Moving tips
Moving house checklist for renters: notice, deposit, keys, done
Most moving checklists are written for people with a solicitor and a chain. Renting is a different job: the deadlines are the landlord's, the deposit is the money at stake, and the inventory is the document that decides whether you get it back. Here is the version for you.
Six to eight weeks out: notice and the new place
- Check your tenancy agreement for the notice period and how notice must be given. Many require written notice; some fix the day it can end. Get it wrong and you can owe another month.
- Give notice in writing and keep a copy with the date. Email is fine if the agreement allows it; a letter with proof of posting is safer.
- Find the deposit protection certificate. In England and Wales the landlord must have protected it with one of the government-approved schemes and told you which; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. If you were never told, find out now — it matters later.
- Line up the new tenancy so the dates overlap by a few days if you can. A weekend of overlap turns a frantic day into a calm one and lets you clean the old place empty.
- Read the old inventory — the one from when you moved in. It is the standard you will be judged against at check-out.
Four weeks out: the move itself
- Get removal quotes. A flat is usually a man-and-van job rather than a full crew, and it is cheaper midweek. Say whether there is a lift and where the van can stop.
- Declutter first. Renters pay per van load and per hour; every box you do not take is money.
- Book a cleaner for the last day, or block out the time to do it yourself — an end-of-tenancy clean is the commonest deposit deduction.
- Check what the agreement says about repairs and decoration. Filling picture holes and touching up is cheap; a deduction for the same job is not.
- If there is a gap between tenancies, price a week or two of storage — it is often cheaper than the overlap rent.
Two weeks out: the admin
- Set up Royal Mail redirection to start on move day. Twelve months catches the things you forgot you were registered with.
- Tell the council you are leaving — council tax is charged to the day, and the new council needs a start date.
- Give final-reading dates to your energy and water suppliers, and tell the broadband provider — some need a fortnight to move a line.
- Update your address with the bank, the DVLA, your employer, the GP and the electoral roll. The DVLA one is a legal requirement for your licence.
- Ask the landlord or agent to book the check-out inspection for the day you hand back the keys, and ask to be there.
The last day: protect the deposit
- Empty the property completely — including the loft, the shed, the bins and the freezer. Anything left is a removal charge.
- Clean to the standard of the move-in inventory, not to your own. Oven, extractor, windows inside, skirting, behind the appliances.
- Photograph every room, every appliance and the meters, with the date visible. This is your evidence if a deduction is disputed.
- Take meter readings and send them to the suppliers and the agent in writing.
- Attend the check-out, walk through the old inventory with the inspector, and get the check-out report in writing before you leave.
- Hand over every key, including the ones you had cut, and get a receipt or an email confirming they were returned.
After: getting the money back
Once you and the landlord agree the amount, the scheme rules require it to be returned within ten days. If the landlord proposes deductions you disagree with, do not just argue by email — every protected scheme runs a free dispute service, and the landlord has to prove the deduction with evidence against the inventory. Your dated photographs and the check-out report are what win it. If the deposit was never protected, that is a separate matter with real consequences for the landlord, and worth advice from Shelter or Citizens Advice.
The full 8-week moving checklist — for a move with a purchase or sale in itStorage between tenancies — a week or a month, compared like for likeQuestions people ask
How much notice do I have to give my landlord?
Whatever your tenancy agreement says — commonly one month on a rolling tenancy in England and Wales, and often more within a fixed term unless there is a break clause. Scotland's private residential tenancies have their own notice rules. Check the agreement, give notice in writing, and keep a dated copy.
When do I get my deposit back?
Within ten days of you and the landlord agreeing the amount to be returned, under the rules of the protection schemes. Disagreements go to the scheme's free dispute service, where the landlord has to evidence any deduction against the inventory.
What are the most common deposit deductions?
Cleaning, followed by damage beyond fair wear and tear, unpaid rent or bills, and items left behind. Cleaning to the move-in standard and photographing everything on the last day removes most of the risk.
Do I need a removal company for a flat?
Usually a man-and-van service is enough for a one- or two-bedroom flat, and it is cheaper than a full crew. Say whether there is a lift and how far the van has to park; those change the price more than the number of boxes.
Should I clean the flat myself or pay for it?
Either, as long as it meets the move-in standard. A professional end-of-tenancy clean is worth it if the agreement requires one or if the oven and carpets are beyond an afternoon's work; keep the receipt for the check-out.
What if my deposit was never protected?
In England and Wales a landlord who did not protect the deposit within 30 days and give you the prescribed information can be ordered to repay it plus a penalty. Get advice from Shelter or Citizens Advice before you raise it — it changes the conversation about deductions.
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