Ready to move out of your current home but need some help with the process? What you need is a moving-out checklist! Our home/apartment move-out checklist will help you identify key actions you need to take and the best order to take them in. With this guide, you’ll learn how to haul your possessions from one apartment or home to another as easily and efficiently as possible. When moving out of your home, personal storage is a convenient option, as it provides a place for you to keep your items for as long as you need. Read on as we explain the steps you should take with this moving-out checklist.
1. Submit Your Notice
When your lease ends, you’ll need to give your landlord notice to move out of your apartment or home. Usually, you’ll want to do this 30 days in advance of your lease end date. It’s always recommended to submit a written notice to management that you are terminating your tenancy and be sure to keep a copy for your records in case there is any dispute regarding retrieval of your security deposit. Carefully review your lease to identify any steps you need to take prior to moving out so further arrangements can be made.
2. Schedule Your Movers or Book Your Moving Truck
You’ll want to book a mover ahead of time to make sure they are available for your move-out date. When transporting your home or apartment’s belongings with a moving truck, you don’t want to have all of your things packed and no truck to move them with.
Luckily, this is an easy situation to avoid. Book your mover or moving truck early. We recommend doing it directly after you submit your 30-day notice to your landlord. Doing this early will give you plenty of time to deal with any availability issues with your moving truck or moving company.
3. Reserve a Storage Unit
If you’re downsizing or need somewhere to place your possessions until your next home becomes available, you should reserve a storage unit.
If you aren’t sure how much storage space you’ll need, contact one of our storage experts from our Free Concierge Service. Our team will help you assess your storage needs, find the right unit size, and rent your unit over the phone. By choosing to store with Price Self Storage, you’ll have access to conveniently located facilities, a wide variety of storage unit sizes, free courtesy carts, and many more features that make moving into your unit easier than ever.
The best part about reserving self storage for your move is that if you find that your new place doesn’t have enough space for all of your belongings, you can use the storage unit as an extension of your home.
4. Go Through Your Belongings
If you haven’t taken the time to go through and track your belongings, we recommend doing so before you move in order to make your moving experience easier and faster. By assessing your current belongings, you can determine what you would like to keep with you at your new apartment or house, and which items you’ll want in storage. This is also a key step of our Downsizing Home Checklist.
Going through each room and packing for a storage unit reduces the items you have to physically handle on moving day.
5. Pack
It’s usually a good idea to start packing up belongings early. Start with non-essential items like seasonal clothing and prepare those for your storage unit. As you progress in the days and weeks ahead, progressively pack everything until you are left with only the most essential items you need. In the last few days before your move-out day, you’ll have to pack those essential items as well. Be sure to put those items onto your moving truck last, so that they can be the first off the truck and the first unpacked in your new apartment or house.
Be sure to use quality packing materials. This will allow you to stack boxes on top of one another without damaging the items within them. Also, be sure to clearly and consistently label your boxes. If you are storing some of your belongings in a storage unit, one of our best storage unit tips is labeling them on the side to make it easier to identify the contents of your stored boxes.
6. Clean
Your home or apartment lease probably has a provision requiring a certain level of cleanliness, so be sure to include cleaning in your timeline. Either schedule a cleaning crew for when you’ve moved out or prepare to clean your apartment or home once all of your items are packed up. It may be easier to do one large sweep of cleaning once you are moved out so you can ensure that every area has been checked for cleanliness without any moving boxes in the way.
Be mindful that you may need special equipment for cleaning, so make arrangements for this beforehand. If you are planning on renting a carpet or floor cleaner, arrange for the rental and confirm a pick-up date so that you can schedule your time accordingly.
Handling the Small Details
Our apartment moving-out checklist has the core tasks and time management tips you’ll need to accomplish your move-out, but don’t forget the small stuff as well. You’ll need to forward your mail, change addresses on your bank cards and accounts, and forward your utilities if you are moving locally or cancel them if you aren’t.
It’s also a good idea to stop grocery shopping in the last week before you move to minimize food spoilage. Just be sure to plan on a big grocery shopping trip once you are settled into your new home!
Looking for a simple storage solution to help out with your move? Contact Price Self Storage today! Our month-to-month leases offer personal or business storage at competitive prices, and our convenient locations ensure that your belongings are never more than a few minutes away.
Sources
- https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/moving-checklist-181394
- https://moving.bedbathandbeyond.com/ultimate-moving-checklist/
- https://www.thespruce.com/eight-weeks-before-you-move-2435849
