What To Include In A Move-Out Packet For Your Tenants (Letter, Checklist, Etc)

When it’s time for a tenant to move out, you want to make the move-out process as easy as possible for them so that you get the home back in the condition that you want and they have the chance to get their full security deposit back.

This is where providing a Move-Out Packet with all of the information they’ll need can set your tenants up for success and make the turnover much easier for you. So what should a Move-Out Packet include?

A Tenant Move-Out Packet typically includes a Move-Out Letter that explains when they should be out of the home, what condition the home should be returned to, and how they can receive their security deposit back. It also includes a Move-Out Checklist, a List Of Common Security Deposit Deductions, a Move-Out Survey, and a copy of their Move-In Condition Report and Lease.

With those main points in mind, I’ll cover everything you need to create a Move-Out Packet that will help your tenants move out the way you want them to below. 

Let’s dive in!

Quick Navigation

1. Move-Out Letter
2. Tenant Move-Out Checklist
3. Itemized List Of Common Deposit Deductions
4. Move-Out Survey
5. Copy Of The Move-In Condition Report & Copy Of The Lease
6. Final Thoughts
7. Related Content

1. Move-Out Letter

The first page to include in a Tenant Move-Out Packet is the Move-Out Letter.

A good Move-Out Letter includes the following key items:

• The date you are acknowledging that they are moving (typically today’s date)
• The date and time they (along with all of their belongings) must be fully out of the property
• The date their tenancy is officially terminated (typically the day after they are required to be fully moved out)
• Briefly explain the condition that the home is expected to be returned in
• Briefly explain how they can get their security deposit back
• Ask them to supply their forwarding address that the security deposit can be returned to
• Ask them to let you know about any maintenance you might not catch during a visual inspection
• Ask them to email you when they know for sure they will be out of the property plus email you when they actually are out of the property

In general, you want this section of the packet to be one page or less in length. Keep it short so they get the summary of the entire packet. You’ll go into more detail on the next several pages of the packet.

We also like to end the letter by saying we’ve enjoyed working with them and we wish them all the best in the future. And we finish out the letter by including all of our contact information (text, email, office hours, etc) so they can get in touch with us if needed.

Our Move-Out Letter Example

Dear _______Tenant Name_______ , Date: _____Today’s Date________

Thank you for your tenancy at _____Address_________! We’ve received the notice of your intent to vacate the home you are now renting by _(move-out date)_.  Your tenancy will officially terminate on _(move-out date)_, at _(time)_ am/pm.

Residency: Before you vacate the property and hand in your keys, the property must be returned in the same condition as you received it (minus normal wear and tear). This means that all of your personal belongings must be removed and the property thoroughly cleaned to return to the condition listed in your Move-In Condition Report. We’ve attached a Move-Out Checklist and a copy of your Move-In Condition Report to help you return it to its original condition.

Security Deposit: Please reply to this email with your forwarding address. We will mail out the security deposit along with a list of deductions (if any) to this address within 14 days of your tenancy ending. We’ve provided a List of Common Deposit Deductions for your information. It is our goal to return your full security deposit back to you.

Maintenance: Please let us know if there are any maintenance issues that you know of that we might not catch during our visual inspection. This helps us better prepare the property for the next resident.

Moving Day: As your moving day gets closer, please send us an email on the time that you and all of your belongings will be fully out of the property. Leave the keys on the counter and lock the door on your way out. Please also send us an email once you are fully moved out of the property and it has been returned to its move-in condition. We will conduct our final walk-thru after the house has been completely vacated. 

Working with you has been our pleasure; we wish you all the best in the future.

Thank you,

Christine

(Our contact information)

2. Tenant Move-Out Checklist

The next page to include in a Tenant Move-Out Packet is the Tenant Move-Out Checklist.

This checklist should be about 2 pages long and include a list of tasks that you expect the tenant to complete prior to vacating the property. Some of these cleaning items include:

• Kitchen
  • Wipe down all surfaces (walls, cabinets, countertops, appliances, light fixtures, window sills, blinds, sinks, drains, faucets, trim, heaters, vents, switch covers, and door knobs)
  • Fill any holes in the wall with spackle and lightly sand until smooth
  • Remove any items from and wipe down the inside of all appliances
  • Replace any burnt-out light bulbs
  • Sweep, mop, and wipe down all floor surfaces (including under appliances)
• Living Room/Dining Room/Office/Recreation Room/Basement
  • Wipe down all surfaces (walls, light fixtures, window sills, blinds, trim, heaters, vents, switch covers, door knobs, shelves, and fireplaces)
  • Fill any holes in the wall with spackle and lightly sand until smooth
  • Replace any burnt-out light bulbs
  • Sweep, mop, and wipe down all floor surfaces (vacuum all carpet surfaces)
• Bathroom
  • Wipe down all surfaces (walls, cabinets, countertops, shower/tub, toilet, light fixtures, window sills, blinds, sinks, drains, faucets, trim, heaters, vents, switch covers, and door knobs)
  • Fill any holes in the wall with spackle and lightly sand until smooth
  • Replace any burnt-out light bulbs
  • Sweep, mop, and wipe down all floor surfaces
• Closets
  • Wipe down all surfaces (walls, light fixtures, trim, heaters, vents, switch covers, door knobs, and shelves)
  • Fill any holes in the wall with spackle and lightly sand until smooth
  • Replace any burnt-out light bulbs
  • Sweep, mop, and wipe down all floor surfaces (vacuum all carpet surfaces)
• Garage/Outbuildings/Landscaping
  • Remove all personal belongings and trash from the property
  • Sweep shelves and floor surfaces of all garages and outbuildings
  • Mow lawn (if applicable)
  • Remove all weeds from the flower beds
• General Make-Ready
  • Ensure all smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are accounted for and have a working battery
  • Ensure all damages have been repaired
  • Remove all personal property and trash from the property
  • Leave garage door openers and keys in the kitchen
  • When you have completed this checklist and have done your final walk-thru of the property, please email or text us to let us know that you are finished

