Moving on: end of tenancy checklist to help you avoid unpleasant surprises a few months down the line

Moving on? Before you crack open the bubbles and start planning that dinner party in the new rental property you have landed the tenancy of, check you’ve properly said goodbye to your last home — or it could cost you dear.

Londoners move a lot. According to Your Move, the average tenancy in the capital is just 20 months. This means that every other year, the average London renter is packing, unpacking and lugging boxes around the city.

Unless you are a seasoned renter moving can get you into trouble. Here’s our checklist to help you avoid unpleasant surprises months later that can involve unexpected fees, potential fines and even a driving disqualification.

1. TELL PEOPLE YOU'RE MOVING

Apart from your friends and your gran, there is a mammoth list of institutions you need to inform when you move. The obvious ones are your bank, your credit card providers, your employer, your utility providers and the council.

An easy-to-forget institution is the DVLA. You might think you’re changing your home, not your car. But if you unwittingly get a speeding offence, or a congestion charge fine, and the DVLA writes to your old address and doesn’t get a response, the matter can escalate quickly.

It can even go all the way to the courts without you knowing a thing.

That is just what happened to Ben Hamilton, 30. He moved to take up a hectic surgical post and overlooked updating his address with the DVLA. A few months later a letter about a small fine went to his former home.

A few months more, the courts summons followed. Tried in absentia, Ben’s minor misdemeanour morphed into a hefty fine and a driving disqualification.

2. REDIRECT YOUR MAIL

For added peace of mind use a mail redirection service. Royal Mail charges start from £33.99 for three months and take just five days to set up.

You can apply at the post office or online from three months before to six months after you move.

“If you can’t afford to set up this service, make sure your landlord, neighbours and new tenants know your new address so they can forward any post to you,” recommends the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB). You may also want to leave stamped addressed envelopes for them to use.

But be warned, this money-saving option is not failsafe. I once found a neatly stacked pile of my mail next to an equally neat pile of my stamped addressed envelopes.

Had it not been for a trip to fix my tenants’ broken washing machine, I would have missed a final demand for an incorrectly generated council tax bill, with ramifications similar to Ben’s.

3. CLEAN THE FLAT

Inadequate cleaning accounts for over a fifth of deductions from tenants’ deposits, according to the Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS).

The simplest way to avoid this is to pay a reputable firm for an end-of-tenancy clean. This may even be a requirement in your contract, so check.

When the cleaners finish, make sure you take photos of their hard work. That way, if cleaning concerns do arise, it will be easier to take them up with the cleaning firm rather than have it affect your deposit.

If you can, don the marigolds, give the place a good scrub and send photos of your cleaned flat to your landlord. Remember, your aim is to return the flat in the state you found it, nothing more.

If you’re worried about being charged for pre-existing marks, resend your check-in photos to your landlord to remind them of the flat’s condition when you moved in.

4. INITIATE THE RETURN OF YOUR DEPOSIT

“Either the tenant or landlord can start the repayment process at any time after the property is vacated,” says Alexandra Coghlan-Forbes, head of adjudications at the DPS.

“Once the process begins, if the repayment is agreed, it will all be paid straight away,” she added.

With London landlords often requiring six weeks’ rent as a deposit, make sure you’re not the one holding up its return.

5. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS ON WEAR AND TEAR

“Landlords can’t deduct money for ‘reasonable wear and tear’ such as a carpet that has gradually worn away,” highlights the CAB.

Similarly, if you’ve lived in the property for many years, the landlord should expect the property to be more worn than a property occupied for just six months.

If you think any proposed deductions from your deposit are unreasonable, ask for an explanation in writing and respond.

If you need help to challenge the deductions, download the handy template letter from Shelter’s website or speak to the CAB. If you can’t come to an agreement, raise a dispute through the DPS.

“On average, we usually expect a dispute to last around six weeks from the day we have received details of the dispute from both parties,” says Coghlan-Forbes.

6. SETTLE YOUR BILLS

As you wave goodbye to your old flat, take the CAB’s advice and snap photos of your energy meters before ringing your utility providers with their final readings.

That way you will ensure you don’t pay a penny more than you owe. Other bills to remember are council tax and broadband.

Now where’s that corkscrew…?