How to make exiting your rental easy
Whether you’re moving into another rental property or heading to your forever home, vacating a rental property is a bit of a process.
There’s packing, the removal, cleaning and more, which can add up to make the experience seem a little overwhelming.
But with the right planning and a little organisation, that doesn’t have to be the case. So, here are our top tips on how to make exiting your rental easy.
Declutter
The less you have to physically shift, the easier the removal will be, so take the opportunity to declutter well in advance of your exit date.
That might involve selling items, donating them or simply throwing things out, but streamlining your possessions also allows you to take stock of what you have and consider what will be needed at your next residence.
Pack what you can in advance
On that note, it’s a great idea to pack what you can in advance. Perhaps you can live without some of your linen for a few weeks, or maybe your cookbooks or tools can be packed into boxes.
This preliminary packing helps ease the stress in the final week before the move.
As a pro tip, don’t forget to number each box and record what’s in it in a notebook or spreadsheet. This helps when it comes to quickly locating what you want at the other end.
Line up your removal
Regardless of whether you’re lifting and shifting the items yourself or have professionals who will come in to assist, make sure you line up the removal of your furniture and possessions for a couple of days, if not a week, prior to your rental vacate date.
This will allow you the time that’s needed for the final clean of the property.
The clean-up
The clean-up is the bit that most of us dread about exiting a rental. Basically the process involves a thorough clean of the property and the yard or exterior areas (if applicable).
We have a great guide on what’s involved in cleaning a rental property here, but as a rule of thumb ensure you leave yourself enough time to clean the property from top to bottom and use your Entry Condition Report as a guide.
Referring to the Entry Condition Report allows you to return the property to the same condition as it was when you moved in (barring fair wear and tear).
Final repairs?
If you or your guests accidentally damaged the property during your time residing there, this will need to be fixed as part of the exit process.
Again, make sure you leave yourself enough time for this to occur prior to the vacate date.
Pest control
If animals have resided at the property with you, it’s likely that you will be required to have the property sprayed for fleas.
Often this can be done in conjunction with carpet cleaning.
Carpet cleaning
In properties which have carpets, a professional carpet clean will be on the list of things that need to be done prior to exiting the rental.
It’s preferable carpets are cleaned after all other cleaning has been completed.
Final photographs and exit inspection
Once you’ve removed all your possessions and cleaned the property, it’s time to hand back the keys.
But first, cross check the property’s exit condition against the Entry Condition Report and take photographs.
Once the keys have been handed into your property manager, they will conduct a physical inspection of the property.
All going well, they will then authorise the return of your bond!
How we can help
Our experienced property managers pride themselves on establishing great relationships with both rental occupiers and owners.
We manage every property as if it were our own and you can learn more about our property management services here.
Alternatively, if you are looking to rent a property, you can view the properties we currently have available here.
