Eight Weeks Out: Start With the Lease

Most problems on an apartment move start on paper. Read your current lease for the notice period and the move-out rules before you set a date.

Alabama law lets a landlord or a tenant end a month-to-month rental with written notice given at least 30 days before the next rental period. A lease can require more notice than that, so if yours sets a longer period, follow the lease. Put your notice in writing, keep a copy, and write down the date you delivered it.

While you have the lease open, check these items too:

  • Whether the lease ends on a set date or runs month to month
  • Any fee for ending the lease early
  • Cleaning or carpet rules for move-out
  • Two or three move dates that work for you

Six Weeks Out: Get the Move-Day Rules From Both Buildings

Every Birmingham apartment community sets its own move-day rules, and you need them from the building you are leaving and the one you are moving into. Ask both leasing offices the same questions:

  • Do I need to reserve the elevator or the loading dock, and how far ahead?
  • What hours are moves allowed, and are weekends open?
  • Does the building need a certificate of insurance from the movers, and whose name goes on it?
  • Where can a moving truck park, and is there a move fee or deposit?

Get the answers in writing and pass them to your movers. When you book with us, give us both building names and we handle the certificate of insurance request before move day.

Four Weeks Out: Book Movers and Plan for Stairs and Parking

Once your dates and move windows are set, book your movers. The last days of the month and weekends fill first because many leases end then, so book earlier if your date falls on one.

Tell the movers what they will face at both addresses. Older walk-ups in Highland Park, Southside, and Forest Park often have three floors and no elevator, and a third-floor carry changes how many movers come and how long the job runs. A loft or mid-rise near Railroad Park usually means an elevator reservation and a set window instead. Our apartment movers plan the stairs, the elevator, and the parking before the truck leaves the lot.

Measure the new unit as well. Write down the width of the front door, the stairwell turns, and the bedroom doors, and check them against your largest sofa, mattress, and dresser.

Two Weeks Out: Utilities, Mail and the First Boxes

Set up service at the new apartment and schedule shutoff at the old one for the day after you move. In Birmingham that usually means Alabama Power for electricity, Spire for natural gas, and Birmingham Water Works for water. Many apartment communities bill water or trash through the lease, so ask the leasing office which accounts are yours to open. Some providers ask for a signed lease before they start service.

File your change of address with USPS, then update your bank, employer, and subscriptions.

Start packing the rooms you use least, like closets, books, decor, and off-season clothes. Label each box with the room it goes to at the new place, not the room it came from. If you would rather not pack at all, our packing services bring the boxes and do it for you.

Moving Week: Protect Your Security Deposit

In Alabama, a landlord has 60 days after the lease ends and you hand back the unit to return your security deposit or send an itemized list of deductions. A landlord who misses that deadline can owe up to double the deposit. A few steps this week make your side of that easy to prove:

  • Clean the unit after the furniture is out, including the oven, fridge, and cabinets
  • Take dated photos and video of every room, wall, and floor once it is empty
  • Patch small nail holes if your lease allows it
  • Give the leasing office your forwarding address in writing

Pack a first-night box with sheets, towels, chargers, medications, toiletries, a shower curtain, and basic tools. Keep it in your car, not on the truck.

Move Day: Reservations, Keys and the Walkthrough

Confirm the elevator or dock reservation the day before, and have the new building’s move-in paperwork ready. On move day, clear a path from the unit door to the truck and keep the hallways open for neighbors. From June through August, an early start keeps the heaviest carrying out of the afternoon heat.

When the truck is loaded, walk the empty unit with the property manager if they offer it, and get any notes in writing. Return every key, fob, and garage remote, and ask for a receipt. At the new apartment, photograph any existing damage before the furniture comes in, and send those photos to the leasing office within the window your new lease sets.