Moving Out
We’re sorry to see you go! But we do recognize job locations change, certain life situations occur and you may need to relocate. This section answers some typical questions regarding moving out of a property managed by Columbia Property Management so that you can better plan your move.
We do not permit – under any circumstances – sub-letting the unit to another party. This includes temporary or short-term rentals. Be up-front with us regarding moving and do not permit others to reside in the rental. We will work with you to find a solution. Contact your property manager for more information regarding the terms of breaking your lease.
Providing Notice to Management
Formal notice as defined in the lease requires first class mail. However, we prefer you to call our office at 888-857-6594, ext. 101 to provide your notice and follow up with an email to your property manager. If you only send an email to provide notice, it will not be considered official until you have received a personal reply from the property manager assigned to your rental.
First, check your lease. In the District of Columbia if the initial term has expired without signing a new lease, you are on a month to month arrangement. Each party is required to provide a 30- day notice to the end of the next rental period. That means that at least one full rental period must pass until your lease obligation would end. For example if you provide notice on April 10th, your notice will be for the last day of May.
If you are nearing the end of your lease term, you should provide notice to Management based on the terms of your lease. Typically this is 60 days. Note that you may need to provide two full rental periods of notice. If you live with housemates, please consider finding replacements for the shares rather than forcing all people to move out. Often this is not as big a burden as it may appear to be and will ensure the current residents can remain in the rental.
If you live with housemates, you will need to find a suitable replacement for your share before you can be released from the lease. See the information below on Roommate Changes for more details on our policies.
Roommate Changes »
The legal and physical logistics for leaving a roommate situation are different than when a household moves out. For example, you cannot be removed from the lease with a simple notice to vacate. The household lease continues indefinitely even at the end of the term, so this Roommate Change policy regulates changes of individual occupants. Notify us as soon as you know you wish to move
Subletting is never permitted without prior written approval. Occupants in the rental who are not on the lease and who pay any compensation for their stay is subletting. This is especially true with temporary situations including AirBnB or similar arrangements including coach surfing
It is expected that you will clean your room and make it move-in ready for your replacement. This includes any minor repair items or touch-ups; basically, making the room like you would want to move into. We will do an inspection to ensure it is ready and if necessary, conduct the needed maintenance and deduct the cost from your security deposit
You will need to find a replacement for your share. Cooperate with your roommate(s) so that they can decide if any room changes will happen, so you are advertising the correct space. They also should approve a candidate before submission of a rental application to CPM
Make sure you put in the ad the $350 administration fee that will be charged when they replace you and any moving fees required by the association if you live in a condo or coop building. Also, that Management expects them to commit to a minimum stay of twelve months. This is reinforced by a penalty charge for early departure if your lease contains this provision in the lease addendum (see below).
Once you have identified a replacement, have them navigate to the following webpage which contains the information on applying. www.ColumbiaPM.com/apply . CPM will notify you when they have been approved. It is a good idea to have multiple candidates in case your first choice does not work out
NOTE: A new roommate should never be given keys or permitted to place any personal items in the home before they are approved by Management. This is for your safety. Once we’ve approved the replacement occupant, we will work together with you for transitioning keys, monies, and for getting the appropriate documents signed in a prompt manner
The switch to the new occupant will take place on a specific date by way of an “Addendum to the Lease” or a new lease document with the other roommate(s). The incoming occupant will provide their share of the security deposit in advance to Management which will be the same amount that was provided by the resident who is moving out
In cases where the switch does not occur on the first of the month and creates a situation of pro-rated rent, the departing occupant will pay the rent for entire month on the first and will be reimbursed by the incoming resident for the amount of that pro-rata rent
Early Departure Penalty
It is expected that every incoming occupant resides in the house for a minimum of twelve months from the date of their move-in. This is not related to the dates in the actual lease document, which is between the household and the owner. Should an individual want to vacate before their individual twelve months has passed, they will be responsible to pay a penalty, the amount of which is based on the total duration of their occupancy as outlined below:
- Less than 6 months, penalty is equivalent to one full month’s share of rent
- Between 6 and 12 months, the fee will be prorated monthly, 1/6 of the rent share for each month under 12 months. For example, if departure is at the end of month 10, then the penalty is 2/6 of one full month’s rent share.
Subletting is not permitted without prior written approval. Occupants in the rental who are not on the lease and who pay any compensation for their stay constitutes subletting and must be approved, especially temporary situations.
Condominium / Cooperative buildings
If you are moving out of a condominium or cooperative building, there will be specific rules to follow regarding your move which often needs to be scheduled in advance with the building management. There may be restrictions on days and times, and it may be necessary to reserve equipment, the loading dock or an elevator. Any move-out fees or penalties related to the move that are required by the building/HOA is the tenant’s responsibility. Please pay fees in advance of the move out.
Rental Showings
As per your lease, CPM may start showing the property to identify new residents at the 45-day mark before the end date of your stay. We recognize that the time before you vacate is stressful enough with all the coordination involved.
To help with this, we would be happy to start marketing the property 60 or more days before the end of your lease. The advantage to you of CPM finding new residents sooner is that there would be fewer disruptions toward the end of your stay. If you would like us to start the marketing process early, please inform your property management team.
Rental Payments
For the duration of your stay, the rent should be paid as normal. You may not short your rent if you plan to vacate before the end date of your rental agreement. You may not use the security deposit to cover any of the rent. Any fees and utilities that remain on your rental account with CPM should be paid prior to the last day at the rental. If you have autopayments set up in your Propertyware account you will need to cancel them or they will continue past the end-date of your lease.
