Departing Your Rental: Just You
If only one roommate is moving out, and that roommate is you...
1. Notify All Those Affected by Your Move
This means your roommates and your landlord. Notice must be given 30 days in advance, and you’ll protect yourself if you give it in writing.
2. Clean Up
You should clean your room and a fair share of the common areas of the house. This might mean doing a “big” job, like scrubbing out the refrigerator or the oven.
3. Help Find Replacement Tenants
This is particularly important if you are breaking a lease before it expires. If you’re under a month-to-month agreement, helping the household find new tenants is polite, but isn’t your legal responsibility, unless you signed a Roommate Contract/Agreement (available under OCHS Resources) wherein you agreed to help.
4. Discuss the Return of Your Security Deposit and "Last Month's Rent Paid in Advance" with Your House Manager (if applicable) or Landlord
If you pre-paid the last month’s rent upon move-in, can you apply it now that you’re moving out? Perhaps, but the household as a whole is responsible for paying a full rent payment to the landlord, even if one roommate is moving out and wants to apply his portion of the household’s “last month’s rent in advance.” Generally, shared households require the roommate to pay rent in the final month. When a replacement roommate is found, the departing roommate is reimbursed the last month’s rent and security deposit, less any deductions. The departing roommate should give the replacement roommate a receipt for these payments.
5. Terminate Household Accounts in Your Name
If any of the bills are in your name (phone, cable, TV, electricity, etc.), have the accounts transferred to one of the remaining tenants. This protects your credit rating in case future roommates fail to make payment.