Okay, so you’re all moved in. You’ve wiped the sweat off your forehead, had a beer or a glass of water and signed off on the movers’ work. You now face the daunting task of unpacking everything, but I want to stop you before you do that. The last thing you want to do is get everything unpacked and get settled in for a week and then realize that your washer doesn’t work, or that half of your electrical outlets don’t work. If you’re moving into an apartment this is when you would pull out that ‘Move-In/Move-Out’ form and go down the line in each room and make sure that everything works as it should.
Check all of the faucets – Kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower, any and every faucet should be checked for pressure and water temperature. Make sure that there are no blockages and that you won’t be standing there looking like a fool while trying to take your first shower in your new place.
Check the outlets – Not only are you checking them to make sure that there’s actually power run to them, but you want to check the outlet plates. Make sure that there are no cracks on the covers, that there aren’t any screws missing, that there’s no excess paint on them, etc.
Check your appliances – Does your stove turn on? Your oven? Does your washer fill with water? Does your dryer get hot? Does your dishwasher work? Does your garbage disposal work? Is your fridge clean? All of the answers to these questions should be yes and if they aren’t then put in a work order immediately and notate that on the form.
Check the lights – Make sure that there aren’t any burned out bulbs in your apartment and make sure that there’s adequate lighting in your common areas and bedroom. If not, you guessed it put in a work order!
Locate your exits – Now’s the time to locate your emergency exits. Windows, stairways, the works. Find them now so you have a plan of action in the case of an emergency.
Locate the mailboxes – If you’re anything like me you request electric correspondence from people and companies, but it’s still nice to know where you’ll be receiving whatever snail mail that does come in.
Figure out your trash situation – A lot of apartment complexes now offer valet trash services, and that’s awesome! You’re able to get your trash picked up from your front door 5 nights out of the week (minus holidays) instead of taking your bags down to the dumpster. I would still suggest finding the dumpster on your property. Most valet trash services don’t pick up big trash and that’s exactly what you’ll have when you start breaking down the boxes from your move. You’ll have to take those out yourself or maybe a neighbor can help you, which brings me to my final tip…
Meet your neighbors – Now this doesn’t have to be done immediately, but I would do it sooner rather than later. This way you’ll at least know who you’re greeting in the hallway or parking lot and you’ll be more likely to spot anything out of the ordinary.
I really hope these tips help y’all and make your moves smoother! Please feel free to comment below or tweet me with any tips you feel I might have missed!