Notice has been given. The tenancy is ending on a known date. What happens between now and then often determines whether the turnover is straightforward or becomes a dispute about a deposit.

Most of that is decided by one document: the letter you send once move-out is confirmed.

This page covers what that letter should contain, how to set expectations about condition and charges without over-promising, and what to keep afterwards. For the notice that ends the tenancy in the first place, see the guide to the lease termination letter.

What the Letter Is For

A move-out instructions letter confirms what has been agreed and tells the resident what is expected of them before they hand back the unit.

It answers the questions a departing resident actually has:

• When exactly does my tenancy end?

• What condition does the unit need to be in?

• What do I do with the keys?

• When is the inspection, and can I be there?

• What happens to my deposit, and when?

• What do I still owe?

• Where do I send my forwarding address?

Every one of those questions arrives by phone or email if the letter does not answer it. More importantly, a resident who has been told the cleaning standard in writing four weeks in advance is in a different position from one who first hears about it on a deduction statement.

Send It Early

The letter should go out as soon as move-out is confirmed, not in the final week.

The point of sending early is that most of the instructions are things the resident has to act on. Arranging cleaning, booking a lift in a managed building, returning a parking fob, redirecting mail and scheduling a final meter reading all take time. A letter that arrives three days before the end of the tenancy is an account of what the resident has already failed to do.

Send it once, in full, then follow up closer to the date with a short reminder rather than a second set of instructions.

What to Include

Two of these carry more weight than the rest, and both are covered separately below: the condition standard and the deposit process.

Check for Protected Circumstances First

Before finalising move-out instructions, confirm whether the resident has a reasonable accommodation or other protected housing right that affects what can be expected at handover. Accessibility modifications made during the tenancy, assistance animals, and medical equipment in the unit are common examples.

A standard condition instruction may need to be adjusted where a modification was approved, and the treatment of approved modifications at move-out depends on the lease, the accommodation agreement and applicable fair housing requirements. Check the file before the letter goes out rather than after the inspection.

The Condition Standard

This is where most deposit disputes begin, and where careful wording matters most.

• State the standard, not a vague aspiration. "Leave the property clean" means different things to different people. "The unit should be returned clean and empty of belongings, in the condition recorded at move-in, allowing for normal wear and tear" gives the resident something to work to.

• Reference the move-in record. If a condition report was completed at the start of the tenancy, say so and offer a copy. A resident who can see what was recorded on day one knows what they are being measured against.

• Be specific about the things that actually get charged. Rather than a general instruction, list the items that commonly result in deductions in your portfolio: appliances cleaned, carpets, marks on walls, rubbish removed, garden left tidy, filters replaced. A short list is more useful than a paragraph of general language.

• Do not promise that meeting the standard means no charges. The resident's obligations and any permitted deductions are governed by the lease and applicable law, and the position depends on the actual condition at handover. Telling a resident "if you clean thoroughly there will be no deductions" creates an expectation you may not be able to honour.

• Do not state what normal wear and tear covers as though it were settled. It is a judgement applied to facts, and the standard varies by jurisdiction and circumstance. Say that reasonable wear and tear is expected and that condition will be assessed against the move-in record.

Keys, Access and the Handover Moment

Small items, disproportionate problems.

List everything that has to come back: door keys, window keys, mailbox key, fobs, remotes, garage or gate openers, parking permits, access cards, and anything issued during the tenancy.

State how they are returned and to whom. A drop-off point, an office address with opening hours, or a handover appointment. "Leave the keys in the unit" is only workable if you have said so and the door can be secured.

Say what happens if items are not returned, in terms of the lease. Where a replacement charge applies, that comes from the lease, not from the letter.

And be explicit that moving belongings out does not automatically end the tenancy. The tenancy ends according to the lease, the notice and applicable law, and returning keys is generally part of completing the handover process. Confirm what applies to the property before describing it in the letter.

The Final Inspection

Three things the letter should settle.