When we provide this checklist to our tenants, we are always extremely happy with how the property is returned to us.

If you went to college and lived in one of the dorm rooms, then you’ve probably experienced this process before. When I was moving out of my dorm room, I made sure to follow their checklist to a T and scrub the place so that I wasn’t billed for any extra cleaning or damages.

The same concept applies here to your tenants as they are moving out. It simply takes all of the guesswork out of the equation.

3. Itemized List Of Common Deposit Deductions

The next page to include in a Tenant Move-Out Packet is the Itemized List Of Common Deposit Deductions.

In general, we like to break out the charges into the following categories:

• Cleaning
• General, Damages, Repairs and Disposal

Under each category, we list the items we most commonly have to deduct from security deposits and their costs so there are no surprises on the tenant’s side. Plus, it gives us a handy list that we can refer back to as we inspect the property so we are always deducting a consistent/fair amount and checking for the same damages/cleaning.

Some of the common deposit deductions we include are:

Remember, we are based in Ohio. You might have to adjust your prices to account for the area that your rentals are in. So far, this list has helped our tenants get their full security deposit back because they know what we are expecting.

4. Move-Out Survey

The final page to include in a Tenant Move-Out Packet is a Move-Out Survey.

The Move-Out Survey asks a few simple questions that help us improve our management processes.

Some of the questions we ask on the survey include:

1. How would you rate the service you received from us? (1 being lowest to 5 being highest)
2. How would you rate the quality of service you received while renting your home regarding handymen and contractors? (1 being lowest to 5 being highest)
3. What did you like most about the home you rented from us?
4. What did you like least about the home you rented from us?
5. Do you have any suggestions for improvements we could make to the home?

We usually add this as a page to the end of the Move-In Packet that the tenant can print off, fill out, and leave on the kitchen counter when they leave.

This survey can also be emailed as a link to a Google Form that they can fill out (which often gets a better response rate than when we ask them to print anything out).

That’s the end of the Move-Out Packet. We typically email a PDF version of this packet to the tenant as soon as we hear that they are planning on vacating the property.

5. Copy Of The Move-In Condition Report & Copy Of The Lease

Finally, we attach a copy of the Move-In Condition Report and a copy of their lease to the email along with a PDF version of the Move-Out Packet and send it to the tenant (or we direct them on where to find copies of them in their Tenant portal).

Adding these two copies helps the tenant to know what condition the property was given to them (so they know what to return it to) and lets them review any parts of the lease if they need to.

After we send that email to the tenant, we sometimes get a few follow-up questions to help clarify our expectations. But other than that, most of the time, we don’t hear from the tenant again until they are fully moved out on their moving day.

Final Thoughts

That’s it! By now, you have a good idea of how to create a Move-Out Packet that will ensure your tenants know what you expect when they move out (and a clear list of items you will deduct from their security deposit if they choose not to follow your packet). Now, all that’s left to do is conduct the Move-Out Inspection once the tenant has fully vacated the property!

You’ll also be able to start creating your listing description and taking professional-looking photos of your rental property to get it listed and filled soon.

We’ve found that by providing this packet as soon as we learn that the tenant is moving out, we get the property returned to us in a much better condition AND our tenants typically get their full security deposit back. This ultimately helps us leave the relationship on good terms with the tenant and start to get the home ready for the next tenant quicker.

I hope you find this article useful and that it helps make the unit turnover process that much easier!

Catch you in my next post!

Related Content

Check out my recommended tools, templates, and resources to free up your time from constantly working on and worrying about your rental properties. My husband and I use these tools to self-manage 18 rental units (and counting) for only 5-10 hours a month.

Keep in mind that most of these items are either free or reasonably priced for the amount of value that they provide. My goal on this page is to recommend tools, templates, and resources that we use daily and wish we had known about at the beginning of our landlord journey. Since implementing them, they’ve saved us countless hours and tons of headaches.

Finding good tenants for a rental property is arguably one of the most essential tasks that a self-managing landlord must accomplish. You’re searching for a high-quality tenant that will pay on time, take care of the property, and be easy to communicate with all while trying to get the most amount of rent and filling the vacant unit as quickly as possible.

That’s no small feat! So, how can you find good tenants for your rental property?

By Christine

Christine is a blogger and real estate investor/property manager who self-manages 18 rental units (and counting) alongside her husband, Adam. Although she successfully automates the management of her rentals and pockets the property management fee now, her path to success was not easy.

Go here to read her story, “From An Overwhelmed First-Time Landlord To A Pro Investor Self-Managing 18 Rentals On Less Than 10 Hours Per Month“.

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