Move Out Checklist

Our goal is to make your move out and the return of your deposit as smooth as it can be.  Please take a moment to review these detailed instructions.  Failure to comply with these instructions may result in deductions to your security deposit, and possibly additional charges in excess of that amount.  Please contact our office with any questions.

When vacating the property you must submit your intent to vacate using the Notice to Vacate form on your “Tenant Portal” 20 days prior to the end of your lease.  Please be sure to provide our office with your forwarding address so we can process and mail your security deposit refund.  Security Deposit dispositions are sent out within 21 days from the lease end date, provided you have vacated the property.  Please allow adequate time for mail delivery. Thank you for being an SJA tenant and we wish you the best of luck with your move.

We love to refund tenants their full deposits! That is a win-win for everyone.  However, in order for us to do that you must fulfill the terms of the lease and follow these move out instructions.  The amount you receive back is really up to you. We will be very happy to make no deductions for repairs or cleaning.  Remember that there is an administrative charge for every vendor we need to hire and an inspection fee for us to go to the property and check their work.  As mentioned, we will process your deposit within 21 days from when you vacate the property and the lease is terminated.  We will then send the disposition and check to the forwarding address you provided.

All house keys, mail box keys, garage remotes, parking passes, entry fobs, etc, to the property, need to be dropped off at the office before 5:00 PM on the last day of your lease term.  If your lease date ends on a weekend, you either need to drop items off earlier in the week during office hours or mail them to our office.  All items should be placed in a padded envelope with your name, property address and your new forwarding address.

Returning keys constitutes vacating the property and allows us to begin processing your security deposit.  If you fail to return your keys you will be considered a “holdover tenant” and in violation of your lease agreement and will incur costly penalties.   

Please contact your utility providers to do a final meter reading as of your last day of tenancy and make sure when you vacate all outstanding balances are paid in full.  SJA Property Management processes water & sewer bills internally and any final balance due will be deducted from your security deposit. Please leave all utilities in your name through the end of your lease term, regardless of whether you move out sooner.  The cancellation date should be the last day of your lease term unless you receive approval from us to cancel earlier.  Power should be transferred out of your name not disconnected.

If you have your tenant portal on AUTOPAY, please be sure to deactivate your payment.  SJA does not have access to your portal.  The tenant portal is set up to SEND money.  SJA does not bill your account. If you do not deactivate your payment on time, your bank will send a payment even if there are no charges to your account.  In the event this happens, SJA will refund your money via paper check within 10 days.  We are not able to stop a payment or transfer funds back into your account.

We will conduct the final move out inspection once you have completely moved out and have returned all the keys to the property.  We will compare the Move-In Inspection you completed, to the current condition of the property.  Please have the property in rent-ready condition by the end of your lease date as you will not be able to re-enter the property after that date.  Inspections are not performed with the resident.

If the owner of your property is choosing to re-rent, there will be a sign and lockbox placed on the property, per the lease agreement.  We will begin advertising the property as soon as we receive a notice and we will start conducting showings one month before your lease ends.  By Washington State law you will be given at least 24hrs notice before each showing.  Anything you can do to keep the property in show condition will increase the chances of us renting sooner and us no longer needing to show.  If you have a pet, please place them in a kennel or remove them if they may interfere with the showing.  Per your lease, we may charge a $100 trip charge for each showing declined by the tenant after the notice was given.

Painting, Picture Hanger Holes – Do not spackle

Please do not fill small holes in your walls with spackle or try to do touch up the paint.  Often times this makes the situation worse and requires us to fully repaint the walls (at tenant expense).  Tiny holes are normally considered wear and tear.  If you have caused excessive wear and tear on the walls and they need to be painted or touched up please contact us and we can help you through that process.

If you have caused any damage to the property that needs repair please have that addressed before move out (broken blinds, screens, door handles, trim, cabinets, towel racks, etc.)  If there are repairs needed that you cannot get completed or that you do not believe were caused by you, please inform us of them in writing.  This way there will be no surprises or miscommunications.

All carpet must be professionally cleaned and stains treated, with receipt given to us before the last day of the lease term (no Rug Doctor/self-cleaning is allowed). If you have had a pet in the property you are required to have the carpets treated for pet stains and odors regardless of the carpet condition. As well as have the home professionally treated for fleas by a pest control company. This is important and if it is not done, SJA will have to resend a professional at your expense.