Your First Apartment
Moving into your first apartment is an exciting experience, but can be daunting with all of the preparations and decisions to be made, not to mention the move itself. You have signed the lease and moving day is approaching, but are you ready to move in?
Before moving day:
It is important not to procrastinate when it comes to ensuring that your apartment is move-in ready on moving day. When planning your move, contact the utility company in advance and schedule to have the utilities turned on or transferred into your name (cover electricity, water, and gas if applicable, services which may be provided by the same or different companies). If you wait until the last minute, you may not be able to schedule services before your target move-in date. Also, reserve a moving truck or make arrangements with a moving company well in advance. Planning ahead will help ensure the availability of equipment or personnel necessary to make your move a success.
Be prepared with the basics before you move into your apartment. Although it will take some time to fully establish your home, there are some items you will likely want to have available from the start. For instance, being prepared with a shower curtain, shower rings, and shower products can be refreshing after a long day of moving. Also, have available a trash bag or trash can to help prevent pileup as you move. Furnishing the restroom with toilet paper, soap and towels from the beginning is also a good idea.
Change your address with the post office so that you will receive mail at your new place. Contact all vendors with whom you have accounts to notify them of your new address and the date it goes into effect. Changing your address at the post office is important, but is not a substitute for contacting your bank, credit card providers, cellular phone provider, and any other entity with which you do business to change your address on file.
Moving day:
Be sure you are prepared to pay the amount due on moving day prior to receiving the key to your new home. It is important to know exactly how much you owe and on what dates. Depending on the specific provisions of your lease agreement, you may owe rent, a pro-rated rent amount, or possibly a pet deposit prior to move in.
Upon receiving the keys to your new apartment, perform an inventory walk through as soon as possible. Apartment management will likely provide a form outlining what should be examined during this process, though you can also obtain a generic one from the internet. Be aware of any provisions of your lease agreement stipulating the timeframe in which the form must be completed, and comply with the terms. Depending on the community, you may perform the walk through alone or with a representative of the apartment community. The move in form attests to the condition of the apartment at move in time and protects you from responsibility for preexisting damage to the unit. Be thorough and descriptive when noting the condition of every item within the apartment.
After the move:
Once the move is complete and you are settled into your new home, do not feel like you have to furnish the entire place right away. Most people have only minimal furnishings when they move into their first apartment, and purchasing full sets of furniture to fill the place is typically not an option in the beginning. Furnishing a home complete with your own personal touches takes time, and will likely be an ongoing endeavor through the years.
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