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We've leased a house in a very landlord-friendly state for the past year. Now we're getting ready to buy a place in another state. For background, we're fine tenants, having always paid rent on time via automatic bank check. Gave 30 days' notice via email. We're paid up through October 31st, but will be surrending the property on October 26th, since it's convenient for us to move out at that point.
Utilities are extremely expensive in this area. The 31st is on a Saturday, so no one will shut off/transfer utilities on that date. So I arranged for the two that the house can't live without: water and electricity to be shut off on November 2, and informed landlords of same. Is this the right thing to do? Or since I'm giving them the keys on October 26, can I ask them to be responsible from the 27th on?
Landlords, your thoughts? (By the way, I'm having the place professionally cleaned and the carpets professionally steam-cleaned on morning of move-out. Somehow, I still think there is going to be a fight over the security deposit. Never renting again!)
We've leased a house in a very landlord-friendly state for the past year. Now we're getting ready to buy a place in another state. For background, we're fine tenants, having always paid rent on time via automatic bank check. Gave 30 days' notice via email. We're paid up through October 31st, but will be surrending the property on October 26th, since it's convenient for us to move out at that point.
Utilities are extremely expensive in this area. The 31st is on a Saturday, so no one will shut off/transfer utilities on that date. So I arranged for the two that the house can't live without: water and electricity to be shut off on November 2, and informed landlords of same. Is this the right thing to do? Or since I'm giving them the keys on October 26, can I ask them to be responsible from the 27th on?
Landlords, your thoughts? (By the way, I'm having the place professionally cleaned and the carpets professionally steam-cleaned on morning of move-out. Somehow, I still think there is going to be a fight over the security deposit. Never renting again!)
Your lease may require that the utilities are in your name for the entire term of the lease. My last one did. I had the utilities shut off the day the lease ended (August 31st), not the day I moved out (July 24th).
Talk to your landlord. I doubt he will care if you turn off the utilities on November 2nd, but he might if you do it on October 26th. If I was him I would remind you that you are responsible for the unit through the end of the lease, and it is only a few days extra.
Are you sure your landlord wants you to turn the utilities off? Most want them transferred into their name until they can get a new tenant. Especially the water or heat- hikes!!! Call your landlord and ask please.
Not turned off, so much as accounts terminated. Water is provided by the city, for instance, and the city will not allow me to transfer the account to the landlord, only to terminate my own service. So I spelled out very clearly the process for that and every other utility in my email to the landlord, i.e., "...our water account will terminate on November 2. You must call on November 2 or earlier to restart service in your name."
You should talk to your LL and agree on a date. I will change them into my name on the last date of the lease, not before since it is the tenants responsibility or the tenant has to pay me for these days, then I don't mind.
If you do the right thing why are you thinking you won't get your sec. deposit? Just because some people have issues and many are because the tenant didn't kept their part of the deal...it is a minority who has issues.
Make pictures when you move out the LL will do the same and make sure the sinks are unclogged, etc...
Don't make pictures from a distance if you haven't cleaned the stove, because the LL will make pictures up close to show if it is clean or not....
You should talk to your LL and agree on a date. I will change them into my name on the last date of the lease, not before since it is the tenants responsibility or the tenant has to pay me for these days, then I don't mind.
If you do the right thing why are you thinking you won't get your sec. deposit? Just because some people have issues and many are because the tenant didn't kept their part of the deal...it is a minority who has issues.
Make pictures when you move out the LL will do the same and make sure the sinks are unclogged, etc...
Don't make pictures from a distance if you haven't cleaned the stove, because the LL will make pictures up close to show if it is clean or not....
Yes, but some people need to be made to do the right thing. Especially when the right thing is to return $2000+ to the rightful owners of the money.
Um, why would the sinks be clogged?
Prior to moveout, I'm having a carpet cleaning company in (to remove the day to day dirt and grime of high traffic areas on a cheap, cream-colored carpet) and a maid crew to do a "move out" clean. I informed the landlords that this would be taking place and asked them to schedule a walkthrough with their agent that afternoon. Since the landlords have mentioned replacing their aging, dated carpet in the past, I asked them to let me know what sections they planned to replace right away, if any, as I would not bother having those sections steamed. I received a snippy response saying that they "suggest [i] have them cleaned to see if it's possible to save them."
These are not experienced landlords and we are not experienced tenants. We leased for a year prior to choosing our new location (worked out quite well) and we are living in the former primary home of the landlords that they were unable to sell before having to move for jobs. I don't know if that changes the dynamic here.
If the lease states you're leasing until a certain date and you choose to move early...you are still responsible, just as if you hadn't moved early. As a landlord, we generally replace a tenant the day the current tenant moves out, if possible because if we don't...it hurts our "paycheck". I know I can't afford my housing AND afford renting my own house because the tenant left early & turned off utilities. If you just leave early and leave expenses such as utilities....guess who is left holding the bag....the landlord (well, not really because it'll just be taken out of your deposit anyway and all that happened was you caused more work for the landlord by making him/her switch them to her/his name for a couple weeks & probably ticked him/her off over a few bucks).
Follow the lease, cancel at the end of it. It's, actually cheaper for you to keep them on because you won't get changed another access charge. If you cancel and the landlord has to restart, they are charged an access/base charge, that you would end up being responsible for via your deposit.
If you treat the house like your own, take really good care of it, leave it just as clean as when you arrived and have followed the lease, you should get your deposit back but....it you leave big holes in the wall, let your dog scratch doors, carpet, linoleum, use a loose fan until it comes off the ceiling, break a light globe because you tightened it too much when changing a light bulb or don't replace a mirror that your kids broke (just examples I currently ran in to)......you will not get much of your deposit back.
Just because the landlord is thinking about replacing the carpet, doesn't mean he has too and you need to be responsible for your end of the lease, no matter what the landlord decides to do and....clean all of the carpet.
What's best for you may incur expenses for the landlord which in the end, you pay anyway. Is paying a couple weeks of unused utilities really that big of a deal anyway?
You've received some good suggestions here (except maybe from blondiered) - but ignore the phone call stuff. Do it by email or by text. YOU WANT WRITTEN PROOF OF THIS DISCUSSION.
Take photos of everything when you leave - date and time stamped. I hope you did the same when you moved in?
The OP was from 2009. I'm sure the question has been answered.
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