Moving house can be a stressful event even at the best of times. However, when your tenancy deposit is on the line, it can add an extra factor of anxiety to the back of your mind compounding what is already a lot of work.
Being able to recover your tenancy deposit effectively can sometimes be fraught with issues. Here we will show you some tips and tricks that you can engage in that will hopefully smooth out your move and make it far more likely you will receive your deposit back.
10 Tips For Efficient House Moving
Pack In Advance
Humans are natural procrastinators, and we will find any excuse to put things off. However, this is one of those things that really should be started as early as possible.
You can begin by packing up all non-essential items that are not needed for day to ay living. As you progress, you will start to find your house become emptier. This is actually a good thing because once things become more spacious and more straightforward, you will focus on how you need to proceed.
Book Services Early
This tip goes without saying. You can often find great deals if you book in advance. This tip goes for all services involved in the moving process, from the actual removal company to the painters and decorators that you may need to get in. You should have already seen what needs to be fixed or changed when you made your decision on your new house. Once you know the list of activities that need to be completed and your moving dates, you should be in a position to inquire about the relevant services.
Get The Correct Boxes
Moving boxes are specialist boxes that are specific dimensions and strength. By investing in a large amount of these boxes, you will be in good stead to get packing without interruption. Remember the essential rule for moving; it is better to have too many than being left needing more. If you have a surplus, in the end, you can either sell them to someone else or even donate them.
Make Sure To Fill The Boxes Correctly
This means that you should place heavier objects at the bottom and lighter ones at the top. It also means not overfilling them and being conscious not to leave too much space between items.
Label everything
This will help in the initial packing strategies, but it will immensely reduce the amount of time spent unpacking and organizing everything. By spending just a few minutes extra on each box and following strict packing discipline, you will be able to move into your new home without any headache.
Recovering Your Tenancy Deposit
If you are renting your home, you will very likely have paid a security deposit to cover any costs that result from misuse or damage to the landlord’s property. This is sometimes easier said than done.
However, you can do a few things to ensure that you are more likely to get your deposit back.
Clean The Property
It is not just good manners to leave your rental home in the same condition it was given to you, but it is also essential. It would help if you also had taken plenty of photos of any damage that previously existed.
You can hire specialist end of tenancy cleaning services that can look after the exact type of cleaning often required by landlords when you move out.
Repair Any Damage
Damage caused by the tenant is often the leading cause of friction when getting your deposit back. By making sure to fix any damage that arose from your misuse, you will definitely get into the good graces of the landlord and therefore have a much better ending relationship.
However, there are some caveats to this point. If the damage was caused by faulty appliances that the landlord didn’t fix, then you should be well within your rights to hand the property back without having to forfeit your deposit.
It really depends on what sort of deal you arranged at the start of the rental, but some jurisdictions also cover certain aspects of rental law that could include this.
Wear And Tear
It is reasonable for a landlord to assume some loss when it comes to general usage of the property, and this should be agreed on at the start.
For example, general wear and tear of carpeted areas or seating should not be deductible from your security deposit. Nonetheless, it can be a fine line, and both parties must accept some leeway. For example, if the tenant did things outside of the contract’s scope, such as running a business from the property, which subsequently caused damage, it might not be considered wear and tear.
Check The Itinerary
If your property came fully furnished, you should refer to the original itinerary and check to see if everything there when you started the rental is there when you finish.
Regarding the previous point of wear and tear, you should also clean or fix any damage that may have occurred to things such as beds or cabinets. Soiled mattresses and sheets and severely broken toilets and kitchenware do not fall under wear and tear, and these items are often costly.
If the landlord needs to repurchase or fix any items due to negligence, you could find your security deposit shrinking quickly.
Summary
Moving need not be overly stressful if you take the correct approach and plan early on. By starting the process and planning efficiently, you will find that moving is not as tricky or impossible as it first seems.
Regarding rental properties and getting back your tenancy deposit, it is wise to cover yourself as much as possible and even spend some of your own money repairing or replacing things as needed. By showing that you have been responsible and cared for the property, it is much more likely that you will get the majority, if not all, of your deposit back.
