How to ace moving out of your student accommodation

You’ve survived exam season (hurray!) and now all you need to do is get moved out of your place before you can head home for the summer. Sound a bit too much like hard work? Well, what if we told you that moving out is a lot simpler than it sounds? Here’s how to leave your student accommodation with minimal hassle:

Start packing as soon as you can

First you’ll need to work out which of your things you want to keep and which you’re ready to part ways with. It’s best to start this at least a week or two before moving out – you’ll be amazed at all the stuff that’s built up in your room over the past year!

If you’re struggling to sort it all out, take a leaf out of Marie Kondo’s book (please tell us you’ve seen her series on Netflix!). Does that worse for wear pub golf fancy dress really spark joy for you?

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Why not do Mother Nature a favour and donate your unwanted things to the charity shop or your university’s recycling scheme? Leeds Beckett are all about give, don’t throw and the University of Leeds are hoping to leave Leeds tidy so check them out – there’s sure to be a handy drop off point in your area.

Next you’re going to need something to put all your stuff in. It’s always worth asking in shops if they have any spare cardboard boxes from their deliveries. And if you don’t have any luck then we’d recommend a quick Google, there’s loads of reasonably priced options online.

Organise a clean-up with your housemates

Sorryyyy, you’re going to need to do some serious adulting now! You’ll need to leave the place nice and clean if you’d rather avoid a charge. Gather your housemates, get the tunes on and get down to business. Look, we’re making it easy for you with a handy checklist:

• Empty, clean and defrost the fridge/freezer (we’d recommend leaving some old towels down to soak up any excess water!).
• Clean the cooker, hob and microwave (inside and out please!).
• Clean out the washing machine drawer.
• Wipe over the cupboards, skirting boards, windows and frames.
• Clean all of the floors and vacuum any carpets (be sure to replace the bag afterwards).
• Clean up the bathroom and pay extra attention to those plugholes.
• Replace the smoke alarm batteries.
• Replace any light bulbs that have stopped working.
• If you’ve moved any furniture pop it back in its original place.
• Tidy up and weed the garden if you have one.
• Bag up and throw out any rubbish, and leave the wheelie bins out ready for the next collection.

Don’t fancy a nightmare day scrubbing away? Why not tackle a few jobs each day over the last week of your tenancy?

Sort the bills before you leave

The very last thing you need to do before leaving the property, if you didn’t opt all-inc, is take your final meter readings and submit them to your energy suppliers. It’s worth taking pictures of your meters with your phone so there’s less chance of losing those all-important numbers.

You can usually let your suppliers know that you’re leaving 14 days before moving out and they can advise you how to go about closing down your accounts.

Even though you don’t pay council tax as a full time student, you’ll still need to let the council know that you’re moving too.

Move out in three simple steps

Well done, you’ve pushed past the hardest parts of moving already and now there’s just three steps to follow:

1. Fill in our student check out form to let us know what day you’ll be leaving and your account details for your deposit return. You can find the form here.
2. Move your things out and lock the place up (windows and all!). You’re best to do this by 11.30am.
3. Return your keys, in an envelope with your name on it, to our Headingley office by 12pm latest on the last day of your tenancy.

Keep in touch with us

Our Headingley office hours on the 2019 move out days are:

Saturday 29th June, 10am – 5pm
Sunday 30th June, 9am – 5pm
Monday 1st & Tuesday 2nd July, 9am – 5.30pm
Monday 29th July – Friday 2nd August, 9am – 5.30pm
Thursday 29th & Friday 30th August, 9am – 5.30pm
Saturday 31st August, 9am – 5pm
Sunday 1st September, 9am – 5pm
Monday 2nd September, 9am – 5.30pm

Not sure when your contract ends or got any other questions about moving out? Contact us!