Moving Out of an Apartment? Here's 3 Things to Remember

Here are three things that you should know when you are in the process of ending your apartment lease.

Your Security Deposit

If you are in the process of moving out of your apartment at the end of your lease, you may be wondering when you are going to get your security deposit back after having paid your final month of rent.

Landlords are required to return your security deposit, minus any damages that you have caused to the apartment, within 30 days from your move out date. Many people don't know that if the landlord fails to return your security deposit within that 30 day period they will be held responsible by law in most states for paying you back double the security deposit. So check your move out day and the date that you receive your security deposit back in the mail. If it's been over 30 days, you may be able to sue the landlord for the amount of your security deposit.

Landlord Must Give You 30-Days Notice

When you are nearing the end of your apartment lease, your landlord or management company has a few obligations. For one, the landlord is required to send you a notice 30 days in advance of your lease end date asking you to leave or renew. If they do not send you this notice, technically you don't have to leave until 30 days after they do.

A Final Walk Through Can Save You A lot of Trouble

Many people don't realize that prior to moving out of their apartment they can have the landlord come and do what is called a walk-thru. During a walk thru, they will take a look over the entire apartment and estimate any repairs that need to be made. This way, you can know what to expect as far as charges from your security deposit when you move out. Schedule this walk-thru as close to your move out date as possible. Be sure to take pictures or video of your apartment on the day you move out for further proof.

If you receive your security deposit back 30 days later and it is much less than what you expected based on the walk-thru, now you have a case and evidence to bring to court. The landlord has to reasonably abide by their estimates during the walk-thru.

Hopefully you will be able to move out of your apartment with little to no drama, but in the case that you have a dispute with your previous landlord, keep this important information in mind.