When changing address, it is easy to get so caught up in how you’re going to get everything from the old house to the new place that you don’t spare a thought for what you should be leaving behind.
If you’re the kind of person who wants to ensure that all parties have a smooth move, check out this short guide to what is legal, reasonable, and polite to leave behind at your old house.
Forgo Fixtures
Whether you’re moving from one rental property to another or you’re a home owner, it is important to understand which fixtures and fittings you aren’t allowed to take with you when you move.
Fixtures are anything that is screwed, glued, plumbed, nailed or bolted in the structure of a property. Think: Doors, mail boxes, fans, towel racks, carpets, built in air conditioners etc.
While most people understand that ripping up the flooring or unscrewing towel racks is completely unreasonable, there are a surprising number of disputes that arise from fixtures being removed.
Items like dishwashers, sprinklers and light fittings can fall in a grey zone when moving. So, if you want a move with no legal hassles, it’s best to have everything that you’re going to bring/take/install agreed upon in advance within your rental or sale contract.
Queenslander renters can find more information in the RTA fact sheets on fixtures, and buyers/sellers can go to the REIQ website for examples of what constitutes a fixture and what doesn’t.
Do Unto Others
Just because you can legally take some things with you when you pack up and leave doesn’t necessarily mean that you should.
When you’re thinking about whether to take that last roll of toilet paper on the hook, or if it is a good idea to unscrew all of the light bulbs in the house, take a moment to consider whether you’d like to spend a night in your new home in the dark with no toilet paper.
We’re not suggesting that you leave important items behind - in fact, you can even be charged for the cost of removing unwanted items that don’t come in the sale contract or lease - but a little bit of common courtesy goes a long way.
Leaving a pack of matches beside the gas stove, a roll of toilet paper in each WC, the batteries in the air conditioner remotes and the light bulbs in all of the rooms are good deeds that cost you little and will help the new occupants settle in more easily.
Besides, the lightbulbs you salvage might not even fit your new place.
Basic Instructions
Every house or apartment has its own little eccentricities that can be a little bit mind-boggling to an unaccustomed occupant.
Help out the new resident of your old home out by leaving a short list of instructions that you wish you’d had when first moving in.
Whether you’re explaining how to use the apartment building’s intercom system, giving insights into how regularly the garden likes to be watered, or detailing the easiest way to access the pool filter, a little advice can really help a new owner out.
A good way to think of potential struggles a new owner might face is to ask yourself if there’s anything about the house you’ve had to explain to guests or contractors who’ve stayed in or accessed your house.
Brought to you By
Level 6/140 Creek St, Brisbane, QLD, 4000
0477 775 935
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