In New Zealand, you’ll need to pay a bond to your landlord before moving into a rental property. You’ll also need to keep your property in good shape to get your bond back. Whether you’re moving in or moving out of a rental property, it’s a good idea to have the plan to protect your home from damage during the move.
Moving bulky furniture into and around your house is difficult enough as it is. With the proper protection measures, you’ll ensure you’re not causing any damage to walls, floors, surfaces or windows.
Professional movers often use moving blankets to wrap furniture, but if you are moving house yourself, you can use any old or spare blankets lying around. Use blankets to cover or wrap any furniture with sharp edges such as glass table tops or wooden legs.
Use blankets to protect your wooden floors from scratches. Place furniture onto a blanket to move it easily around the room without lifting it each time. This will protect your floors from scuff marks and scratches, which are hard to remove.
Moving furniture in and out of your home can put a lot of wear and tear on your entranceway. To protect your floors, cut up old cardboard boxes and lay them down to create a temporary pathway around your home. Stick them down with tape to prevent people from slipping on them.
You can also use cardboard as a protective barrier against any windows or glass you want to keep protected.
Couches and tables can leave scuffs and scrapes on your floors even after moving. If your rental has wooden floors, fit your furniture with floor protectors after you’ve moved in. Floor protectors are small felt circles that stick to the bottom of your furniture legs.
You can also use corner protectors on coffee tables and large picture frames. These prevent other surfaces from dings and scrapes while you move bulky items around.
If you’ve moved your furniture out of your rental, you will need to do a thorough cleaning to get your bond back. Read through your tenancy agreement so you know what is expected.
You will need to do more than just a basic cleaning of your rental to get your bond back. Ensure the oven is cleaned with a grease-removing cleaner, and that the glass in your shower is free of soap scum. Wipe down all surfaces in the kitchen. Don’t forget to wipe down cabinets, stainless steel appliances and tapware.
Finally, unclog any drains and remove all traces of food from the kitchen sink.
Once you have completed your deep clean, keep a cloth and surface spray on hand as you go around your home to do the final check. Don’t forget areas like baseboards and light fittings can collect dust. Check hard-to-reach areas like the top of the refrigerator for dust.
The insides of drawers and cabinets are areas that people often forget to clean. Once all your pots, pans and utensils are packed wipe down the inside of all cupboards, shelves and cutlery dividers in your kitchen.
Don’t forget to wipe down all the walls in your rental. Use a magic eraser cleaning sponge to buff out scratches on your wall. These are effective and can remove a lot of marks.
Your rental agreement will say whether or not you need to clean your carpets or any outside areas of your home before you can get your bond money back. You can rent a Rug Doctor from most supermarkets, and it’s usually cheaper than hiring a carpet cleaning professional.
You may also need to wash the windows and remove any finger smudges on the outside. If you aren’t sure about your agreement, email your landlord or property manager to check before you move out.
After cleaning, your carpets will need a few hours to dry. This should be the last thing you do even after the final walkthrough of your rental.
On moving day, you need a professional team to protect your rental and your furniture from damage. If you want to move your furniture, especially the bulky and heavy ones, you need the help of someone with great moving experience.
We make it easy to find affordable, professional movers at Wise Move no matter where you are in New Zealand. Book your mover with us now.
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