Moving to a new home requires a lot of time and energy from planning, preparing, and ensuring everything goes seamlessly. Handling everything is a stressful situation, let alone the thought of not getting a full bond refund. By now, you probably know how a bond works. It serves as a security deposit for owners and managers to guarantee the tenant’s commitment to maintaining the property. It’s the landlords’ way to assure the quality of their properties despite the volume of tenants they receive. They use it to renovate the property (if there are damages caused by neglect), replace broken amenities, and more. But there’s no need to overthink it. Tenants can get a refund if the property is deemed maintained to its original shape and value. But how do you guarantee that? Don’t worry, we have you covered. In this article, our Northern Beaches Removals team is going to walk you through the guidelines needed to ensure you get your full bond refund.
Repair any property damage
Before moving out, either the landlord, property manager or a real estate agent will conduct a final inspection of the property. For this reason, we highly encourage you to fix any property damage that occurred during your tenancy – however small it may be. Whether it’s a faucet leaking, a broken door on a cabinet it needs to be replaced. It also acts as a preventive measure so you can uphold your integrity as a tenant and not receive a black mark against your rental history.
Failing to fix damages, grants power to the landlord to hold your bond. That’s the last thing you want to happen. So, to avoid such instances, it’s best to inspect and repair the property yourself and inform the landlord of damages out of your control. Happy Moving has a Northern Beaches removals team that can help you have a seamless relocation when you are ready to move your furniture and belongings out. So, feel free to contact us anytime.
Northern Beaches Removals ahead of time
Part of the process of moving out is giving notice to your landlord or property manager. We understand how relocating can scatter your thoughts, which can lead to forgetting this important step. Nevertheless, it’s crucial as you may end up losing your bond refund if you fail to do so. You may also face a breach of the agreement which may require paying for penalties. That’s a nightmare you wouldn’t want to encounter. So, we suggest notify your landlord straight away you decide on moving to another place. This way, you can focus on the tasks that you need to finish and start packing. Keep in mind that the notice you need to give will be stated in your rental agreement.
Settle your outstanding bills
Tenants are obligated to pay any outstanding payments for electricity and water bills before vacating. Make sure you close your existing accounts when moving out of the property. Incompliance to do so might lead to misunderstanding and reduction of the full bond refund.
Keep house clean and hygienic
By treating your tenant property like it’s your own, you prevent instances that could lead to damage being caused. During your stay at the property, it’s best to maintain the good condition. A build-up of hard to remove dirt is less likely to occur which saves time and resources on the day you move out. In addition to that, the real estate agent or the property manager can vouch for you, leading to a good relationship with the owner as well.
However, if there are damages that could not be prevented such as those caused by nature, notifying your property manager is essential. By doing this, they can help you in resolving such damages and avoid possible major disasters. Properties degrade over time, especially when you’re a long term tenant. After many years of living there, you will probably notice fair wear and tear such as wall cracks, faded wall paint and more. For such issues, informing your property manager will imply honesty, thus, steers disputes away.
Thorough clean before you give the keys out
Moving out consumes a lot of time for packing and securing all your belongings. This often leads to a challenge in keeping the rental property neat and tidy. For this reason, it requires a designated time and day from you. So, we suggest that you dedicate a whole day to do the clean-up process. After all, as a tenant, it is your responsibility to turn over the property the same way it was handed to you.
Having a clear schedule gives you time in case something inconvenient pops up. Organise your time to arrange packing, cleaning, Northern beaches Removals and everything in between of moving out. If your time has a constraint and you need to move out as soon as you can, try asking for help from friends and family. Doing so will speed up the process of moving, especially if you have multiple bedrooms, a huge kitchen, bathroom, and garage. Before you begin cleaning the space, make sure to remove your furniture to avoid unnecessary cleanup.
All rooms of the house need to be thoroughly cleaned including wiping down walls, cleaning dust air vents, polishing mirrors, cleaning light fittings and more. The floor needs mopping and the dust on the carpet requires a vacuum. Mirrors, frames, and tracks should be wiped too.
Open areas such as the balcony, patio, and garage should be cleared off as well and should be restored to the original condition it was before. If you need to dispose of big items such as mattresses, metal, mixed waste, or other big items, Happy Moving will gladly offer our service for Northern Beaches removals. We can bring these discarded items to a waste disposal centre, saving you time and energy. We will only ask for charges depending on how big the discarded items are. Small scraps like metal, cardboard, paper, old TVs and computers are free of charge.
After cleaning everything and double-checking the property, all you need to do is to call your landlord for the final inspection. The landlord will then go through the house while checking and comparing the rooms to their original condition report. If you followed our guide thoroughly, issues are unlikely to occur and we’re confident you’ll receive the full bond refund. However, if you do encounter issues, don’t hesitate to approach the landlord or property manager and ask them for more information.
If there are no problems, then the final inspection is complete. Your landlord will inform you about the bond refund and you can finally surrender your keys.
Northern Beaches Removals professional bond cleaner
While asking for help from family and friends is always a great idea, hiring professionals is far more assuring. Since bond cleaners carry an REIQ-approved checklist, cleaning all rooms including, the living area, kitchen, laundry rooms, bathrooms, outdoor space, and other areas will be spotless without the worry of mistakes and unnecessary damage. Through their professional and certified techniques, you are guaranteed to restore the rental property the way it was first given to you. There are bond cleaners who are an advocate for environmentally friendly service, so a lot of them are now utilising green products for cleaning.
Don’t forget to clean overlooked areas
When moving out, there’s no such thing as “over-cleaning”. In fact, most people forget to clean areas that are less likely to get attention such as the dishwasher, oven, microwave, towel rails, sills, tracks, blinds, appliances etc. We know how tedious it is to clean these areas, especially if you’re not a clean freak who regularly wipes them during your tenancy. Since they’re smaller and often harder to reach, it’s understandable why these areas are not prioritised compared to others.
Thanks to cleaning hacks, there are effective and economic ways to quickly clean the stubborn dirt accumulated from these areas. By mixing white vinegar and warm soapy water and putting it in a spray bottle, you can instantly have a stain removal solution. It’s safe, practical, eco-friendly, and will remove stains. A castile soap is also available to eliminate stubborn grease and dirt. Hiring professionals can also save you from missing these areas.
We hope this guide has been helpful in providing you information on how to get a full bond refund. If you are in need of a North Shore Removalist to help you move out of your tenancy, contact Happy Moving. We provide professional Northern Beaches Removals services to greater Sydney region. When you choose us for your next move you can be sure that we will make your removal as smooth and stress free as possible.
