A tenant move out checklist tells the tenant how to leave the unit and tells you what to record: notice, cleaning, repairs, keys and a forwarding address. The deposit deadline comes next: 14 days in New York, 21 in California, 30 in Texas. Fill in your details for a printable list and an itemized statement.
Free move-out checklist and deposit calculator
Enter the details once. You get a checklist to hand your tenant, a move-out letter, the refund or balance owed, the return deadline for your state, and an itemized statement to copy or print. Where we could not confirm a state's deadline, it says "check your state" and takes your own number.
Tenant move-out checklist and deposit calculator
1. The move-out details
Move-out checklist for 88 Birch Street, Unit 2 Tenant: Jordan Lee Questions: Sam Ortiz, (512) 555-0188 Two weeks or more before [ ] Confirm your move-out date in writing [ ] Send Sam Ortiz your forwarding address in writing [ ] Ask about a pre-move-out walkthrough so you can fix problems first [ ] Find your move-in checklist and any photos [ ] Book movers and schedule utility shutoffs for the day after you leave The last few days [ ] Report anything broken instead of leaving it to be found [ ] Take out all trash and arrange pickup for large items [ ] Clear out all cabinets, closets and drawers [ ] Wipe counters, shelves and inside cabinets [ ] Clean the stove, oven, range hood and refrigerator [ ] Clean toilets, tubs, showers and sinks [ ] Vacuum carpets, sweep and mop hard floors [ ] Wipe window sills and blinds [ ] Pick up pet waste and clean up after any pets, inside and out On November 30, 2026 [ ] Check every room once more for belongings [ ] Take dated photos of each room, including inside the oven and refrigerator [ ] Lock all windows and doors [ ] Return all keys, remotes and fobs to: the office drop box [ ] Cancel any automatic rent payment [ ] Forward your mail Normal wear and tear is not your cost. You are responsible for damage beyond it, and for leaving the unit as clean as you found it.
November 3, 2026 Jordan Lee 88 Birch Street, Unit 2 Re: Your move-out on November 30, 2026 Dear Jordan Lee, This letter confirms that you will move out of 88 Birch Street, Unit 2 on November 30, 2026. Rent is due through that date unless your lease says otherwise. The attached checklist shows how to leave the unit. Normal wear and tear is not your cost. Please return all keys, remotes and fobs to the office drop box by the end of that day, and send your forwarding address in writing. If you move out on that date, we expect to send your deposit refund and an itemized statement of any deductions by December 30, 2026. If anything changes, or you would like to arrange a walkthrough, contact me at (512) 555-0188. Sincerely, ______________________________ Sam Ortiz
2. The deposit
Deductions, each with its reason
57 days from today.
Texas: 30 days after the tenant surrenders the unit, with an itemized list of deductions. The clock waits for a written forwarding address, but the tenant does not lose the refund by not giving one. The list can be skipped only when the tenant owes rent and the amount is not in dispute. Tex. Prop. Code 92.103
November 3, 2026 Jordan Lee 410 Elm Avenue, Apt 7 Re: Security deposit statement for 88 Birch Street, Unit 2 Move-out date: November 30, 2026 Security deposit held: $1,800.00 Deductions: - Unpaid rent: $150.00 - Replace broken bedroom window: $240.00 - Patch hole in the hallway wall: $125.00 Total deductions: $515.00 Refund enclosed: $1,285.00. Copies of bills, receipts or estimates for the charges above are attached. Questions: (512) 555-0188 ______________________________ Sam Ortiz
3. Charging for a replacement
Value left at that age: $480.00. That is cost times the share of its life remaining.
Life figures are HUD's sample chart for assisted housing, family units. They are a reference point and an assumption here, not a rule your state set.
Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is stored or sent. Deadlines were read in November 2026 from the statute, or from a state agency guide for Illinois, Georgia and New Jersey, where the tool says so. Your lease, city or the facts can change them. This is a drafting aid, not legal advice. The names here are samples.
Key takeaways
- Refund equals deposit minus unpaid rent minus deductions. If that goes below zero, the difference is the balance the tenant owes.
- Deadlines in the states we confirmed run from 14 days in New York to 45 days in Virginia, and Arizona counts 14 business days.
- Missing the deadline can cost the deposit. New York, Washington, Colorado and Florida each put a landlord's claim to it at risk.
- Normal wear and tear is not deductible in the states whose wording we checked, including California, New York and Texas. Texas defines it as deterioration from the intended use of the dwelling.
| State | Deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| California | 21 calendar days after the tenant vacates, with an itemized statement | Cal. Civil Code 1950.5 |
| Texas | 30 days after the tenant surrenders the unit, with an itemized list of deductions | Tex. Prop. Code 92.103 |
| New York | 14 days after the tenant vacates, with an itemized statement | N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law 7-108 |
| Florida | 15 days after the lease ends to refund in full. 30 days to send written notice of a claim | Fla. Stat. 83.49 |
| Illinois | For buildings of 5 or more units: 30 days for an itemized statement with paid receipts, 45 days to refund in full | Illinois Attorney General guide |
| Georgia | 30 days after the lease ends or the tenant leaves, whichever is last | Georgia DCA handbook |
| New Jersey | 30 days after the lease ends, with an itemized list, by personal delivery, registered or certified mail | NJ DCA security deposit bulletin |
| Michigan | 30 days after occupancy ends to mail a notice of damages | MCL 554.609 |
| Virginia | 45 days after the tenancy ends or the tenant vacates, whichever is later | Va. Code 55.1-1226 |
| Washington | 30 days after the agreement ends and the tenant vacates, with a full written statement | RCW 59.18.280 |
| Arizona | 14 days, not counting weekends or legal holidays, after the tenancy ends and the tenant demands it | A.R.S. 33-1321 |
| Massachusetts | 30 days after the tenancy ends. A damage list must be sworn under pains and penalties of perjury | Mass. G.L. c. 186, section 15B |
| Colorado | One month after the lease ends or the unit is surrendered, whichever is last. A lease can extend it, to 60 days at most | C.R.S. 38-12-103 |
| Oregon | 31 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant delivers possession, with a written accounting | ORS 90.300 |
| Nevada | 30 days after the tenancy ends | NRS 118A.242 |
What a tenant move out checklist should include
A move-out checklist should cover four things: what to do before the last week, how clean to leave each room, how to hand back the unit, and where to send the deposit. The purpose is to prevent the dispute. A tenant who knows the oven counts will clean the oven. Hand it over at least two weeks out, while there is time to act on it.
