It’s almost been a year since I moved into my rental home and I learned so much in that first weekend about moving. It was the first time I had ever moved into a rental home and today I am sharing my top four tips for moving into a rental home + a bonus tip!

1. Do a THOROUGH walk through of the house

This needs to be done before you move in. On move in day (doesn’t that phrase remind you of moving into a college dorm?) it will be chaotic. No matter how much you plan ahead, it is always chaotic and seems a tad out of control. And once the boxes and furniture start making their way into your new home, you’ll get the urge to want to start unpacking, arranging, organizing, etc.

BEFORE you do any of this, it is imperative to do an extremely thorough walk through of your home.

And I’m not talking just a quick eye ball, but check everything. Walk the rooms, take pictures of things that don’t look right, check the smoke alarms, toilets, light switches, appliances….and check for pests!

You typically have ~3 days to submit this to your landlord, but do not procrastinate and wait until day 3. You will be overwhelmed, anxious, and want to get it done, meaning you might miss something important.

2. Check utilities

Okay, so hear me out. When I moved into the home I am in now, I literally did not know what I needed to do. Water? Electricity? Gas? What? Like can someone give me a guide on what I need to do? Well, unfortunately, on the day I received the keys to my lease, I was doing a walk through with my leasing agent, and just happened to try to turn on the kitchen sink. No water. She freaked out. I freaked out. I hadn’t set up my water – I didn’t know I had to. And then I had to pay an extra $175 for “same day service.” Not only was it a pain to have to worry about setting this up on the same day, but it also ate up around 2 hours of my time, because I had to drive to the MUD district, wait in line, give them a copy of my lease, pay, etc. I was almost in tears. Oh, and in the middle of all of this, I also realized that the house had gas hook ups for the dryer and oven/stop top/etc. I trusted what the posting on HAR.com said and it said it was all electric…..but it wasn’t. So again, more time spent on the phone with Centerpoint, more “same day service” deposits that could have all been avoided.

What I did get right was electricity and cable/internet. I remember feeling so “adult” with my packet of papers and scheduled cable set up time, and then the feeling of “I’m about to cry” when I realized the water and gas weren’t set up! You live and learn……

3. Hire Movers

I don’t know how people move without movers. I know it is another added cost, but y’all, it is so worth it. Companies like Our Truck Moving will literally do all the work for you. The services they offer are:

• Residential
• Commercial
• Labor Only
• Packing

Our Moving Truck goes above and beyond by providing exceptional service and affordable rates for your move. If you need someone to move just your heavy items, such as pianos, furniture, etc., try labor moving Garland TX.

Seriously, I do not know how people move with without movers. It is already an extremely stressful day(s) and movers help alleviate so much of that stress. In fact, I am already starting to budget for my next move (into a permanent home….fingers crossed!) and movers and packing supplies are 100% part of the budget.

4. Read the lease

This should seem like common sense, but y’all, if you do not read through your lease, you could miss important info like late payment charges, move in/out procedures, how to submit maintenance requests, etc. This should actually be done before you even commit to moving. You need to know all of the important stuff before you sign your name on the line.

And, I would even recommend taking all of the important/key points and summarize them somewhere where you can refer back to often (especially if you have mom brain and tend to forget things 🙂 )

BONUS: Renter’s Insurance

Most landlords will require you to get renter’s insurance, and I would recommend it as well. Yes, it’s another monthly payment added to the long list of never ending bills, but insurance is one of those things where you don’t need it, UNTIL YOU NEED IT! And if you don’t have it, you could potentially be out of a lot of money. I bundled my renter’s insurance and auto insurance and received a discount by doing so.

I am in no way an expert at insurance, and honestly, am purposely keeping this kind of vague because of that, but I did try some of the online estimate generators (almost a year ago) and am still getting random e-mails from insurance companies claiming to give me the best deal. Use your discretion if you attempt to use one of those.

Well, friends, to summarize, moving can be very hectic/stressful/chaotic. You can plan and plan and plan, but if you miss some of these key to-do’s before moving, you’re whole plan can be thrown into shambles. I know when I move next time, I will definitely take the lessons I’ve learned from this experience and use them for a smoother move!

Cheers – MP