landlord anything to object against. Re-reading the fine print can help you make more informed decisions hand have you lay out a move out plan that is comfortable and agreeable to your landlord.
Get in touch with your landlord:
You might be visiting your landlord every few weeks or monthly regarding the rent; or the property owner might be living out of state. It is going to be very important to get in direct contact with the owner of property before you move out. Furthermore contacting the landlord can help you define the moving out procedure much better if you aren’t good with comprehending the fine print.
Landlords usually want you to contact them before moving out before a specific time limit. The primary reason for this is that they too need to find a replacement for a tenant just as you find a new rental. Most commonly a disclosure of moving out is set to between 30-60 days to buy the owner time to find new tenants and not let the rental become vacant.
The landlord can also help you provide any details on the specification that you might have missed or ignored beforehand. The purpose here is the same as reading out the lease; that you want the process to go as smoothly as possible. This can ultimately also help you get your security deposit back without much issue.
Property Inspections and Minor Repairs:
It is a part of the rental agreement that you cannot make any permanent cosmetic changes to the property. However rental leases do allow for some flexibility such as putting up wall hangings, frames, installing ac units all of which come at a cost of damage to the walls. Moreover you can think of agreements where the landlord allows you to even paint the walls. But all of this means the house has to be restored to a state before you made these changes.
Apart from the flexibility provided on rental leases; the natural wear and tear of property is a thing that you will eventually have to come face to face with. consider the nudging on the walls, the chipping paint, the cabinets becoming worn out and the doors, windows and electronics might becoming faulty due to repeated use. All of this needs to be fixed. This is why property inspection is so important for someone looking to move out of a rental property.
To access the potential damage you can check the drilled or hammered holes in walls, the chipped or flaking paints, the marks and spills on the interior walls. Checking all the fans, light bulbs and other in built appliances’ functionality on property. Plumbing faults, noting damage that cannot be repaired, the condition of the garden, the cleanliness of the property all need to be paid attention to.
There are many tasks that you are capable of doing on your own however you could use professional assistance if your budget allows you to.
Your goal with property inspection is quite simple: to leave the property in as best of a condition as possible. Not only because it can help you get the security deposit back but also because it is an ethical responsibility of the tenant to fulfill.
Paying the dues:
If there are any bills for electricity, gas, water, television cable or internet services that have not been paid yet; make sure to pay them off before moving out.
Packing up your belongings:
Before the date that you have given the landlord to move out of th property; it is important to pack up your stuff for moving. You will most likely need bubblewap sheets for the more delicate belongings and glass tables, getting cardboard boxes for your smaller belongings, packing the stuff separately and labeling it so that it is easy to unpack on the new property. Moreover you can save time and money by packing your clothes in suitcases that were previously kept empty. Moreover if you have a smaller budget for the move; hiring a moving company might be a bit much for you; you can use the help of your friends to transport the cardboard boxes by a bunch to the new property and then transfer the furniture over to the new property by a pickup vehicle.
Moving out also means handing over the property to the landlord. Apart from the previous repairs and polishing you have done on the property you need to make sure you keep everything from the landlord behind. Make sure to take pictures of the condition in which you are leaving the property. Check for everything that you might have missed while packing during the last survey of the property.
You can hand over the key to the landlord on the day that you move out. In other cases if the landlord agrees; you can also keep the property keys with you and move out to give them back to the landlord on a later date.
Final Cleaning:
You might have kept the property thoroughly cleaned throughout the stay however this time you need to clean after your stuff has been moved. You will be surprised by how much dirt was hiding under your belongings. Try to check every crack and crevice of the property so that you can leave the property in a polished condition.
Arranging property visits with landlord:
Although you have done your part you need to make sure that you hold a final property walkthrough with your landlord. The last thing you want as a tenant moving out of rental property is that you get constant calls and complaints from your previous landlord wanting you to pay up on repairs you might have missed.
The purpose of holding a final inspection visit is to check if the landlord is satisfied with the current state of the property or not. If possible you can also have a written statement on the visit and have it signed by the landlord on their agreement. Make sure when you move out of the property that you are leaving no concerns for the landlord or yourself behind.
Conclusion:
Moving out of a property can be quite intimidating for you as a tenant; however living in rental property, it is going to be inevitable. It is best to take the approach in a more systematic and calculated way.
No tenant wants complaints or concerns from their landlords once they have moved out of rental property and moved into a new one. The main thing along the process you need to make sure is that the moving out process is in agreement with the landlord. From disclosure of the moving out date on time to the repairs on property that landlord is satisfied by. If the landlord is satisfied and your belongings are safely moved to the new property; you are going to be successful during this procedure.