Moving out of a rental property

You must give written notice to end your tenancy in line with your tenancy agreement.

• Most tenancies are now periodic (rolling)
• Tenants will need to provide at least two months’ notice, unless otherwise agreed (landlords cannot ask for any more than 2 months)

You must give your notice:

• so the tenancy ends on a day when the rent is due or the day before the rent is due
• in writing, for example, by letter, email or text 

Once we have received notice we will send a form to be completed by all tenants listed on the Tenancy Agreement.

This typically includes:

• Forwarding address
• Bank details for deposit return
• Utility supplier details

Returning this promptly helps avoid delays in processing your deposit.

Cleaning is one of the most common reasons for deposit deductions or delays.

Key points:

Refer to your original inventory and check-in report
The property must be returned:

• In the same condition
• To the same standard of cleanliness
• Allowing for fair wear and tear

You may need to:

• Clean the property thoroughly (including appliances)
• Remove all personal belongings
• Return furniture to its original position

Professional cleaning cannot be required by default, but you must meet the original standard of cleanliness.

The deposit funds are the legal property of the tenant unless proven otherwise. During a deposit dispute, if the landlord/letting agency wish to make a deduction, they must submit photo evidence of the works required, along with receipts or invoices demonstrating that they have incurred the associated loss; the burden of proof is on the landlord/letting agency to show they are entitled to it. Be sure to take your own photos of the property for your records, as you may need to refer to them later during any deposit dispute.

Additional cleaning and maintenance tasks

Remember to also:

• Clean windows (inside and accessible external areas)
• Defrost the freezer
• Clean upholstery, curtains, or carpets if necessary
• Ensure outdoor spaces are tidy and seasonally maintained

Only carry out specialist works (e.g. chimney sweeping, pest fumigation) if required under your agreement.

Keep receipts if you use third-party contractors.

Please ensure that any bins are placed in the correct position for council collection.

During your tenancy, if your landlord has given permission for you to make any temporary alterations to the property you will need to ensure that they are returned to how they were at the start of the tenancy.

Contact utility suppliers (water and sewage, electricity, gas, telephone and broadband, media services and TV licence) and let them know your move-out date.

For gas, electricity and water (if metered), you will need to have your final meter readings to hand. The service provider will require your forwarding address so that they can send you a final bill. If you have an oil tank or propane gas cylinder this should be returned to the same level as at the start of the tenancy, where required under your tenancy agreement.

Also contact your local authority and inform them of your moving date and where you’ll be moving to, so they have a forwarding address on file.

So that your post continues to get to you, it’s important to contact anyone that holds personal details for you and provide them with your new address, such as:

• Bank / Building society
• Insurance company
• Doctors
• DVLA
• HMRC
• Friends and family
• Your employer

It’s also worth setting up a Royal Mail redirection service for the first few months after check-out.

When you’ve made the final rental payment, contact your bank to cancel the standing order mandate. They will only act on your instruction and if you don’t inform them of the cancellation they will continue making the payment. We will refund any accidental payments the first month and remind you to cancel your standing order, however, a charge may apply if the standing order still has not been cancelled in the following months.

On your vacating date, you should return all keys, alarm fobs, gate remotes and any parking permits that were signed over to you at the beginning of or during your tenancy.

Please note that once you have surrendered the keys to the property you will have no legal right to re-enter the property.

Checkout usually takes place the working day after the last day of your tenancy. The independent inventory company will check the condition of the property and its contents against the inventory created at the start of the tenancy. We strongly recommend that you are present for the checkout appointment as the report created on this visit forms part of your deposit negotiation.

Once both you and the landlord are in agreement, your deposit will be returned to you (minus any agreed costs for repairs or cleaning, if applicable). If a disagreement occurs, any undisputed amount can be released to you and the remainder will be kept until an appropriate outcome has been agreed. Depending on your landlord’s service agreement with us, we may act as an intermediary with you and the landlord to negotiate. If we are unable to resolve any disagreement, we will refer the case to the deposit protection scheme used to protect your deposit, who offer a free dispute resolution service.