Resident Move-Out Guide

Moving Out of Your Rice Real Estate & Property Management Home

A smooth move-out starts with proper notice and ends when the home is empty, clean, and returned with all keys and remotes. Use this guide to understand the main steps.

Start Your Move-Out Notice View the Cleaning Checklist

Step 1: Give Proper Notice

Plan Your Move-Out Before You Start Packing

Telling a vendor, leasing agent, or property manager in conversation does not replace the required online notice. Submit the form and keep a copy of the confirmation for your records.

Standard Lease-End Move-Out

Submit Notice Before the Final Month Begins

30+ Days

The current lease requires written notice before the first day of the final lease month and never less than 30 days before the lease expires.

Include your firm move-out date and a reliable forwarding address. If notice is late or incomplete, holdover terms may apply under your signed lease.

Leaving Before the Lease Ends

Early Termination Uses Different Rules

Do not use the standard move-out timeline to estimate the cost of ending a lease early. Review your signed early-termination addendum and contact Rice Real Estate & Property Management before making final arrangements.

  • The current master addendum calls for 30 days of written notice.
  • It lists a $995 lease-break administrative fee.
  • Rent and certain utilities may continue until a replacement resident takes possession.
  • Your signed documents control if your terms are different.
Before the Move-Out Date

Finish These Planning Tasks

  • Confirm the move-out date shown on your submitted notice.
  • Review your lease, addenda, condition report, and key or remote release.
  • Schedule professional carpet cleaning early enough to correct missed items.
  • Arrange the required utility transfer instead of simply shutting service off.
  • Pay rent and other charges when due. A security deposit cannot be used as last month’s rent.
  • Report active maintenance problems through the Resident Center before move-out. Review the resident maintenance instructions if you are unsure which request type to use.

Step 2: Prepare the Home

Lease-Based Move-Out Cleaning Checklist

Return the home empty, clean, sanitary, and in good condition, except for reasonable wear. Carpets must be professionally cleaned, and residents must provide the carpet-cleaning receipt. Hard-surface flooring, including tile and grout, must also be thoroughly cleaned, but a professional-service receipt is not required for those surfaces.

Carpet and Floors

  • Professionally shampoo and vacuum carpet.
  • Thoroughly clean hard-surface flooring, tile, and grout.
  • Keep the professional carpet-cleaning receipt.
  • Remove pet stains and odors. Carpet and padding may be checked for pet damage.
  • Clean corners, edges, and baseboards.

Kitchen

  • Clean the stove, burners, oven, racks, broiler, hood, light, and filter.
  • Clean refrigerator and freezer compartments and racks.
  • Wipe cabinet interiors, doors, and shelving.
  • Remove added shelf paper.
  • Leave the garbage disposal clean, clear, and operating.

Bathrooms and Laundry

  • Clean sinks, tubs, showers, doors, and enclosures.
  • Remove mildew and soap residue.
  • Clean mirrors and medicine cabinets inside and out.
  • Scrub the washer and dryer area floor.
  • Clean dryer lint screens.

Walls, Windows and Blinds

  • Spot-clean walls and doors.
  • Remove TV-mount hardware. Contact management about patching and repainting the affected wall.
  • For small picture-hanger holes, remove the hardware but do not spackle or spot-paint.
  • Tell management if walls were painted a different color.
  • Clean windows without streaks.
  • Clear window tracks of dirt and debris.
  • Dust and clean blinds.

Fixtures, HVAC and Detectors

  • Install new air filters and write the replacement date.
  • Clean the metal air-return grille.
  • Dust light fixtures and ceiling fans.
  • Replace burned-out bulbs with the matching style and correct wattage.
  • Make sure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are present and not chirping.

Garage, Driveway and Equipment

  • Remove every item from the garage.
  • Remove oil and grease spots from the garage and driveway.
  • Sweep the garage thoroughly.
  • Remove resident-installed satellite dishes and related materials.

Yard, Patio and Final Sweep

  • Mow and rake the yard.
  • Trim shrubs and pull weeds within your lease responsibilities.
  • Remove exterior debris and personal property.
  • Sweep patios and walkways.
  • Pick up all pet waste.
  • Empty trash and recycling cans, wash them with soap and water, and let them dry.
Keep your documentation: Save the professional carpet-cleaning receipt and take clear, date-stamped photos or video after the home is empty and cleaning is complete. The carpet-cleaning receipt is the only professional cleaning receipt required by Rice Real Estate & Property Management.