Utility Accounts
Please contact all utility companies that are currently in your name and request a final bill as the last date of your lease. Explain to the customer service representative to not shut off electric, water, and gas service completely unless you have been instructed otherwise. Once we have your date of move out, CPM will start billing in our name if a tenant is not moving in immediately.
This end date may be later than the day you plan to be completely out of the rental. Be mindful that your lease states utilities must remain on until this end date. If there are negative consequences or damages to the rental due to utilities being shut off prematurely, liability lies with the outgoing renters.
Resident Benefits Package
Once you end your lease with CPM, the benefits and programs you are enrolled in as part of the RBP will cease. Please review what changes are needed to collect and use any benefits that you have accrued as these will go away once you vacate.
Security Deposit Returns
Security Deposit funds are held until any costs for deductions are known or if a final water bill needs to be generated. CPM strives to return deposits sooner than the maximum permitted 45 days from your tenancy.
The speed of return depends on the amount of damages and work needed after the final walkthrough. To maximize the amount of your deposit return, use the resources CPM is providing to you to prepare your move out.
CPM will disburse the funds electronically to the bank account in your portal from which you paid rent. Please make sure you have one correct bank account listed for eCheck and remove any other accounts. Susie in our accounting department will be in touch with you regarding the details. You may direct any questions to susie@columbiapm.com.
Scheduling Handover of Unit
Once you know your timing, you must schedule your move-out final walkthrough with your property manager using the link provided in the email sent acknowledging your notice to vacate. The move-out walkthrough date you schedule should be after you have completely or almost completely moved-out. We need to see the condition of the walls, floors, cabinets, closets, etc.
If you need to reschedule or cancel your walkthrough appointment, please give us 48 hours’ notice via email or call/text to our office. If you decide to vacate the rental without a final walkthrough, notify your property manager in writing no less than 72 hours before the date you plan to move out. See below for additional instructions.
Plan to leave all keys on the kitchen counter. Ensure all utilities remain on through the last day of your lease. From November-March, set the thermostat to ‘heat’ and a permanent hold no lower than 65 degrees. Lock all doors, windows, and garages before leaving. Then, inform CPM via email when you are officially out and have given up possession. We must have your keys at the rental or at our office or you are legally still in possession of the rental and rent will continue to be charged.
Property Condition Upon Departure
It is expected that you will leave the rental empty of all personal items, cleaned and wiped down with no debris or trash left inside or outside on the property. This includes any minor repair items or touch-ups from damages caused and cleaning out kitchen appliances. Other tasks are your responsibility as well. For example, replacing burned out lightbulbs, dead batteries in remotes (blinds, fans, etc.), dead batteries in smoke detectors, dirty HVAC air filters, and refrigerator water filters (if so equipped). These should be replaced before your move out final walk through.
If you have animals, it is expected that you will have the carpets or flooring professionally cleaned and deodorized, treated for fleas, ticks, etc. Provide to CPM paid receipts indicating the service provided. And be sure to pick up all animal waste on the grounds of the property.
We will conduct a final walkthrough to ensure you have left the rental in acceptable condition. If necessary, CPM will perform maintenance and deduct permissible expenses from your security deposit. If you have questions or would like more clarification, please contact your property manager.
Bulk Item Removal
If you have items that need to be discarded via bulk trash removal, please be sure to schedule with the city early. The trash pickup needs to happen while you still reside at the property. Trash or debris cannot sit outside after you vacate. If CPM needs to order a vendor to collect items left outside, the cost will be charged to your account and an extra fee of $150 will be charged as outlined in the Resident Enhanced Services schedule.
Propertymeld Account
Please be sure to remove yourself from the Propertymeld work order system so that you no longer receive email notifications after you leave about work being done at the property.
A Gift for You
We recognize we are asking a lot of you during the last weeks of your stay in a property managed by CPM. While conducting showings of your rental as you prepare to leave, if you make sure to prepare for tours by straightening up and helping CPM to showcase the rental in its best possible light, we will secure a new tenant faster, hopefully before you vacate. If that happens, CPM will send you a $100 gift card.
If you refer someone from your social network who is looking for housing and who ends up signing a lease with CPM, we will provide you with a $250 gift card. We are happy to provide these opportunities to you because we value what you bring to our business and to our rental owner clients.
Trusted and Trained
We are active members in multiple professional organizations, including the DC chapter of the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM).
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Why Hire Us?
Whether you need help with staying compliant with Washington DC landlord-tenant laws, tenant screening, marketing rental property, rental property maintenance, or ongoing support with leasing and management of your investment property, Columbia Property Management is here to support you.
As experts in the housing and rental regulations in the District of Columbia , we proactively manage leasing and tenant relationships to ensure the best possible outcome for the landlord, despite the tenant friendly nature of the laws and courts in DC.
We conduct property inspections at least twice a year and in many cases three to four times annually. This helps to spot problems early such as when preventative maintenance is required or when lease violations are observed.
Our expert management systems and processes ensure a seamless investment experience. From advanced techniques in tenant screening to monthly CPA review of the accounting in your client trust account, we go the extra mile to protect you and increase the return on your rental investment.
In the end, it is about creating long term wealth for you and your family and we are proud to be partners with our clients to help them achieve their goals.
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