There are many reasons to switch apartments. You get a job offer in a different city, number of people in your household grows, or you find a better, more affordable place. It isn’t straightforward either way if you want to move from one rental apartment to another. There are some hoops you will have to jump through, and our team at A2B Moving and Storage will let you know which ones exactly. So don’t waste precious time, take a pen and write everything down.
Read through your lease
Before you move from one rental apartment to another, the first step is reading through your lease. Unless you already know that your lease is ending, you should read through the provisions regarding ending the lease early. You can’t hire movers DC unless you know how to end your lease. Usually, there are some provisions that can let you break the lease without compensating your landlord or paying penalties. But every lease is unique, so the answers are all in your renter’s agreement. If there are no legal grounds for breaking the lease specified in your agreement, landlords usually charge one month’s rent additionally, and they keep the deposit you gave when you moved in.
There are some legally sound ways you can break your lease. If these situations occur, you are entitled to do so:
- The landlord illegally enters your apartment – this is not applicable if they are there to make small repairs, inspect your property or show your apartment to prospective tenants
- They do not keep your home habitable – most states require living spaces to be up to code, so they are deemed habitable
- You are a victim of domestic violence or are experiencing a health emergency.
In all these cases, it will be easier for you to move out even if your landlord might not like it.
Notify your landlord about your move from one rental apartment to another
After you’ve read about how to break your lease legally, you will have to notify your landlord. You should time your move from one rental apartment to another to avoid paying two rents simultaneously. If you live in the DC area, you will have around one to two months to search for an apartment, notify your landlord and hire furniture movers Washington DC which really isn’t a lot of time for a move.
When notifying your landlord, ask them about your options. If your lease doesn’t allow for breaking the contract early, you can consider subletting it for a while to cover your rent while moving to another place. Whatever your options may be, explore them in partnership with your landlord.
Get everything in writing
If you and your landlord agree to specific terms on your leaving, make sure you get it in writing. Protecting yourself legally is always a smart choice, however, if you are dealing with a landlord who doesn’t seem too open about you leaving, think of getting a second opinion either from legal counsel or even a tenants’ union if such exists in your area. But always read through your lease, especially the fine print.
Start packing on time
As we mentioned, time is crucial if you want to move from one apartment to another. Once you’ve found residential movers DC Area to hire, don’t procrastinate packing. Everyone always underestimates the time it takes to pack for a relocation. Don’t be one of those people. Start your packing on time. Gather all the supplies you need, like boxes, packing paper, and tape, and start packing. You can start with the items you rarely or never use and pack slowly. Then you can move on to items you use sometimes. Leave stuff you always use for last, and always remember to pack an essentials bag and carry it with you.
Cancel all your subscriptions and utilities
The next step is to start canceling all the utilities in your name connected to your soon-to-be former address. That can be anything from your monthly subscriptions or shipping addresses you named. Oftentimes, people forget to change their addresses, so they keep getting their mail and shipments in their old addresses. Try to avoid that by notifying all the people who might send you mail. If you are moving to Washington DC from another city, there are all sorts of useful information, like new Washington DC residents resources you should look up. These resources can provide you with all the necessary information and make your move from one apartment to another much easier.
Find a new place and set up your address
The best advice anyone can give you is to start your search early. Of course, try to time it around two months in advance so you are ready to swipe a potential apartment as soon as possible. Once you’ve decided to move, you should get your paperwork ready. Renting an apartment in Washington DC can be a hassle because it requires a lot of documentation of your financial stability, credit scores, and sometimes even recommendations. The best thing is to prepare everything ahead of time.
You can try looking for a place online, or you can try to get a recommendation from your friends or colleagues. After you’ve secured a place, you can ask about all the details you will need to move in. After all that is done, you can start changing your new address and registering your vehicle if you have one.
Call moving companies
Moving day is the last step when you move from one apartment to another. As you can already guess, our best advice is to start everything as early as possible. Finding the best movers, packing, and moving will take time. And if you want everything done right, you shouldn’t rush it. Hopefully, after that, you will enjoy your new place as best as you can.
