Moving Out Fact Sheet

Moving Out - Plain English

Moving Out - Easy English

If you want to move out, please tell us in writing. You need to do this two weeks before you will leave. We need to have this in writing for our files. You can’t just tell us over the phone. If you don’t tell us that you’re leaving, we might think that you’ve abandoned your home. When people abandon their home, we:

• throw out anything that’s been left behind, unless the items are worth more than a total of $300
• give the home to someone else.

If you do not give us two weeks’ notice before you leave, we will charge you rent for that time.

What if you have to leave your home in an emergency?

If you are in an emergency situation, please contact 000 immediately or call the Family Violence Response and Referral Line on 1800 633 937. They are open 24 hours, seven days a week.

It’s important that you stay safe. If you have to leave your home in an emergency, you will have a lot on your mind. It’s still important for you to contact us. If you don’t, we might think you have abandoned your home.

You can talk to us about moving back into your current home. We don’t want you to become homeless. We can offer you support with housing, through Housing Connect. Housing Connect can also link you in to other types of support if that’s what you need.

Can Housing Tasmania ask you to leave?

Housing Tasmania can ask you to leave.

This can happen if:

• you break the rules of your Tenancy Agreement
• your Tenancy Agreement is coming to an end.

The home needs to be in good condition before you go

When you leave, the home should be in good condition. There’s more information about this below. We’ve also provided a useful checklist. This explains what you need to do before you move out. You’ll find this on page 7. You need to have the carpets steam cleaned before you move. And you need to send us the receipt for this.

Housing Tasmania will inspect the home when you leave

After you leave, Housing Tasmania will inspect the home. We will check to see if the home is in the same condition as it was when you moved in.

We accept some damage caused by fair wear and tear. We explain what wear and tear is on the next page. If there is a lot of damage, you will either have to fix this, or pay for us to fix it

What is fair wear and tear?

When we live in a home for a while, general wear and tear can happen. For example, the carpet in a busy hallway may get worn down. Or the paint on the outside of the house may fade.

The person who inspects your home will talk to you about what is considered fair wear and tear. Big problems – such as broken glass (windows and shower screens), damage to walls and doors, untidy gardens and rubbish that needs to be removed – are not considered to be fair wear and tear.

What happens if there is damage to your home?

If there is any damage to your home, you need to fix it. Even if the damage was done by someone else, such as a visitor to your home, you will need to fix it. If the damage was caused by a problem like a break in or family violence, you should tell the police. In this situation, you may not have to pay the cost of fixing the damage.

When you fix the damage, the repairs need to be done in a safe and professional way.   If you don’t fix the damage, we will charge you for it. We have people who work with us to fix the damage. We will pass these costs on to you. You can see from the example list on the next page that costs can add up quickly.

The figures on the example list were correct at July 2018.  These prices increase on 1^st July each year, in line with the Cordell Consumer Pricing Index (CPI).  These prices are a guide only.

What happens if you owe us money?

If you can’t pay the bill when you move out, you will owe Housing Tasmania money.

This includes any:

• unpaid rent
• bills for damage or cleaning.

You will need to pay us back. We won’t be able to offer you another home until the debt is paid.

What happens if you leave things behind?

It’s a good idea to take all your belongings with you. If you leave things behind, we will throw them out. We will also charge you to throw your things out. Sometimes, if the things are worth more than $300, we will make a list of the items before we throw them out.

We have to take this list to Court to work out what to do with the things if they are of value. It would be sad if we threw out something that was important to you, like photos. We won’t throw things out if you have to leave quickly because of a problem like family violence. That’s why it’s important to talk to us when you have to leave quickly.

What if someone breaks in?

You need to call the police if someone breaks in before you have moved out and returned the keys. Please keep the doors and windows locked when you’re not at home.

Returning the keys

You can return the keys when you have:

• moved all your things out
• cleaned the home
• done any repairs that are needed.

We will keep charging rent until we have received the keys. Or we will pass the cost on to you to replace the keys.

Can you get a reference?

Housing Tasmania can give you a reference. We can only do this for the person who signed the lease, not for everyone who lives with you.

In our reference, we will say whether or not you:

• paid the rent on time
• kept the house in good condition
• obeyed all the rules in the lease.

If you need a reference please talk to us.

Aaron's story

Aaron moved out of his Housing Tasmania home. But he didn’t tell us that he was leaving. We realised he had abandoned the property.

We inspected the home and we found:

• a lot of stuff that had been left behind
• a home that had not been cleaned
• damage to the bathroom wall that needed repairs.

The cost of fixing these problems added up to over $1,000. We contacted Aaron at his new address and sent him the bill. He was not happy. He said he wouldn’t pay back the money. We have asked a debt collector to ask Aaron for the money. Aaron cannot have another home with Housing Tasmania until he pays this money back.

A checklist for moving out

More information

Other fact sheets that might be useful:

• Paying the rent
• Signing a lease
• Transferring to another home

Our contact details