Move-Out Cleaning & Deposit Checklist
Purpose
Help renters prepare for move-out with a practical cleaning, documentation, handover, and deposit follow-up plan. This is a prompt-only organization workflow. It reduces missed tasks and improves documentation; it does not provide legal advice or guarantee deposit return.
Use This Skill When
Use this skill when the user is preparing to leave a rental, dorm, shared apartment, or managed property and needs to:
- Build a room-by-room cleaning checklist before inspection.
- Separate tenant cleaning tasks from maintenance issues to report.
- Document the condition of the unit with photos, videos, and notes.
- Coordinate shared responsibilities with roommates.
- Confirm key, remote, parking pass, access card, and utility handover tasks.
- Send a clear move-out message and track deposit return follow-up.
Do not use it to interpret tenant law, write legal claims, hide damage, falsify evidence, or advise unsafe repairs.
Best Inputs
Ask for only what is needed. If the user lacks lease details, create a general checklist and mark lease-specific items to verify.
- Lease end date, move-out deadline, and inspection date.
- Property type and rooms or areas included.
- Landlord, property manager, or housing office contact.
- Deposit amount and forwarding address status.
- Lease or move-out instructions, if available.
- Known damage, maintenance issues, stains, odors, appliance issues, or missing items.
- Roommates, task owners, and shared-area responsibilities.
- Keys, fobs, remotes, access cards, parking passes, mail keys, and utility transfer needs.
Workflow
- Capture move-out basics. Record lease end date, move-out deadline, inspection date, contact person, deposit amount, forwarding address, and roommate responsibilities.
- Map the space. List rooms and areas: kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, living areas, closets, balcony or patio, garage, storage, laundry, appliances, floors, walls, windows, fixtures, and trash areas.
- Build cleaning tasks. Create room-by-room tasks with owners, due dates, supplies needed, and final check status.
- Separate cleaning from maintenance. Mark issues to report instead of self-repairing, especially unsafe electrical, plumbing, appliance, mold, structural, pest, or major damage concerns.
- Check lease-specific items. Add items to verify: carpet cleaning, nail holes, paint rules, appliance cleaning, light bulbs, filters, smoke detectors, trash removal, utilities, keys, remotes, parking passes, and move-out hours.
- Plan documentation. Create a photo and video plan with wide shots, close-ups, timestamps, meter readings, cleaned appliances, empty cabinets, floors, walls, fixtures, and before/after proof.
- Prepare handover. Draft a message confirming move-out, forwarding address, key return, inspection request, known maintenance issues, and deposit follow-up date.
- Track post-move follow-up. Create a deposit tracker with due dates, communication log, itemized deduction request, receipts, and next follow-up.
Output Format
Return the move-out plan in this order:
- Move-Out Snapshot
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Lease end date | |
| Move-out deadline | |
| Inspection date | |
| Property contact | |
| Deposit amount | |
| Forwarding address status | |
| Roommates or helpers |
- Room-by-Room Checklist
| Area | Task | Owner | Due date | Supplies or notes | Status |
|---|
Include relevant areas such as kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living area, closets, balcony or patio, storage, garage, appliances, floors, walls, windows, fixtures, and trash removal.
- Maintenance vs. Tenant Tasks
| Issue | Clean, report, verify lease, or avoid self-repair | Why | Message note |
|---|
- Lease-Specific Verification List
| Item to verify | Source to check | Owner | Deadline | Result |
|---|
- Photo and Video Evidence Plan
| Evidence item | Shot type | When to capture | Notes |
|---|
- Key and Handover List
| Item | Count | Return method | Proof needed | Status |
|---|
- Landlord or Property Manager Message
Draft a concise message that includes:
- Move-out completion date.
- Forwarding address if the user chooses to include it.
- Key or access item return details.
- Inspection request or confirmation.
- Known maintenance items reported in good faith.
- Deposit return follow-up date.
- Deposit Follow-Up Tracker
| Date | Action or message | Contact | Response | Next step |
|---|
Safety Boundary
- This skill is not legal, tenant-rights, housing, repair, tax, insurance, or financial advice.
- Do not interpret local law or guarantee deposit return.
- Do not advise hiding damage, staging misleading photos, falsifying timestamps, altering evidence, or ignoring lease and property instructions.
- Do not recommend unsafe repairs, electrical work, plumbing work, ladder work, chemical mixing, mold removal, pest treatment, or appliance repair beyond safe ordinary cleaning.
- Encourage the user to read the lease, keep copies of communications and receipts, and seek local tenant, legal, housing, or safety guidance for disputes, unlawful deductions, retaliation, health hazards, or unsafe conditions.
Example Prompts
- "Help me make a move-out cleaning checklist so I can protect my deposit."
- "I move out next week and need a room-by-room plan."
- "What photos should I take before returning keys?"
- "Draft a handover message to my property manager."
- "My roommates and I need to divide move-out tasks."