It's time to finally say "Sayonara" to that cave you call an apartment. We're sure the roaches will miss you--almost as much as you'll miss that freak in 2B with a penchant for blasting Michael Bolton at all hours of the night. You're free!
Well, you're almost free. Remember that security deposit you gave the landlord when you signed your lease? It would be nice to get that back. It would also be nice to avoid getting charged for unnecessary repairs the landlord performs after you're gone. So save your money and allow us to guide you through the process of properly vacating your apartment.
Oh, one last thing: Remember that none of this informative article is meant as a substitute for individual legal advice. (Our lawyers are now smiling.)
If you think you can just pick up and move out of your apartment anytime you feel like it, realize that this is almost never the case; rather, you must give a certain predetermined amount of notice to your landlord. So here's the proper procedure for giving your landlord notice:
1. Find your lease. If you can't locate it (or once used it to line the litter box), go to your landlord and get a copy of it as soon as possible. Just make sure your landlord gives you a copy of the one you actually signed and not another version. (Those landlords can be tricky!)
2. Look through the lease and find out how much notice you agreed to give your landlord before vacating.
That isn't all quite as straightforward as you would think, because sometimes, they also require that your last day coincide with the end of a rental period. As a result, you might not be able to move out. Here's an example:
* You decide on March 20 that you want to vacate your apartment.
* Thirty days' notice is required under your lease.
* The first day of every month is the end of your rental period.
* Therefore, if you decide to give notice that day (March 20), you would not be able to vacate until the end of the following rental period (May 1) and not April 21, even though this would be more than 30 days later.
Our advice is to give your landlord plenty of notice (more than your minimum requirement) and arrange it so that the last day of your lease coincides with your rent period.
