Six weeks out
Give notice, properly. Sixty days, ending on the last day of a rental period. Work backwards from the date you want to leave with the Ending a Lease calculator.
Book the elevator at both ends. In a downtown condo this is the constraint everything else bends around. Popular slots at month-end go weeks in advance, and moving without a booking is often simply not permitted.
Ask about move-in and move-out fees. Many condominiums charge both, commonly $150 to $400 each, plus a refundable damage deposit for the elevator and lobby. Ask what it is, who pays it, and how the refund works.
Four weeks out
Book movers. Month-ends, and especially the last Friday of the month, book out first and cost the most. A mid-month Tuesday is cheaper and calmer.
Arrange utilities. Hydro, gas, water where separately billed, and internet. Set the new address to start the day before you move and the old one to end the day after, so you are never without.
Internet takes longest. Installation appointments run one to three weeks out. Book it first.
Arrange tenant insurance effective your move-in date. Most buildings require proof before handing over keys.
Two weeks out
- Canada Post mail forwarding.
- Address changes: driver's licence and health card within the required period, bank, employer, CRA, insurance, subscriptions.
- Confirm the elevator booking in writing.
- Photograph the unit you are leaving, thoroughly, once it is empty.
Moving week
Meter readings at both ends, photographed with the date.
Clean, and photograph the result. Your last month's rent deposit is not a damage deposit and cannot lawfully be applied to cleaning, but photographs end the argument before it starts.
Return every key, fob and remote, and get written acknowledgement.
Confirm your parking spot and locker numbers at the new place, in writing, before move day rather than on it.
Your last month's rent deposit is applied to your final month, and you are owed interest on it for every year it was held, at the rent increase guideline rate. Ask for the interest in writing before you go. Almost nobody does, and it is your money.
Ontario has no damage deposits. A landlord cannot withhold anything from your last month's rent deposit for cleaning or repairs. If they believe you caused damage, they must apply to the Board and prove it.