Remember when you first moved into your rental apartment? You moved your furniture in and decorated it with ornamental pieces in order to make it a home. You also did something else before moving in – you signed a lease and paid a deposit. Now that you’re moving out, you should ensure that things are in working order so that you can get your deposit back – here’s how.

Check your Lease

In most rental contracts, there is a notice period that should be followed before you can move out. Your landlord can use this time to find a new tenant to take your place.

Check your lease to find out what the notice period is for your apartment, and give said notice to your landlord before you move out. Typically, if you are renting on a month-to-month basis, the notice period is one month.

Leave Nothing Behind

Be sure to pack everything. You need to remove all the belongings you took into the rental apartment. This includes the new furniture that you bought for your use, be it a drying rack, a new couch or just the decorative potted plant that you placed outside the door.

While you might think that these new furniture pieces might come in handy for the next tenant, your landlord might not think so. In some cases, the landlord may even impose a charge on you for needing to dispose of those items.

Clean the Premise

You can clean the rented apartment yourself, or you can hire someone else to do it. Pay special attention to places such as the kitchen, benches and flooring, where it tends to be dirtier.

It is advisable to hire expert help to do the cleaning tasks for you. Most real estate agents and landlords look favourably on this, giving you a greater chance of getting your bond back. As an example, if you are moving out of your apartment in Brisbane, all you need to do is to Google for carpet cleaning services in Brisbane.

Then, you can find yourself a company who can remove all the dirt and grime off the carpeted floors for you! The point here is to leave the premise clean before the next tenant moves in.

Fix the Broken Appliances

If the power outlets start acting up and pipes start to leak during your tenure, you can always report the malfunction, and the landlord is obligated to take care of the issue for you.

However, if you break anything else – a glass coffee table which you accidentally break on a wild party night, as an example, this is an issue that you should be fixing yourself.

As a best practice, you should inform the landlord immediately upon breaking anything in the house. You can offer to pay to fix or replace anything that was broken during your tenure.

Return the Keys

Any key sets that you have with you should be returned to the landlord with the end of your tenure at the rental apartment.

These keys include the set that was initially given to you at the beginning of your tenure and any extra copies that you have made and given to your partner and family members.

Perform a Final Inspection with the Landlord

Wherever possible, try to schedule an appointment with your landlord after you have cleared your belongings and cleaned the premise.

This is how your landlord can let you know if there are any other issues that you need to attend to before moving out, such as unnoticed broken door hinges, torn window blinds et cetera. This way, you can avoid getting any surprise charges on your final statement after you have moved out!

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