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24/08/20

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Renting

Moving out of a tenancy: Everything you need to know

There are a whole host of things you’ll need to do when moving out of your rental property.

But with so much to remember, it can be easy to forget to do everything.

So, we’ve put together this end of tenancy checklist to help make things as smooth as possible…

Moving out: A checklist of things you’ll need to do when you leave your rental property

Notify your landlord

Your landlord will need the appropriate amount of notice if you wish to end your tenancy after the fixed term is up.

If you are requesting to leave before the end of the tenancy agreement, this will be at your landlord’s discretion.

Cancel your utilities

Contact all your main utility providers and let them know the date you’ll be leaving your rental property and give them your new address.

You may need to contact your:

Gas and electric provider
Water and sewerage provider
Landline phone company
Broadband provider
Subscription TV provider
Mobile phone company
DVLA
Insurance providers – contents, car, mobile phone etc
HMRC and / or Companies House if you have your own business
Employer and pension provider
Bank
Schools or universities if you have children
Doctor, dentist and other healthcare providers
Notify your local council and let them know when you’re leaving your rental property and provide a forwarding address.

Council tax when moving out

They’ll calculate if you owe any council tax or if you’re due a refund, based on your moving-out date and forward your final bill to your new address.

Move out cleaning

Your rental property should be left clean, in the same way it was when you moved in.

Check your tenancy agreement for any clauses that stipulate how the property should be left when you move out and any specific cleaning tasks you need to undertake.

If you need to do anything to meet the terms of the tenancy agreement, such as sweeping a chimney, or having the property professionally cleaned, arrange this in good time.

Leave the outside space clean and tidy, mow the lawn if needed, sweep any pathways and remove debris.

Furnishings

If you’re renting a furnished property, leave all furnishings where they were when you moved in.

You should be able to refer to your check-in inventory, which will detail where furnishings were and the condition they were in when you moved in.

If you need to move anything back to its original location, or undertake cleaning or minor repairs, refer to the check-in inventory.

Moving out day

Make sure you remove all your belongings from the property before the check-out inventory is undertaken.

Go around the property one final time before you leave to make sure everything is in place, clean, tidy and you haven’t left anything behind.

Return all sets of keys to either your landlord or their managing agent if they have one, ensuring the property’s doors and windows are locked up.

Cancel the standing order for your rent with your bank, as long as you have made your final payment and no money is owed.

Take meter readings for gas and electric and contact your providers with these final readings, confirming your forwarding address for a final bill or refund if one is due.

After you’ve moved out

Run through your landlord’s check-out inventory and flag up anything you don’t agree with regarding the condition of the property or furnishings.

Request your deposit is returned from your landlord’s chosen tenancy deposit protection scheme and agree any deductions with your landlord.

If you cannot reach an agreement over proposed deductions with your landlord, discuss the situation with the lettings agent managing the property, or contact the tenancy deposit scheme for further guidance.

How long after you move out can a landlord charge you?

If you’ve reached the end of your tenancy agreement and given your landlord the required notice and paid any outstanding rent, your landlord should not charge you any further rent once you have left the property.

If you wish to leave your tenancy early, you can request to do so with your landlord, but allowing this is at their discretion.

Many landlords are happy to let tenants leave early, so long as new tenants are lined up.

If you leave early and new tenants aren’t in place, your landlord could legally charge you rent up until the expiry date of your tenancy agreement, however long that may be.

Can I do end of tenancy cleaning myself?

You can undertake cleaning at the end of your tenancy.

But sometimes it’s worth spending a little money on a professional cleaner to bring your rental property up to standard before your check-out inventory.

However, if you do clean your rental property yourself, make sure you have the right equipment to do a good job and refer to the check-in inventory, which will detail how clean the property was when you moved in.

By doing that, you can ensure the property is left in the same condition.