Moving out checklist

Proof that you can afford it, in the form the landlord or agent will ask for: income evidence, references and a deposit. Read what the deposit covers and how it is protected, since that is the money most likely to be disputed later. Confirm what the rent includes, because utilities, internet and waste charges are sometimes separate and change the real monthly figure substantially.

Four categories that a first mover usually underestimates. The deposit, usually the largest single payment. Utility set-up, including any connection or installation fee. Insurance for your own belongings, which the landlord's cover does not include. And the first shop, which is everything a home needs that you never bought because it was already there.

Less than a list will tell you. A bed and bedding, because you need to sleep the first night. One set of cooking equipment: a pan, a pot, a knife, a chopping board. Cleaning supplies, because the flat will need it before you unpack. Tools for assembling furniture. Everything else can wait until you have lived there a week and know what is actually missing.

Photograph everything before you put anything down: every room, every appliance, every existing mark on a wall or floor. Take meter readings and photograph them. Test the heating, the hot water and every socket you can reach. Find the stopcock and the fuse box. That half hour is what a deposit dispute is decided on months later.

Utilities in your name with the readings you took. Internet, which usually needs an appointment. Contents insurance. Your address updated with the bank, your employer and any government record, which the change of address checklist sets out in order. And whatever the building requires: bin days, parking, a resident permit, an access fob. Those are the ones nobody tells you about until they go wrong.