Common Move-Out Charges to Avoid

Finish cleaning, repairs, landscaping, and trash removal before returning possession. If Rice Real Estate & Property Management must coordinate unfinished work, the following confirmed charges may be added to the actual vendor costs.

Confirmed Service Charges

  • Minimum $75 hauling charge for trash or personal property left behind
  • Minimum $100 coordination fee for unfinished cleaning, repairs, or hauling
  • $75 per trip for reinspections, meeting vendors, or similar return visits
  • Actual vendor costs for cleaning, repairs, landscaping, or removal

Frequent Deposit Deductions

  • No professional carpet-cleaning receipt
  • Missing or burned-out light bulbs
  • Missing or chirping smoke or carbon monoxide detectors
  • Damaged blinds, carpet, walls, or flooring
  • TV-mount damage or unauthorized paint colors
  • Missing keys, garage remotes, gate remotes, fobs, or other access items
  • Trash, full trash cans, pet waste, weeds, or overgrown landscaping
  • Garage or driveway oil and grease stains

Step 3: Return the Home

Complete the Handoff and Deposit Follow-Up

Moving your belongings out is not the final step. Return every access item, coordinate utilities correctly, and provide the address where your deposit accounting should be sent.

Keys, Remotes and Return of Possession

  1. Remove all residents, guests, pets, belongings, and trash.
  2. Return all door and mailbox keys to the office no later than 5:00 PM on the confirmed move-out date.
  3. Return all garage, gate, pool, fan, and other remotes or access devices by the same deadline.
  4. Returning the access items is the formal act of surrendering possession.
  5. Do not leave keys or remotes inside the home unless Rice Real Estate & Property Management gives written instructions.
  6. Management does not meet residents at the property to collect keys or conduct a final walk-through.

Missing access items may be charged according to your signed Key & Remote Release and may be deducted from the security deposit.

Utilities and Account Balances

  • Keep all utilities active through the end of the lease term, even if you physically leave sooner.
  • Contact management at least one business day before vacating to confirm the required transfer date.
  • Do not disconnect service early. Schedule shutoff or transfer for the first day after the lease ends unless management gives different written instructions.
  • Be prepared to show that utilities serving the property have a zero balance.
  • If leaving early, the signed early-termination addendum may require electric, gas, and water to remain active longer.
  • Keep your Resident Center contact information current until the account is closed.

Security Deposit Accounting

  • Provide a complete forwarding address in writing with your move-out notice.
  • If no forwarding address is provided, the transmittal may be mailed to the last known address, which may be the home you are leaving.
  • File an official USPS change-of-address request to help prevent delivery delays.
  • The current lease states that an itemized deposit accounting will be provided within 30 days after surrender of the premises.
  • Many transmittals are mailed in approximately 2½ weeks, but this is a typical goal and not a guaranteed delivery date.
  • Any remaining refundable balance is sent after authorized charges are applied.
  • Cleaning, damage beyond reasonable wear, missing access items, unpaid balances, or other amounts allowed by the lease may affect the refund.
  • Resident responsibility is not necessarily limited to the amount of the deposit.

Before You Leave for the Last Time

  • Check every cabinet, closet, garage area, patio, and yard.
  • Confirm windows and exterior doors are closed and secured.
  • Make sure no water is running and no active leak is present. For an active safety or property emergency, follow the emergency maintenance instructions.
  • Take final photos only after cleaning and removal are complete.
  • Confirm trash and recycling cans are empty, clean, and not left at the curb.
  • Keep your notice confirmation, receipts, key-return record, and final utility documents.

Submit Your Online Move-Out Notice

Complete one Rice Real Estate & Property Management move-out notice form per household. Within 24–48 business hours after Rice Real Estate & Property Management receives your notice, the Resident Services Team will respond by email with detailed move-out instructions and information.

Questions: 702-551-9592 Email: [email protected]

Before beginning: Have your firm move-out date, complete forwarding address, rental property address, current phone number, and current email address available.

Required fields are marked with an asterisk. After selecting the submit button, remain on this page until the confirmation message appears.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Tenant Name(Required)
Property Address(Required)
If yes, enter neighborhood gate code. If not gated, enter n/a.
Email(Required)
Move-Out Consent:(Required)

This page is a general resident guide. Your signed lease, addenda, property-specific instructions, and written directions from Rice Real Estate & Property Management control if they differ from this summary.

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