Room-by-Room Moving Out Checklist for Renters

When the time comes to move out of your apartment, be sure that you’ve thoroughly covered the to-do items on your move-out checklist. One of the most important reasons to follow the list provided by your landlord is to ensure you get your security deposit back. Plus, if you leave everything clean and in good working order, you can use your landlord as a reference when renting your new place.

What is a moving out checklist?

A move-out checklist is similar to a move-in checklist, except you complete it at the end of your lease. During the move-in inspection, you and your landlord looked at the condition and cleanliness of the space and noted any previous damage. When you move out, you and your landlord go from room to room and look for any damages, except for normal wear and tear, that may have occurred during your occupancy.

A move-out checklist comes in different formats, from a simple handwritten item-by-item list to a downloadable PDF page with clearly marked sections and descriptions. Just be sure that the format is the same for both inspections and that every item and detail gets covered.

The Importance of a Moving Out Checklist

In order to get the full amount of your security deposit back, the landlord wants to see if they need to make repairs or replace items. If needed, the landlord uses money from your security deposit to cover those costs.

One thing to keep in mind before you move into your apartment is to be sure to go over the rental or lease agreement and note what the responsibilities you have as a renter and also the landlord’s responsibilities so you’re both clear about who needs to fix, repair, or replace what. While living in your apartment, be sure to write a maintenance request letter to have things repaired in a timely manner.

What is a security deposit?

When you find the perfect apartment and the landlord accepts your application, you generally need to put a first and last month’s payment down as well as a security deposit. Generally, you’ll pay the same amount of money for the security deposit as the monthly rental rate.

Each state has laws as to where the money is held during your occupancy, and the contract should stipulate whether or not the money will incur interest or not. Because the money gets used to cover damage or replacement, if you fix any damages yourself, or hire another party to fix them, you’ll have a better chance of getting a full refund of your security deposit.

Room-By-Room Moving Out Checklist

Most move-in and move-out checklists cover individual rooms with specifics for features and fixtures. Here’s what you need to cover:

Kitchen

• Refrigerator and freezer: Clean out all food and beverages, clean spills, wipe down shelves, and replace the light bulb if needed. Defrost the freezer and leave it empty.
• Stove and oven: Clean the stovetop, wipe down or replace the burner rings, and degrease the oven.
• Microwave: Clean splatters and degrease. Replace the turntable if necessary.
• Dishwasher: Remove any food debris and items, and replace the filter if necessary.
• Cabinets: Wipe cabinets inside and out and leave empty. Do the same for any pantry shelves.
• Sink and garbage disposal: Be sure there’s no food in the garbage disposal and thoroughly scrub the sink, faucet, countertops, and backsplash.
• Floors and windows: Wash all kitchen windows, replace broken glass if needed, and leave floors well-mopped.

Bathroom

• Sink: Scrub the sink and disinfect it.
• Shower and bathtub: If the shower or tub has tile, be sure to clean the grout. Remove all mildew or mold, including from the shower curtain. Take the curtain if it’s yours. Remove hard water spots. 
• Toilet: Scrub and disinfect the toilet. Use special cleaners to remove the calcium ring build-up inside of the toilet.
• Vanity and mirrors: Use glass cleaner on the mirror and check for cracks or chips. Clean out and wipe down all drawers and shelves of the vanity or the medicine cabinet.
• Floors: Sweep and mop thoroughly. Remove any rugs or mats, or if they belong to the landlord, launder them. Fix any broken tiles if necessary.
• Windows: Clean the inside of the windows with glass cleaner.
• Exhaust fans: Clean the exhaust fan and filter.

Living Room

• Floors: Mop hard floors and vacuum carpets. Have the carpets professionally cleaned to remove stains and odors.
• Blinds and curtains: Clean blinds between each blade. If the curtains are yours, remove them. Otherwise, clean them.
• Furniture: Remove all personal furniture or clean it if the apartment came furnished.
• Hall closets: Sweep or vacuum the floor and remove personal items.

Bedroom

• Clean wall marks or scuffs: Wipe the walls with a cleaner that won’t remove the paint. Wipe away any cobwebs.
• Remove hooks: Pull out nails, screws, mirror mounts, and ceiling hooks and fill in the holes with spackle.
• Repair and repaint: Some landlords prefer to patch and repaint after each renter, so check the rental agreement to see who’s responsible for painting.

Miscellaneous Items

• Ceiling fans: Wipe cobwebs and dust off.
• Doors: Wipe doors down, clean the knobs and handles, and replace broken ones.
• Light fixtures: Clean the fixtures inside and out and replace bulbs.
• Outlet covers: Clean and replace broken ones.
• Air vents: Clean around the vents, vacuum out floor vents, and wipe down the thermostat cover.
• Patio: Remove personal items and clean the area.
• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: Replace batteries if needed unless this is the landlord’s responsibility (check your lease if you’re unsure)
• Personal belongings: Check all the closets, cabinets, and shelves for any items and remove them. Take out all trash.
• Utilities: Remove your name from utilities if they’re not in the landlord’s name.
• Flooring and countertops: Landlords will look for cuts, burns, scratches, or stains in the countertop, cabinets, and flooring and may charge for fixing them.

Using both a move-in and move-out checklist will help you get your security deposit back, and both you and your landlord will feel good about the condition of the apartment when you leave.

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