Give a 30-day notice by email or in writing to the office.
If giving notice by email, be sure to get a reply confirmation that we received your message. A "read receipt" or "delivery receipt" is NOT sufficient because your email might be blocked by spam filters, accidentally deleted, or you might have mis-typed the email address, and in any of these cases you could receive a receipt but we won’t have received your message.
Pay your last month’s rent, as usual.
Prior to vacating, you may request a "pre-departure" inspection. This gives you an opportunity to find out if we have any concerns about the condition of your unit prior to moving out so that you can correct them and avoid deductions from your security deposit.
Be careful as you move your belongings. Be sure to thoroughly clean the walls, closets, kitchen cabinets, oven, fridge, bathroom, and garage. Here is a detailed cleaning checklist.
Return your key(s) to the office — per state law your tenancy does not end and you are liable for rent until you return the keys. Be sure to include a note with your name so we know who is returning the keys.
No deductions will be made unless necessary. Normal wear and tear is acceptable, damage will be charged.
Avoiding Deductions:
To avoid charges, be sure to thoroughly clean, including walls, closets, kitchen cabinets, bathroom, and garage storage. If you are unsure if something belongs to you, please ask. The cost (time and materials, including site prepration, work and cleanup) to clean or repair any damage or holes (other than what is permitted in the rental agreement), or replace items you took, will be deducted.
Painting: If your tenancy was longer than 2 years, there is no charge for minor touch-up painting (approximately thirty minutes or less of work). If your tenancy was between 1 and 2 years, any charge will be pro-rated. If your tenancy was less than 1 year, or the work required is more substantial than minor touch-up, there is no proration.
Example 1: Minor touch-up painting to your unit took thirty minutes. If your tenancy was one year or less, you’ll be billed the full charge. If your tenancy was 18 months (half the time between one year and two years), you’ll be billed one-half of of the charge. If your tenancy was longer than two years, there will be no charge for the minor touch-up painting.
Example 2: Repairs to your unit for numerous scuffs and scrapes took 2 hours. You are responsible for the charge, regardless of the length of your tenancy.
Trash: Many cities charge extra to pickup large items or garbage in excess of the weekly allotment. If you put out extra or oversize trash, you are responsible for the cost of pickup.
Note: It's illegal to put electronic waste in the trash. E-waste includes batteries, fluorescent bulbs, monitors, cords, microwave ovens, cell phones, computers, laptops, printers, stereos, televisions, video game consoles, etc. There are free drop-off locations and some vendors will come pick up for free.
Receiving Your Check:
if Changing Units/Rooms: Your deposit will be transferred to your new unit/room.
if Moving Out: Your deposit will be returned within 21 days. If you are moving out of shared housing, see below.
if moving out of shared housing: Your deposit will be returned to you in two parts, as follows:
1. The first part will be returned to you within 21 days of vacating, minus any lawful deductions for (a) damage or cleaning, (b) your portion of the estimated shared monthly expenses for the previous month.
2. The second part will be returned to you within 5 days after we receive all utility bills that include charges incurred during your tenancy (such as water, power, cable, trash). After the bills have been received, your remaining deposit will be returned to you minus the exact amount you owe for shared monthly expenses.
When you receive your checks, any deductions will be clearly itemized.
Shared monthly expenses are pro-rated based on the number of days of occupancy. Per law, this is based on a standard 30-day month, regardless of the actual days in the month.
You will receive two statements after you vacate — read the explanation about your final statement.
Be sure to provide your forwarding address so we can mail your security deposit to you.
Notify the post office of your new address so that they will forward your mail.
Tip: Want more of your mail forwarded? Make it easy for the new residents to forward it to you: make several pages of labels with your new address and leave them at the house:
Note: It’s up to each person if they want to cooperate in forwarding your mail — neither the new residents nor the owner/manager are responsible for forwarding your mail.