Moving House and have a couple (probably stupid) questions.

[WantAnOrange]

1. What does one do about the washing machine? It will need to be disconected here and plumbed in at the new house right, so how do I go about that?

1. How long will it take to pack a small, 2 bedroom house? I am on maternity leave which means I have lots of time on my hands but also move very slowly!

It needs to be pulled out of cupboard area, heavy so get someone to do it for you (turn off the power from the wall socket first if you can).

There are pipes normally one red and one blue screwed into the back of machine and to small taps on the wall. Turn these taps off, have a bucket to hand (a scruffy towel to catch any escaped water is also good) and unscrew the pipes at the taps - put them into bucket to drain.

Once machine is dry, I tape the pipes and plug onto the top of the washing machine - so they don't get in the way. Some people unscrew the pipes at the back of the machine and remove completely - but I have moved five times and found it's easier to leave them on.

I'd give yourself a week to pack - depends how much stuff you have though. Get all your packing stuff together before you start. boxes / packing materials / space saving vacuum bags / parcel tape / labels and list everything. Also some plastic crates are good for house plants / last minute stuff and an essentials box.

Hope this helps and good luck with the move.

That does help! Sorry I have not replied sooner!

I am very stressed right now. Landlady popped over this morning to measure the kitchen and bathroom as it is being replaced after we move and she gave me a right lecture on how important it is to clean the outside. My front door opens onto my neighbours driveway so it's not even mine to clean! There are a lot of leaves out the front and the doorways are a bit grotty. I had already told her that I would be doing a deep clean before we move out. She complained that there were to many leaves and it was wet, well it's rained for 2 weeks now so WTF? As soon as I sweep the leaves up, new onces blow in. I can't demand the neighbours cut their trees down can I? Am I supposed to heave my 8 month pregnant self out in the rain to clean dirt of someone elses drive way everyday?!

I sweep the leaves and bin them once a week. Isn't that enough? She made me feel like a total slattern and I'm worried that she'll try and keep our deposit.

What is the accepted level of clean when you move out of a rented house?

Whenever I've left a rental house I clean it to the standard I live in it, try my hardest to get rid of any stains or marks. It's always easier to do this when the room is empty, I generally empty rooms one at a time and put the boxes/bits together in the designated moving room. When we moved out of our last house everything went into our kitchen, when we move out of this one it'll be split between living and dining room.
Once a room is empty I go in clean the windows, wipe down the walls with a damp cloth and hoover up getting into all the corners and giving the hose a run over the ceiling corners, give the oven and cupboards a good clean. If you've got a hosepipe you could give the outside windows a blast with that to clean them, but honestly I've never bothered to clean windows outside, only inside.

With the leaves sweep them up the day you leave so when you pull away from the house for the last time it looks tidy. And make sure you take photos of the condition of the house when you leave, so if any disagreements come up you can show what it looked like when you went. Your deposit should be held with a tenancy deposit scheme, if she tries to keep any you can go to them to show what you did when you left and disagree with her wanting to take any.
I leave my house looking as if I'd want to rent it again, clean, tidy and ready for someone else to move into.

Thanks for the reply.

I know they are having it redecorated anyway after we move out because there are maintanace issues that the landlady should have paid for that she refused to do, meaning the problems esculated and caused more damage. Stupid woman. The letting agency have pretty much insisted that she pay up now that she has lost tenants as a result. I am scared that she may try and keep the deposit out of spite.

I would be embarassed to leave it as it was when we moved in.

I will oven pride the oven, clean all the floors and have the windows professionally cleaned before we move out. I also planned to clean any marks off the walls and touch up any scratches in the paintwork.

Hi, try and let her moaning wash over you and ignore it. All that counts is the final clean for the property you rent per the contract (ie if the drive is not yours don't bother). Take deep breaths and think of your new home :)

Sounds like you have covered all bases regarding plan to clean - I would get the oven professionally cleaned as you don't have the fumes and mine always looks better than i could do it (maybe just me). If you can afford it - get the whole cleaning job professionally done, helps prove it was cleaned to that standard if any disputes arise with the deposit. Still do the paint touch ups and use a magic eraser to get marks from walls. I have only had a professional clean once - the last place was a brand new apartment and it was built into the contract.

If you have gone through any agency, check your contract as it may state you have to have commercial cleaners in anyway.

Hopefully, your deposit is protected under the new rules - sorry brain has died and can't remember the title of the protection scheme.

You will get there!