Moving Into a Rented Property Checklist

Everything You Need to do When Moving into a Rented Property

What Do I Need to Do When Moving Into a Rental Property?

You’ve got the keys for your new rental property – but what now?

Moving into your new rented home should be exciting, not stressful! Finally, a place you can make your own. You’ll likely want to start unpacking your things and making it more homely as soon as you step through the front door.

However, there’s a whole list of things you need to do when moving into a rental property. Whether you’re a first-time renter or an expert at tenancy agreements, you’re likely to run into some unexpected situations when moving into a rented property.

From understanding your rights as a tenant to cleaning the property and changing your address, there is plenty to prepare for when you first start renting a house. In this ‘moving into a rented property checklist’, we’ll share all our top tips for how to make the move run as smoothly as possible.

This renting a house checklist will outline everything you need to do to stay organised while moving into a rental property, how to settle in quickly and how to ensure you’re not taken advantage of by your new landlord.

1. Start Packing

The first thing to check off your moving into a rented property checklist is packing all your things up!

The sooner you start packing your belongings up, the less rushed and stressed you will feel on the day. You should start with the non-essentials around two weeks before moving day. Here are some of our top tips for packing:

– Pack items together that will belong in the same rooms
– Accurately label everything to avoid confusion when unpacking
– Keep any essentials to hand, such as bedding, cleaning products, kettle
– Ditch what you don’t need to lighten the load when moving

2. Check Your Paperwork

There are certain documents that your new landlord will be legally required to give you before you even move into your rental property. So, the next thing to check off your moving into a rented property checklist is ensuring you have been provided with:

– Proof that your deposit has been placed into a tenancy deposit protection (TDP) scheme
– An up-to-date Gas Safety Certificate (if there is a gas supply at the property)
– A copy of the building’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
– A copy of the How to Rent Guide to help you understand your rights as a tenant
– An inventory list, stating what fixtures, fittings and furniture are in the property, along with their condition
– A record of electrical inspections – checks should be made on appliances every five years
– Proof that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are in working order

3. Take Meter Readings

Next on our rental checklist is taking your final meter readings. When you move into your new rented property, you’ll need to set up gas, electricity and water.

To do this, you’ll need to know the readings when you move in. So, as soon as you move in, locate your meters and either note down the figures or take a photo on your phone to refer back to later.

4. Deep Clean

The next thing you need to tick off your rental checklist is to clean everything – and we mean everything!

The previous tenants or the landlord might have cleaned the property before you move in, but they also might not have. Just in case, it’s a good idea to give your new home a deep clean before you start unpacking all your things.

Hopefully, you’ll have packed your cleaning products into your ‘essentials’ box so that you have easy access to them without having to unpack everything else.

5. Check the Inventory

An inventory is a comprehensive report of the property. Usually, it will include a list of all the furniture, fixtures and fittings, as well as a brief description of their condition.

If this is given to you, you should check it thoroughly, making sure that everything is in the property that should be and that the condition is as it says.

If you aren’t given an inventory list on moving into your rented property, then you should request one from your landlord. If you still don’t receive one, make your own! Note down everything that is in the property when you move in and take photos to accompany this.

6. Change Your Address

Here’s one that many people moving into a rental property often forget – updating your address.

Despite many home-movers forgetting to do this, changing your address should be a priority on your moving into a rented property checklist. Otherwise, you might miss out on important correspondence from some of your accounts and services. Or, even worse, that information might make it into the wrong hands, putting you at risk of identity theft.

Some of the important accounts you might need to notify include:

For a more comprehensive list of who to notify when moving into a rented property, check out our complete change of address checklist.

7. Unpack

Finally, you can start unpacking! Once you’ve completed the other tasks on your checklist for renting a house, you can start taking all your stuff out of the boxes.

Depending on how much stuff you have, this could be a mammoth task or you could get it done in a few hours. Don’t feel like you have to do it all at once, though – start out with the important stuff, like making your bed and getting your food into cupboards.

8. Put Your Stamp On the Place

Now you’ve ticked off all the boring stuff on your moving into a rented property checklist, it’s time to start being creative.

While many landlords won’t let you make any permanent changes to your new property, such as painting the walls or hammering nails into the walls, there are still plenty of ways to make your new home feel cosy:

– Decorate the living room with cushions
– Get a rug that compliments your cushions
– Add some indoor plants
– If you opt for wooden furniture, go for matching wood

Moving Into a Rented Property Checklist FAQs

How long does it take to move into a rented house?

You can secure and move into a rental property in as little as one week. In some cases, however, moving into a rented house could take 1-2 months. No matter how long it takes, though, securing a rental property is much faster than purchasing a home.

Should a rental property be clean when you move in?

A rental property should be clean when you move in because it is the previous tenant’s responsibility to clean it before they leave.

However, it is the landlord’s responsibility to check that the property is suitably clean before new tenants move in.

Do all tenants need to be on the tenancy agreement UK?

Yes, the tenancy agreement should be signed by all tenants and the landlord. If there are joint tenants, each tenant should then receive a copy of the agreement.

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