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✔TIP
WHEN MOVING OUT FOR ANY REASON, YOU SHOULD:
• Clean the place up and fix any problems you caused. If you don’t clean or
there are things damaged, your landlord can take those costs from your
security deposit or sue you if there is no security deposit or it is too small to
cover damages;
• Leave the place in the same condition as when you moved in except for
normal wear and tear (such as peeling paint or plumbing fixtures that break
down from regular use);
• Take all your belongings when you move;
• Fill out the move-out checklist in the back of this booklet when you move out.
You will then have the move-out checklist to compare to your move-in
checklist;
• Take photos or video the conditions of the place when you move out so that
you have proof of the condition of the place when you left to compare to the
photos and video from when you moved in;
• Have witnesses view the place at the time you move out in case you need
witnesses if you are sued by your landlord. The best witness is someone who
saw the place when you moved in;
• Give the keys back to the landlord when you move. If you don’t, the landlord
could deduct the cost of changing the locks from your security deposit;
• Give your landlord a new address in writing and keep a copy so that s/he can
return your security deposit or send you the required explanation of why it is
not being returned. If you don’t give a new address, your landlord may not
have to return the security deposit to you. You are not required to give your
landlord your new home address; it can be any address where you can receive
mail (work, parent, sibling, P.O. Box, …);
• Move out quickly. The longer you drag it out, the more you tempt your
landlord to speed things up by throwing your things out (this is illegal, but it is
better to keep all of your valuables, rather than have to sue your landlord later
for illegally taking them);
• As long as anything remains in the place that you want to keep, you should
continue spending the night there or notify your landlord that you are not
moved out yet. Return the keys as a sign that you are completed moving out
and will not return.