What to Do Before Moving Into a New Rental
Before you move yourself and your stuff into a new home, here's a list of things to get sorted for a fresh start
Whether you’re moving into a house or an apartment, you want your new place to feel like home, right? But even if you can’t renovate the kitchen to give it the cool industrial vibe you’ve always coveted – partly because of the prohibitive price, but mostly because it’s a rental and landlords tend to frown on that kind of thing – there are still things you can do to make sure your new space truly feels like your own. These simple tips will help you prepare a clean slate, so that you can make your new rental feel more like home from the start, and all without breaking the bank or the terms of your lease.
Speak to your real estate agent or directly to your landlord/lady before getting this done, as they may be able to recommend a good locksmith in your new area. The process should cost you between $40 and $80, depending on the type of lock you’re getting installed and how many keys you want cut, and shouldn’t take more than about half an hour all up. Also, don’t forget to get an extra key cut for the real estate people, as they may get the wrong idea otherwise. You don’t want to be known as the potential kitten kicker that the next tenants are warned about when they come along!
Get an exterminator in
Just in case the previous tenant was a stinky cheese aficionado with a fondness for vermin visitors rather than the dreaded kitten kicker, you might want to consider calling in the pest control people to give the place a good going over. Even if the last people to live in your new place were lactose intolerant, and so unlikely to have buried bits of brie in every spare nook and cranny, getting pest control in is also a fantastic idea if you live in a city known for being home to the dreaded cockroach (cough, cough, Sydney).
If you’re moving into your new place in or around summer, this is a particularly useful step to get out of the way, as creepy crawlies tend to make themselves known in the worst of ways during the warmer months.
Just in case the previous tenant was a stinky cheese aficionado with a fondness for vermin visitors rather than the dreaded kitten kicker, you might want to consider calling in the pest control people to give the place a good going over. Even if the last people to live in your new place were lactose intolerant, and so unlikely to have buried bits of brie in every spare nook and cranny, getting pest control in is also a fantastic idea if you live in a city known for being home to the dreaded cockroach (cough, cough, Sydney).
If you’re moving into your new place in or around summer, this is a particularly useful step to get out of the way, as creepy crawlies tend to make themselves known in the worst of ways during the warmer months.
Clean every nook and cranny
Once the bug guys have been in, get the rubber gloves out and give your new space a thorough once over with a spray bottle and a scrubbing brush. This should have been done by the previous tenants, of course, but it’ll set your mind that little bit more at ease if you’ve done the dusting with your own two hands.
Once the bug guys have been in, get the rubber gloves out and give your new space a thorough once over with a spray bottle and a scrubbing brush. This should have been done by the previous tenants, of course, but it’ll set your mind that little bit more at ease if you’ve done the dusting with your own two hands.
Whether you chose to use chemical cleaners or more natural products like vinegar and baking soda, be sure to clean the places not easily accessible and therefore often overlooked by less thorough cleaners. Behind the oven, inside high cupboards and the space at the back of the toilet bowl are all areas that will likely want a good seeing to, as well as anywhere likely to accumulate mould and mildew.
Now’s also a good time to set boxes or bowls of bicarb inside built-in wardrobes and any spaces prone to dampness, to avoid a build-up of mould and mildew once you’ve moved in all of your stuff.
Replace the toilet seat
A really simple thing you can do to personalise one of the most-used rooms in your new home is to swap out the bog-standard white plastic toilet seat for something a bit more unique. Measure up the bowl of the toilet – including the space between the existing seat’s bolts – then head down to your local hardware store to find something that’s a bit more you.
There are lots of fun options available these days, including the very unique Loo With A View featuring a shark’s wide-open maw that’s ready to take a bite out of your behind. But a classier option is the timber toilet seat with brass bolts; a timeless look that’s much less likely to give you a heart attack on your next 3am toilet trip.
Inspiring ways to personalise a rental
A really simple thing you can do to personalise one of the most-used rooms in your new home is to swap out the bog-standard white plastic toilet seat for something a bit more unique. Measure up the bowl of the toilet – including the space between the existing seat’s bolts – then head down to your local hardware store to find something that’s a bit more you.
There are lots of fun options available these days, including the very unique Loo With A View featuring a shark’s wide-open maw that’s ready to take a bite out of your behind. But a classier option is the timber toilet seat with brass bolts; a timeless look that’s much less likely to give you a heart attack on your next 3am toilet trip.
Inspiring ways to personalise a rental
If you’ve never replaced a toilet seat before, fear not – it’s actually pretty easy. Take a look to see what kind of toilet and seat are already there. If you have a close-coupled or connector toilet (where you can see the pipes and access the back bits) and a standard plastic seat, you should see some flip-up tabs covering the bolts at the back of the seat. Using strong fingernails (or a flathead screwdriver), pry these covers open to reveal the bolts beneath.
