Making a move at any point in time can be stressful. Our goal is to provide all the information in advance so you and your household can plan as best as possible. The following will walk you through our move out process.
PLANING AHEAD
- Utilities: Keep your utilities on through your lease end date.
- Mail:Reach out to the post office to make the change of mailing address.
- Forwarding Address: Provide us your forwarding address so we can process your security deposit refund.
- Prorated Rent: If your lease end date is any day other than the last of the month, rest assured that your rent will be prorated from the first to your move-out date on your ledger via your resident portal.
- Showings: Since the home will continue to be rented, we will need to put it on the market approximately 3 - 4 weeks prior to your move-out day. To make the showing process easier we work to keep showings to only one day a week on the weekend for a one-hour window, we will funnel all showings to this one-hour window. We will email you the schedule in advance. One of our team members will be there to show the property and we ask that you step out of the home 15 minutes prior to the showing time and come back no earlier than 15 minutes after the end of the showing.
MAXIMIZING YOUR REFUND
One of the main questions from residents is what it will take to be able maximize the refund of the security deposit. The following three charges are the most common ones.
- Charge #1: Painting
- Depreciation Schedule: Painting has a three-year depreciation schedule. This means that if a resident lives in the property for three years and then moves out then they are not responsible for any repainting costs. However, if a move out occurs prior to the end of the third year then the costs are split as follows…
- Year 1: Cost split of 2/3 to a resident and 1/3 to the owner.
- Year 2: Cost split to 1/3 to a resident and 2/3 to the owner.
- Year 3: Cost 100% to owner.
- Depreciation Schedule: Painting has a three-year depreciation schedule. This means that if a resident lives in the property for three years and then moves out then they are not responsible for any repainting costs. However, if a move out occurs prior to the end of the third year then the costs are split as follows…
- Drywall Repair: Drywall repairs are charged to a resident. The good news is that drywall repair is inexpensive. In general, depending on how much is needed in repairs, most of the time this can be anywhere between $150 - $250.
- Charge #2: Maintenance
- Trash Out: The number one item that comes up in this category is having residents leave personal property behind. If this is left behind then a vendor must be hired to come to the property, pick up all personal property (trash) and take it to the dump station in addition to paying the dump fee. To save money here, please be sure to remove all personal property and dispose of it prior to giving possession back of the home.
- Charge #3: Cleaning
- This is probably the number one item that can lead to the most amount of frustration. Yes, a resident can clean the property at move out and satisfy the requirement of making sure the property is clean. However, this rarely gets done properly which leads to having us hire a third-party vendor to go and properly clean. If a resident spent either time in cleaning themselves or hiring a vendor to clean and this isn’t done properly this is bound to be a lose-lose situation. The best solution in the marketplace is to work with a third-party vendor that provides move out cleaning services. If a resident agrees to the cleaning service prior to the move out, then they are not required to clean anything upon moving out. We will charge the appropriate fee to the security deposit, and this will end up in a win-win situation as all parties are on the same page regarding costs and the desired outcome will be obtained. We work to negotiate fixed pricing to make these costs transparent. Cleaning includes, but is not limited to, the kitchen, inside cabinets, appliances, bathrooms, baseboards, garage, patio and windows. For windows is the glass on both sides, screens and tracks. For windows in two story homes it is the glass on the interior only. Through our vendor pricing works as follows…
- Small: If up to 1,000 sq. ft.then pricing is $400.
- Medium: If between 1,001 – 1,500 sq. ft. then pricing is $600.
- Large: If between 1,501 – 2,000 sq. ft. then pricing is $800.
- Quote Needed: If over 2,001 sq. ft. then we will schedule to get an estimate prior to your move out, present it to you and confirm that the amount is being agreed to.
- This is probably the number one item that can lead to the most amount of frustration. Yes, a resident can clean the property at move out and satisfy the requirement of making sure the property is clean. However, this rarely gets done properly which leads to having us hire a third-party vendor to go and properly clean. If a resident spent either time in cleaning themselves or hiring a vendor to clean and this isn’t done properly this is bound to be a lose-lose situation. The best solution in the marketplace is to work with a third-party vendor that provides move out cleaning services. If a resident agrees to the cleaning service prior to the move out, then they are not required to clean anything upon moving out. We will charge the appropriate fee to the security deposit, and this will end up in a win-win situation as all parties are on the same page regarding costs and the desired outcome will be obtained. We work to negotiate fixed pricing to make these costs transparent. Cleaning includes, but is not limited to, the kitchen, inside cabinets, appliances, bathrooms, baseboards, garage, patio and windows. For windows is the glass on both sides, screens and tracks. For windows in two story homes it is the glass on the interior only. Through our vendor pricing works as follows…
MOVE OUT DAY
- Changes: Ifanything changes on your end where you need to make a change to your move-out day please be sure to let us know as soon as possible so we can plan accordingly.
- Keys: The day of your move out please lock up and leave the main house key copy in the combination lockbox we've provided. Please leave all other applicable keys (house keys, mailbox keys, garage door release key, garage remotes, HOA keys or fobs, etc.) on top of the kitchen counter.
DEPOSIT REFUND
- Timeframe: The rules are that the security deposit must be refunded within 21 days.
- Name on Refund Check: The rules are that the check for the refund must be made out to all the adult parties on the lease. In roommate situations, roommates may request that the refund be divided proportionally by the number of roommates on the lease. We can make this accommodation but will need an email from every roommate agreeing to divide the refund as well as the mailing address for each of the roommates to be able to process accordingly.
CONCLUSION
Our intent is to make this move out process as smooth as possible. Should you have any questions please feel comfortable reaching out to us, here to help!