1. When it will happen. A date and time, or the window in which it will be scheduled.

2. Whether the resident may attend. Some jurisdictions give residents a right to be present at a move-out inspection, or a right to a pre-move-out inspection. Check what applies where the property is, and where a right exists, the letter should say how to exercise it rather than leaving the resident to discover it.

3. What the inspection produces. A record of condition, usually with photographs, compared against the move-in report. Say that the resident will receive the outcome.

If a pre-move-out inspection is available or required, offer it clearly. It can reduce the likelihood of a deposit dispute because it gives the resident the chance to address documented issues before they become deductions 

The Deposit Paragraph

Write this one carefully. It is the paragraph residents read most closely and the one most likely to be quoted back.

• Say how the deposit will be dealt with, meaning that it will be assessed after the final inspection against the lease and applicable requirements, and either returned, or returned in part with an itemised statement of any deductions.

• Say when, by reference to the applicable requirement rather than a number you have chosen. Deposit return deadlines are set by state and local law, they differ substantially, and several are tied to events rather than fixed periods. The letter should state the applicable timeframe for that property, taken from the rules that apply there, and avoid promising a specific date before the inspection is complete.

• Say what is needed from the resident, which is almost always a forwarding address. Explain that the deposit statement and any balance will be sent there.

• Do not promise a full return. And do not state an amount before the inspection has happened.

The accounting behind deposits covers how the disposition is recorded once the decision is made, including where a deposit is applied to amounts owed rather than returned.

Money Still Owed

Be direct about what remains payable.

• Final rent. The amount and the date due. Where the tenancy ends mid-cycle, how the final period is calculated depends on the lease and applicable law.

• Arrears. Any outstanding balance as at the date of the letter, with a note that it may change if further charges arise.

• Charges that are known. Anything already agreed or billed.

• Charges that are not yet known. Say that final charges, if any, will be assessed after handover in accordance with the lease and applicable law.

One thing to avoid: telling a resident to stop paying rent because the deposit will cover it. Whether a deposit can be applied to unpaid rent depends on the lease and applicable law, and in some jurisdictions there are limits on how and when a deposit may be used. Inviting a resident to treat it that way creates a problem for both sides.

Utilities and Services

A short section that prevents a recurring annoyance.

Tell the resident which accounts are theirs to close or transfer, whether final meter readings are needed, and when services should be disconnected. Where the lease requires utilities to remain connected until the end of the tenancy, state that. Otherwise, ask the resident to keep services connected through the inspection date where possible, since a unit without power or water cannot be properly inspected.

Mention mail redirection. A resident who forgets it will contact you for months.

The Letter Template

Use this as a working template. Replace every bracketed field and check it against the lease and the requirements where the property is located before sending.

Subject: Move-Out Instructions - [Property Address / Unit]

Date: [Date]

Dear [Resident Name(s)],

We have confirmed that your tenancy at [Property Address / Unit] will end on [Tenancy End Date]. This letter sets out what happens next.

Handover: The unit must be vacated and all keys and access items returned by [Date] at [Time].

Condition: The unit should be returned clean and empty of belongings, in the condition recorded at move-in, allowing for reasonable wear and tear. [Reference the move-in condition report and offer a copy.] Areas that commonly need attention before handover include [list, for example: appliances, bathrooms, carpets, removal of all rubbish and personal items].

Items to return: [List all keys, fobs, remotes, permits, access cards and any other issued items.]

Returning keys: [Where and how, including address, hours or appointment arrangements.]

Final inspection: A move-out inspection is scheduled for [Date and Time]. [State whether the resident may attend, and how to arrange it, in line with applicable requirements.] You will receive the outcome of the inspection.

Utilities: Please [close / transfer] your accounts for [list], effective [Date], and arrange any final meter readings. [Where required by the lease: services must remain connected until the end of the tenancy. Otherwise: please keep services connected through [inspection date] where possible.]

Final rent and charges: [Amount] is due on [Date]. [State any known outstanding balance.] Any further charges will be assessed in accordance with the lease and applicable law.