Next step, look underneath the back of the bowl and find the plastic wing nuts attached to the bolts, holding the seat in place. Unscrew these, and then you should be able to remove the whole contraption. Store this somewhere out of the way so you can replace it whenever you move again.
This is a good time to give the back of your toilet another clean, as the space you’ve just exposed rarely sees the business end of a sponge. Once that’s done and the whole bowl’s dry, attach your new seat using the same process that allowed you to remove the old seat, but in reverse.
See, easy! However, if you’ve got a wall-faced or concealed toilet, the process can be a bit different. Check out tutorials online to see what to do with your specific model, and make sure you buy the right kind of seat or you’ll likely fall off (or in!) the next time you sit down on it.
Next step, look underneath the back of the bowl and find the plastic wing nuts attached to the bolts, holding the seat in place. Unscrew these, and then you should be able to remove the whole contraption. Store this somewhere out of the way so you can replace it whenever you move again.
This is a good time to give the back of your toilet another clean, as the space you’ve just exposed rarely sees the business end of a sponge. Once that’s done and the whole bowl’s dry, attach your new seat using the same process that allowed you to remove the old seat, but in reverse.
See, easy! However, if you’ve got a wall-faced or concealed toilet, the process can be a bit different. Check out tutorials online to see what to do with your specific model, and make sure you buy the right kind of seat or you’ll likely fall off (or in!) the next time you sit down on it.
Consider the placement of your power points
There are not many things more annoying than setting up a new space by hauling in all of your heavy appliances and furniture, only to find that the spots you’ve earmarked for the big-screen TV and your double-door fridge don’t actually have power points near them. And it’s hard to think of where they might be when you’re in that situation.
There are not many things more annoying than setting up a new space by hauling in all of your heavy appliances and furniture, only to find that the spots you’ve earmarked for the big-screen TV and your double-door fridge don’t actually have power points near them. And it’s hard to think of where they might be when you’re in that situation.
Before you make the move, take note of where all of the power outlets are in each room – on a floor plan if you have one – so that you have a better idea of where your bulkier pieces should be placed.
Plan your space
Once you’ve got a handle on where the power points are in your new home, it’s time to start planning out where all of your stuff’s going to go. This is a good opportunity to get rid of some of your less-used possessions – do you really need that hollow troll-leg umbrella stand? Either de-clutter or bid the old things farewell and get some awesome new bits and pieces to replace them. Either way, you win!
Again, this is where a floor plan of your space will come in handy. If you can’t get hold of an actual plan, it’s easy enough to make one yourself. Measure each room in your new home, note where they are in relation to one another (the laundry’s connected to the … kitchen. The kitchen’s connected to the … living room!) and where all of the built-in bits and pieces are – think windows, doors, kitchen benchtops and bathroom vanities for starters – then, using graph paper, draw up your plans accordingly.
Once you’ve got a handle on where the power points are in your new home, it’s time to start planning out where all of your stuff’s going to go. This is a good opportunity to get rid of some of your less-used possessions – do you really need that hollow troll-leg umbrella stand? Either de-clutter or bid the old things farewell and get some awesome new bits and pieces to replace them. Either way, you win!
Again, this is where a floor plan of your space will come in handy. If you can’t get hold of an actual plan, it’s easy enough to make one yourself. Measure each room in your new home, note where they are in relation to one another (the laundry’s connected to the … kitchen. The kitchen’s connected to the … living room!) and where all of the built-in bits and pieces are – think windows, doors, kitchen benchtops and bathroom vanities for starters – then, using graph paper, draw up your plans accordingly.
Once this is done, measure your bigger pieces of furniture and appliances to see where you can fit them. This will make it a lot easier when you’re moving your stuff into each space, as you’ll be able to direct the movers (or other helpful parties who you now must reward with pizza and beer, a.k.a. ‘friends’) where to put everything straight away, saving time and probably a bit of cash.
TELL US
What’s the first thing you do before you move into a new home? Share your experiences in the Comments below.
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Browse decorating stories for inspiration
TELL US
What’s the first thing you do before you move into a new home? Share your experiences in the Comments below.
MORE
Browse decorating stories for inspiration
There’s a good chance that the person who lived in your new place before you was a perfectly nice guy or girl, who called their mum every Sunday for a chat and refrained from kicking kittens in the street. However, just in case the former tenant was a bit of a nasty character, it’s not a bad idea to get the locks changed before you move all of your stuff – and of course your precious, precious self – into the space.
10 things to check before signing up for a new rental