- Dates: the move-out date confirmed in writing, and when the walkthrough can happen.
- Cleaning, room by room: inside cabinets, the stove and refrigerator, bathrooms and floors.
- Belongings and trash: everything out, including the closet shelf and the storage nobody remembers.
- Keys: every key, remote and fob, and exactly where to return them.
- Forwarding address, in writing: in Texas, the refund clock waits for it, though the tenant does not lose the refund by not giving one.
- Utilities and autopay: shut off or transferred, and any automatic rent payment canceled.
Your own side of this is the walkthrough. Use the rental inspection checklist on move-out mode, with the same rooms as the move-in form, so each row can be compared.
How to write a move out letter to a tenant
A move out letter to a tenant confirms the date, says what to do with the keys, asks for a forwarding address and sets out how the deposit works. Keep it short and friendly. This tenant is about to decide how much effort to put into your oven. The tool writes one with your details and attaches the checklist.
A few states make this letter do legal work, because the tenant has a right you have to mention. When you pick one of them, the tool adds the line.
- California: the Attorney General says landlords must tell tenants of the right to ask for an inspection before move-out, within the last two weeks.
- New York: General Obligations Law 7-108 requires written notice of the right to request an inspection and to be there. It runs between two weeks and one week before the tenancy ends.
- Virginia: Code 55.1-1226 requires written notice of the right to attend, when you ask the tenant to leave, or within 5 days of learning they plan to.
Security deposit deductions: wear and tear or damage?
You can usually deduct unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear, and cleaning needed to get back to the move-in standard. You cannot deduct normal wear and tear. Texas law defines that as deterioration from the intended use of the dwelling, not from negligence, carelessness, accident or abuse.
Georgia's Department of Community Affairs handbook calls it the expected slight damage that happens over time from ordinary use. HUD gives the clearest examples. Its list was written for claims on assisted housing, so it does not govern your private deposit, but it is the most specific government list we found.
| Normal wear and tear | Tenant damage |
|---|---|
| Fading, peeling or cracked paint | Crayon markings or unapproved wallpaper |
| Nail holes, pin holes or cracks in the wall | Gaping holes in walls or plaster |
| Carpet faded or worn thin from walking | Holes, stains or burns in carpet |
| Floors needing a coat of varnish | Chipped or gouged wood floors |
| Worn or scratched enamel in old tubs and sinks | Chipped and broken enamel in tubs and sinks |
| Loose grouting and bathroom tiles | Missing or cracked bathroom tiles |
The tool flags a reason that mentions paint, carpet or nail holes, which is a prompt to check the move-in record. It does not decide the question. A burn in the carpet is a fair charge. Carpet that has been walked on is what carpet is for.
Do not charge full price for something old
Say a tenant burns a 3-year-old carpet that costs 1,200 dollars to replace. Using HUD's sample life of 5 years for plush carpet, 40 percent of its life remains, or 480 dollars. That is cost times the share of its life remaining, and the tool does the math for other items. The life figures are an assumption, and no state we read makes this exact formula the rule. Washington does limit a charge for partial damage to the cost of the damaged portion.
What the statement has to show
Itemize every deduction with its reason and amount, and keep the receipts beside it. Details vary. California wants bills or receipts and photographs unless repairs and cleaning total 125 dollars or less, and a tenant can still ask for them within 14 days. Washington wants estimates or paid invoices, and Massachusetts wants a damage list sworn under pains and penalties of perjury. Keep a copy of what you sent and how you sent it. Check anything you are unsure of with a local attorney.
How to calculate a security deposit refund
Add the unpaid rent and every other deduction, then subtract the total from the deposit. On the example above, 1,800 dollars minus 150 of unpaid rent, 240 for a window and 125 for a wall leaves a refund of 1,285 dollars. If the deductions were more than the deposit, the result is a balance the tenant owes.
Before all of this, it helps to have a lease that says what the deposit covers. The guide to being a landlord covers that side of the job.
The call you get three weeks later
Move-out week is quiet. The call comes three weeks later, on a Sunday, and it is one question: where is my deposit. Sometimes the check is in the mail. Sometimes the forwarding address is an old one. Either way, the person calling is annoyed already, and a voicemail will not improve that.
Sample call: a former tenant asking about a deposit, 11:05am Sunday
That is where callflo.ai for property managers fits. It answers the line at any hour, handles what you have trained it on, and sends you a summary and transcript. If a new forwarding address comes in on a Sunday, you have it in writing on Sunday. It does not calculate deposits or send statements. With a few units and tenants you can text, you may not need it. Starter is 39 dollars a month on annual billing or 49 dollars monthly, with 120 minutes and 98 cents for each extra minute.
Hear how it takes that call
Call callflo.ai's own AI agent and ask it anything about your business. When you are ready, pick a plan: no setup fee, no contract, and you do not pay unless you are satisfied.
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