Tenant Move-Out Checklist
Leave cleanly and get the whole deposit back.
Free, no sign-up. 6 sections, 34 checks. Edit it to fit your own transaction.
Deposit deductions are usually made for three things: cleaning, damage beyond fair wear and tear, and items missing against the inventory. All three are within your control, and all three are decided on evidence rather than on what either side remembers.
The single most useful thing you can do is photograph the property once empty and clean, dated, room by room — the mirror image of what should have happened at check-in.
Four weeks before
- Re-read the tenancy agreement for the required notice and its format
- Serve notice in the manner the agreement requires and keep proof of delivery
- Find your check-in inventory and the photographs taken then
- List anything that needs repairing or replacing before you go
- Book any professional cleaning the agreement specifically requires
Repairs and replacements
- Fill and touch up holes from fixings, matching the original finish
- Replace blown light bulbs throughout, including in appliances
- Replace anything you broke with a like-for-like item
- Return the property to its original layout if you moved furniture
- Return any decoration to the agreed colour where required
Cleaning
- Oven, hob, extractor and grill — the most commonly charged item
- Fridge and freezer emptied, defrosted, cleaned and left switched off with doors ajar
- Bathroom: limescale, grout, sealant and shower screens
- Windows inside, sills, and window tracks
- Skirting boards, tops of doors and light fittings
- Carpets cleaned where the agreement requires it, keeping the receipt
- Bins emptied and cleaned, all rubbish removed from the property
- Garden tidied, grass cut, outside spaces cleared
Evidence to gather
- Wide photograph of every room, empty and clean, with a visible date
- Close-up of anything that was already marked at check-in
- Photograph of oven interior, fridge interior and any appliance cleaned
- Every meter with the reading and serial number legible
- Receipts for any professional cleaning or repair
Utilities and admin
- Submit final meter readings to every supplier
- Settle final bills and close accounts
- Cancel or transfer internet, and return any equipment supplied
- Set up mail redirection
- Update your address with bank, employer, licensing and medical registrations
- Provide the landlord with a forwarding address in writing
Handover
- Return every key, fob and remote, counted against the inventory
- Attend the check-out inspection if you are able to
- Ask for any proposed deductions in writing, with evidence
- Confirm the date by which the deposit will be returned
- Keep a complete copy of every photograph and receipt for at least six months
Attend the check-out if you can
Being present lets you point out what was already noted at check-in and challenge an assessment while it is being made. A check-out conducted without you is much harder to dispute afterwards, and the report will read as agreed unless you say otherwise.
Fair wear and tear is not damage
Carpet flattening in walkways, minor scuffs and faded paint over a long tenancy are normal use and cannot generally be charged for. Burns, tears, holes and staining are damage. If a deduction looks like ordinary ageing, say so and reference the length of the tenancy.
Dispute in writing, with the evidence
Where a deduction is proposed and you disagree, respond in writing with your dated photographs and the check-in inventory attached. Most deposit schemes have a free adjudication process, and it is decided almost entirely on documentary evidence.
Common questions
When should I get my deposit back?
Typically within ten to thirty days of the tenancy ending, depending on local rules and any scheme holding it. If the deadline passes with no explanation, write and ask formally rather than waiting — schemes generally have time limits for raising a dispute.
Can I be charged for professional cleaning?
Only where the property is less clean than at check-in, and in several jurisdictions a blanket requirement for professional cleaning is unenforceable. What matters is the standard at check-in, evidenced by the inventory.
What if I disagree with a deduction?
Say so in writing promptly, attach your dated photographs and the check-in inventory, and use the free adjudication offered by most deposit schemes. Adjudicators decide on evidence, which is why the photographs matter more than the argument.
Related templates
Moving in, protecting a deposit and moving out cleanly.
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