About a week ago I moved out of the first rental apartment I lived in for two years. The moving about process took about five days, but that accounts for being by myself for four of them. I learned a lot about the move-out process that a lot of people don't mention. Below are some things I learned that can hopefully save you time.
Use chalk to fill in tiny holes.
There is no reason to need spackle on a hole that you have to be 6 inches away to see. Rubbing a piece of chalk over the hole and letting the particles settle into the hole will perfectly disguise it while not damaging the wall any farther.
Tell you apartment complex of any improvements
This may depend on the company you are leasing from, but mine said if we did anything that made it look better moving out than it did when I moved in to let them know. My tub always had a weird stain on it, but one day I was able to scrub it off and now the next tenant won't have to look at the stain.
Take a video and pictures of every square inch
After you move out it is easy for an apartment to "suddenly" have a huge hole in the wall. If you have a photo or video of what the space looked like right before you moved in will be good evidence you need in a situation like this.
You apartment lease may not end right when your next one is starting
May the homelessness begin.
Don't wait until Move-out day to be moving out.
This is literally the most chaotic thing you can do and the most unorganized. It is just always best to get a head start so you are more likely to have more time instead of freaking out.
When they say everything is due at noon... they mean it.
I turned in my keys well before the deadline at noon, but sadly, my friends who lived in the same complex with me didn't. They turned their keys in at 12:06 and was served a $200 late fee; therefore, when they say noon.. they mean not a minute later.
Clean every single element of the apartment
From dusting to scrubbing, do it all. Every appliance and shower and room need to be squeaky clean in order to avoid that cleaning fee.
I'm sure there are plenty of other tips, but from my first move-out day this is what I learned!