Deposit: Your deposit will be assessed following the inspection, in line with your lease and the applicable requirements. Any deductions will be itemised in writing, and the balance will be returned within the timeframe that applies to this property. Please provide a forwarding address so this can be sent to you.

Forwarding address: Please send your forwarding address to [Email / Portal] before [Date].

If you have questions about any of the above, contact [Name] at [Phone] or [Email].

Delivered by: [Email / resident portal / hand delivery / other permitted method]
Delivery date and time: [Date and Time]

[Property Manager Name]
[Company Name]
[Contact Details]

Where Move-Out Letters Go Wrong

• Sent too late. The resident cannot act on instructions they receive in the final week.

• Cleaning standard stated as an outcome. "Leave it as you found it" invites an argument about what that was. Reference the move-in record instead.

• Promising no deductions. A letter that says thorough cleaning means a full deposit return creates an expectation the inspection may not support.

• A deposit timeframe pulled from habit. Return deadlines are set by law and vary. Use the one that applies to the property.

• No forwarding address requested. Then the statement and any balance have nowhere to go, and how that affects the deposit process depends on the applicable requirements.

• Keys not itemised. A resident returns the door key and keeps the mailbox key and a fob, because nobody listed them.

• Silence about the inspection. A resident who did not know an inspection was happening treats its findings as a surprise.

What to Keep

For each move-out:

• The notice that ended the tenancy

• This letter, with delivery evidence

• The move-in condition report

• The move-out inspection record, with photographs

• The resident's forwarding address

• The final rent and charges position

• The deposit statement issued, with any itemised deductions

• Any resident response or dispute

The move-in report and the move-out record are two of the key documents used when assessing deposit deductions, and they are most useful when reviewed together. A move-out inspection is much more useful when there is a documented move-in condition to compare it against. 

Where the resident is leaving because renewal was declined, the renewal offer and the response belong in the same file, so the sequence from offer to decline to move-out reads as one record.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What should a move-out instructions letter include?
The tenancy end date, the handover deadline for vacating and returning keys, the condition the unit should be returned in, a list of all keys and access items, the final inspection arrangements, utility instructions, final rent and any outstanding charges, how and when the deposit will be dealt with, a request for a forwarding address, and contact details.

2. When should move-out instructions be sent?
As soon as move-out is confirmed, rather than in the final week. Most of the instructions require the resident to arrange something, and a letter that arrives shortly before the end of the tenancy leaves no time to act on it.

3. What should the letter say about cleaning?
That the unit should be returned clean and empty of belongings, in the condition recorded at move-in, allowing for reasonable wear and tear, with reference to the move-in condition report. Listing the areas that commonly need attention is more useful than a general instruction.

4. Should the letter say when the deposit will be returned?
It should state the timeframe that applies to the property. Deposit return requirements are set by state and local law and vary substantially, with some tied to events rather than fixed periods, so the letter should reflect the applicable rule rather than a general figure.

5. Can a resident attend the move-out inspection?
In some jurisdictions residents have a right to be present, or to request a pre-move-out inspection. Check what applies where the property is located, and where such a right exists, the letter should explain how to exercise it.

6. What if the resident does not return all the keys?
The letter should list every key and access item to be returned and state that replacement charges may apply as provided in the lease. Any charge should follow the lease and applicable law rather than being introduced in the letter.

The Letter Sets the Standard It Will Be Judged By

A deposit dispute is usually an argument about an expectation that was never written down.

The move-out letter is where that expectation gets set: what condition, by when, measured against what, assessed how. Send it early, keep it specific, and avoid promising an outcome the inspection has not yet determined.

RIOO is a property management platform built on NetSuite, with move-ins and move-outs and property accounting in the same underlying system.

Note: Guidance in this article is general and does not constitute legal advice. Move-out requirements, inspection rights, permitted deductions, deposit return timeframes and the treatment of abandoned property vary by state, locality and lease. Confirm the requirements that apply to each property before issuing move-out instructions.