Move-Out Checklist

Moving out involves some steps that directly affect your security deposit and your relationship with your landlord. Here’s what to keep in mind.

Give proper notice

• Check your lease for the required notice period (commonly 30 or 60 days) and put your notice to vacate in writing, even if you also tell your landlord in person or by phone.
• Confirm your official move-out date with your landlord in writing.
• Ask what’s required for the final walkthrough and whether you or your landlord will schedule it.

In the weeks before you leave

• Start using up perishable food and avoid buying more than you’ll use.
• Schedule your utility disconnections (or transfers, if moving locally) for the day after your move-out date.
• Submit a change-of-address form with the post office.
• Arrange your moving help and confirm the date with movers or friends helping you.
• Set aside your walkthrough documentation from move-in — photos and notes on existing damage — so you can reference it if anything is disputed.

Before you hand back the keys

• Clean thoroughly. A rental returned in clean condition is one of the most common factors in getting a full deposit back — see our Move-Out Cleaning Checklist for specifics.
• Patch small nail holes and touch up any scuffs you’re responsible for, if your lease requires it.
• Remove all personal belongings, including from closets, cabinets, the garage, and outdoor areas.
• Take dated photos of every room once it’s empty and clean, as your own record of the condition you left it in.
• Do a final walkthrough with your landlord if possible, so any concerns can be addressed together rather than after the fact.
• Return all keys, garage door openers, and access fobs.
• Provide a forwarding address in writing — landlords generally need this to return your security deposit or send an itemized statement of deductions.

After you leave

• Know your state’s deposit return timeline. In Minnesota, for example, landlords must return the deposit (or an itemized list of deductions) within statutory timeframes — check your lease and applicable state law for specifics.
• Follow up in writing if you don’t receive your deposit or an explanation within the expected window.

Keeping clear, written communication throughout the process is the single best way to avoid disputes over your deposit.