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Moving out

Move out checklist.

Must you go? If you must, then whether you're all moving out of the apartment, or you're just one roommate and some or all of the others are staying, please do the following or you'll be charged for each item that needs to be taken care of:

TRASH
  • Trash, put it out NOW! Don't wait until the last minute. Put your trash out on the Wednesday night before your moving day (TODAY!!). This way, you will know what the city hasn't taken and be handle it accordingly. If you put out your trash on the day you move, you risk a fine for overflowing barrels, and paying us for putting your trash out and/or hauling it away. Don't leave overflowing trash barrels. Plan your moving such that you leave behind minimal trash. TVs, monitors and other equipment may need a sticker from the City of Cambridge for pickup. These are usually about $25.
GENERAL

Whether you are renting a room or an apartment, it is important to leave your room and the common areas spotless.
  • Cleaning. Please clean the apartment thorougly before you leave, or we will have to get it done and charge you for it. Clean the heating baseboards, window sills, windows (use Windex) and anything else that you see. Or can't. You must leave your room and the common areas clean, regardless of whether your roommates help you or not. Take out your trash, empty any bins by the washer/dryer. And anything else you can think of. Don't assume others will take care of it.
  • Air out the rooms. Especially the bedroom, especially if you're a guy. Arm & Hammer deodorizer is a great product to use in addition to opening the windows. Spray liberally.
  • Switches and sockets must be in good working order.
  • All bulbs must be installed and working.
  • Smoke detectors must be installed and working. 
  • Fire extinguisher must be on put the kitchen counter in plain view.
  • Scuff marks on walls must be removed. Put sheets on furniture while moving so that walls aren't damaged. Old blankets do well for this task. Scuff marks will need to be repainted if they don't come off easily. You'll need to get matching paint (use a paint chip from the wall) from the hardware store.
  • Floors. Clean the floors, including the edges and the tops of the joiners. 
  • Wooden floors. Clean and use Murphy's oil, Mop n Glo or equivalent. Follow the directions. Avoid scratches and gouges on the floors -- this is very expensive to fix.
  • Empty the place. Do not leave anything in the apartment unless you've already made arrangements with the next tenant or the landlord. Take your stuff out of the basement. If we have to throw it away, we'll have to charge you for it out and for any city fines that are assessed.
  • Leaving things behind. It is extremely helpful for people moving from another state or country to have some furniture when they arrive. If you wish to leave behind a bed, desk, chest of drawers, lamps, TV, etc., and it is in good condition, please ask us first or make arrangements with the incoming tenant. Please don't leave furniture or other items behind assuming that they will be useful. We might have to throw them out and it might wind up costing you as we'll have to throw it away or pay someone to haul it off. TVs etc. need a special sticker from the city in Cambridge, or we'll incur a fine.
  • Damage, nail holes. You have, hopefully, not made holes in the walls or caused much damage. Please fix if you know how to or leave it alone if you don't. You can make things much worse which will cost you more. If you don't feel confident doing this, do not attempt. Please fill up any holes with putty and repaint that area with color-matching paint. Many places in Boston will color-match and provide you paint if you bring them a paint chip from the wall. We prefer you use Behr paint. 
KITCHEN
  • Kitchen. Clean the stove, clean out the refrigerator & microwave using an anti-bacterial product. Wipe the stove, front, sides, instrument panel (where the clock/timer is), wall behind the stove, etc. Grime builds up. 
  • Wipe clean the cabinets, top and bottom. Wipe the insides, wipe the doors, under the cabinets , the tops of the doors and the tops of the cabinets. You'll be surprised as to how much dust and grime collects everywhere. Oily food causes more residue buildup, which takes more time to clean. 
  • Fridge. Clean inside and outside. Windex is good. Clean all the shelves. Take glass shelves out carefully and rinse them in the bathtub if needed. Same thing for all drawers. Clean the back and the bottom of the inside of the fridge and the freezer. Then replace everything. Be careful -- some of the plastic parts may break if forced off and are virtually impossible to replace -- the only way to fix is to get a new fridge!
  • Cabinets. Clean inside and outside.  In some apartments, tenants usually leave pots and pans they inherited from the previous ones as a courtesy for the new fellows, as they're all students who will be staying,only for a year or so. Some of you have used heavy oils in cooking. This cakes up on the ceiling & on the space above the cabinets. Use Totally Awesome to clean all that up.
  • Pots, Pans, Utensils. In mostly-student apartments, tenants leave behind these items for use by the next tenants. Make sure you take everything out of the cabinets -- everything. Put what you think the next guys can use on the kitchen floor (after cleaning it, of course). DO NOT leave things in the cabinets. Top & bottom cabinets must be completely empty.
  • Careful up & down stairs, moving things. Do not cause damage in the common areas of the building!
BATHROOM
  • Clean out the bathroom fan vent. It is probably fuzzy with dust.
  • Remove all items from the bathroom. Ask the others as to what belongs to them. By 9/1, all items must be removed unless one of the roommates is staying for another year.
  • Clean up soap scum from the sink and bathtub. The bathtub should be gleaming white. Yes, they do clean out but might need a whole lot of elbow grease after one year of use. Use Awesome cleaner (see below). 
  • Clean the toilet, use Clorox or equivalent. Plenty of products available at DollarTree near the Lechmere T stop (for those in Cambridge). All for $1 a piece.
YOUR ROOM

  • Carpet. Shampoo or steam-clean the carpet (depends on how dirty it is). Leave a copy of the receipt. You can rent a shampooer at Shaws grocery stores.  Coordinate with us on this -- we may be able to split the cost of the shampooer between multiple apartments.

HELPFUL HINTS
  • No Liquid Plumr!! If you're having an issue with the drains, call the maintenance man (Tony, 617-413-9330). Do not use Liquid Plumr or other chemicals that can potentially destroy pipes.
  • Totally Awesome cleaner is really totally awesome and retails for $1 a bottle at www.dollartree.com. There's one in the Twin City Plaza Mall close to the Lechmere T stop (for those of you in Cambridge). We've never seen anything else cut through grease like this does. You can dilute it in water in various concentrations. Perfect for steel-mesh filters above the stove. Take the filters out, spray with Awesome and leave a tub of water for an hour or two. Rinse clean. Do not use on wood.
  • Keys. Usually, outgoing tenants hand their keys over to the incomers. In most other cases, simply leave the keys in an easy-to-find spot in the apartment and let us know where that is. Then just lock the door and pull it shut behind you. Once in a great while, you may have to hand the keys back to us and we'll give it to the incoming people.
  • Truck rental. if you are moving locally, rent a truck _far in advance_ of your moving date. most people move around 1 sep and it is almost impossible to find a truck around that time. early bird breakfasts on the wriggly worm, etc.
  • Utilties. Sign out of (or up for) utilities that you're paying for, such as Gas, Electricity, Cable, Phone.
  • Mail. Forward your mail. We are unable to forward your mail for you. If we see a straggler here or there, we'll take care of it, but we're not responsible for it.

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