Moving out of an apartment is an exciting, as well as frustrating experience. Exciting as you’re moving on to a new place and frustrating because you were so comfortable in the place you called home for months or even years. You sort of get used to the place, just the thought of finding similar conveniences in a different place can be excruciating. With multiple things going on, it’s easy to overlook some of the most important steps to consider while vacating a property.
Here are tips to help you end the tenancy on good terms with your landlord.
Rental Agreement – Review your agreement once again, check the terms and conditions agreed at the time of signing. Know your obligation regarding the notice period, security deposit recovery, conditions of the apartment when moving out. Failing to fulfil those conditions could mean you would have to pay a penalty or face a loss in terms of your security deposit. If you end your tenancy on bad terms with your landlord your credit rating, references and security deposit will be at stake.
In case you have to vacate early – Maintaining a good equation with your landlord always helps to ease things and makes the process less of a hassle. For instance, due to any unforeseeable circumstances, if you had to end your tenancy earlier than due, a good relationship might come in handy to reduce or remove the penalty due. Just make sure to inform your landlord about your situation as soon as possible. If you have a decent relationship with your landlord, they may understand your position more willingly. Offer to help find a new tenant, as this might give them peace of mind, you can even help to list their home on NoBroker to get a good tenant for them faster. Doing this will also remove your responsibility to pay rent for the period when the apartment remains vacant.
Know your rights– If your landlord has violated the terms of the lease, you may have the legal right to move out without any advance notice prior to the lease end. When facing an imminent move, everyone’s concerned about getting the security deposit back. If you have met all terms of the agreement and have not caused extensive and irreparable damage to the property, you may be able to get the most of your deposit back.
Moving – While it is common practice to call packers and movers, ensure that you check everything personally before moving out. There could be some furniture belonging to the landlord and some that you brought. Ensure that the packers and movers in India sort out what to take and what to leave behind based on this. It would help to take out all the items you don’t want to move to your new place and leave the current place as clutter-free as possible. Remember, it’s not your landlord’s responsibility to dispose of your stuff.
Conduct a thorough inspection – while you are not responsible for the pre-existing issues, make sure you keep records of damaged things. It’s always a good idea to document everything immediately after you move in just to have evidence in case of any issue. Also, notify your landlord about any damage or appliance malfunction, if possible, in writing as soon as it occurs.
Know your landlord’s rights – Some types of changes during your stay are normal and acceptable such as cracks in the wall, fading of paint, etc. Landlords can charge you for cleaning and repairing services necessary to fix the damage that you personally have caused to the property. The idea is to restore the property and make it tenant ready. Leave your apartment sparkling clean before moving out. If you try to escape doing this, the landlord can either ask you to call someone and do it or let him deduct the money from your deposit to do this.
While all the above are crucial, it would be good to have a moving-out checklist handy so that big and small stuff can be taken care of, so you can relish a tension-free moving experience.
