Moving out of a rental in BC: getting your deposit back (checklist)
What BC's Residential Tenancy Act says about move-out cleaning, the final inspection and the 15-day deposit deadline, with a move-out checklist.
Metro Vancouver Junk Removal & Movers
Moving out of a rental in BC comes down to three things in the Residential Tenancy Act: how you leave the unit, the move-out inspection, and the deadline for your deposit. Get those right and you have the strongest case for getting all of it back.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. The Residential Tenancy Branch can help with a specific situation.
How you have to leave the unit
When you move out, the Act says you must "leave the rental unit reasonably clean, and undamaged except for reasonable wear and tear," and give the landlord all the keys or other means of access (Residential Tenancy Act, section 37, checked 5 October 2026).
"Reasonably clean" isn't the same as spotless, and the Act separates reasonable wear and tear from damage.
The move-out inspection
The landlord and tenant must inspect the condition of the unit together before a new tenant moves in, and the landlord must offer you at least two opportunities for the inspection. The results go in a condition inspection report that both of you sign (section 35, checked 5 October 2026).
Go to the inspection. It's your chance to agree on the unit's condition in writing.
The 15-day deposit deadline
Within 15 days after the later of the day the tenancy ends and the day the landlord receives your forwarding address in writing, the landlord must either repay your deposits (with any interest) or apply for dispute resolution to claim against them. A landlord who misses that deadline must pay you double the security deposit, the pet damage deposit, or both (section 38, checked 5 October 2026).
The clock only starts when the landlord has your forwarding address in writing, so give it on or before move-out day and keep a copy.
Move-out checklist
Two weeks before
- Book the movers and, in a tower, the elevator and loading bay.
- Decide what isn't coming. Anything left behind can cause problems with the landlord; the rules on abandoned belongings are in our landlord guide.
Moving day
- Empty every room, closet, cupboard, storage locker and parking stall.
- Clean the unit: kitchen, appliances, bathrooms, floors, walls where marked.
- Photograph each room once it's empty and clean, with the date.
At the inspection
- Walk through with the landlord, agree on the report, and sign it.
- Hand over all keys, fobs and remotes.
- Give your forwarding address in writing, and keep a copy.
Where we help
We move households across Metro Vancouver 7 days a week, with a crew sized to your home (usually 2 movers for a studio or one-bedroom, 3 for two or three bedrooms, and 4 for larger homes). If there's furniture or junk you're not taking, we can haul it away in the same booking, so nothing is left behind for the landlord to find. See residential moving and our pricing page.
Call 604-348-7640 or get a moving quote.
Source: Residential Tenancy Act, sections 35, 37 and 38, checked 5 October 2026.
Need junk removal or moving services in Metro Vancouver?