Moving out of a Durham rental

What to do, in roughly the order you need to do it. Most of the trouble at move-out comes from things that were easy a month earlier and expensive on the last day.

Give notice in writing

Your lease sets how much notice you owe and how it must be delivered. Give it in writing even if you have already said it out loud, keep a copy, and note the date you sent it. Verbal notice is the single most common thing tenants and landlords remember differently.

Book anything that needs booking

Movers, a van, a storage unit, and — if you are leaving furniture behind — bulky item collection. All of these book out, and all of them are harder to arrange in the last week.

Sort the utilities

Schedule the disconnection or transfer for the day after your tenancy ends, not the day of. Cleaning a house with no power or water is miserable, and a final walkthrough in the dark helps nobody. Take a photo of each meter reading on your last day.

Clean properly

Ordinary wear and tear is not your responsibility; dirt is. Empty and clean inside appliances, wipe down surfaces, clean the bathrooms, and deal with anything that has been on the "later" list all tenancy. If something has been damaged, tell us before you move out so it can be repaired properly.

Photograph everything, again

Same rooms, same angles, same close-ups as your move-in photographs. That comparison is what settles a disagreement about a deposit deduction, and it takes ten minutes.

Return every key

Keys, fobs, garage remotes, mailbox keys, and any copies you had cut. A home is not genuinely returned while someone still has a way into it, and rent can keep running until it is.

Leave a forwarding address in writing

This is how your deposit accounting reaches you. Without one, the notification position changes and you make it easy for the money to end up somewhere other than with you.

Getting rid of furniture and large items

Durham offers curbside collection of bulky household items, but it is by request only and it runs on a schedule. Nothing is collected because you left it at the curb.

Schedule it early enough that the items are gone before your lease ends. Collection is up to three eligible items per week, so a household's worth of furniture may take more than one pickup — work backwards from your last day, not forwards from today.

Not every large item qualifies. Televisions and electronics, construction debris, tires, propane tanks, glass and mirrors, and lumber or pallets are among the materials the city will not take at the curb, and they need to go to the Waste Disposal and Recycling Center instead. Check the list before you assume something will be collected.

Furniture, mattresses, trash or other belongings left behind at move-out may result in removal and disposal costs, as permitted by your lease and applicable law. That is the expensive version of this problem, and it is entirely avoidable with a couple of weeks' notice.

Durham Curbside Bulky Item Collection

City of Durham Solid Waste

Durham residents can request curbside pickup of up to 3 eligible bulky household items per week at no charge. Pickup is by request only — nothing is collected unless you book it.

Collection is one pickup per week of up to three eligible bulky items, free of charge. Requesting more than three may incur a charge; the city contacts you to discuss payment before collecting.

Items must be at the curb and clear of all obstructions — cars, mailboxes, fences, poles and anything of value. Crews cannot collect from alleys, or anywhere there is a risk of damaging property.

Not every large item qualifies. The city does not collect building materials, car parts, construction debris, dirt, electronics, food scraps, glass, mirrors or windows, loose leaves, propane tanks, televisions, tires, tree stumps, or wood, pallets and lumber. Those need to go to the Waste Disposal and Recycling Center at 2115 East Club Boulevard instead.

Who it may help: Durham residents receiving city solid waste collection. Book ahead — collection happens on a schedule, not on demand.

Call to request pickup 919-560-1200 Visit official website

What to expect with your deposit

North Carolina sets deadlines for accounting for a security deposit after a tenancy ends, and limits what it can be used for. Ordinary wear and tear is not deductible; damage beyond it, unpaid rent and certain other costs may be. Our guide to security deposits in North Carolina covers the detail.

This page is general information about moving out, not legal advice. Your lease governs, and a specific dispute is worth getting advice on.

Moving out of a Minmosa-managed home?

Tell us your move-out date in writing and we will send the checklist we use, walk the home with you, and go through anything we would otherwise flag afterwards.

Give notice or ask a question

Programs, funding, eligibility requirements, phone numbers, and availability can change. Contact the organization directly to confirm current information.

Assistance programs are operated by third parties. Minmosa does not run them, has no say in who they help, and receives nothing for referring you. Eligibility, applying for assistance, or contacting a resource does not change your lease obligations or payment deadlines unless Minmosa agrees otherwise in writing.

Resources last reviewed September 2026.