AptKeysYour place · Moving out
Your first lease
Before you sign, pin down ten things in writing: rent and due date, lease length, deposit amount and return deadline, every fee, which utilities you pay, who fixes what, entry notice, subletting, the cost of leaving early, and renewal. Then photograph every room on move-in day, before you unpack.
You'll need
- A complete copy of the lease, plus any rules or addenda it mentions
- A pen and a highlighter
- Your phone, for dated move-in photos and video
- The move-in checklist below, printed or on your phone
What to know
- Get the whole lease before you pay.
- Find the money terms.
- Find the length and the end.
- Find the security deposit rules.
- Find every other fee.
- Find who pays which utilities.
- Find who fixes what, and how you ask.
- Find the entry rules.
- Find the subletting and roommate rules.
- Find the early-exit cost.
- Get changes in writing, then sign.
- Do a move-in walkthrough before you unpack.
Watch out Never pay a deposit or first month's rent for a place you haven't seen in person or by live video with someone you've verified actually controls it. The FTC says scammers copy real listings, then ask for money by wire transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency. Paying that way is like sending cash.
Dad note Ten things on paper before you sign, and a photo of every scratch before you unpack. That's how you get your deposit back.