Finals are over, the sun is finally out, and the last thing anyone wants to think about is scrubbing an oven. But for a lot of students living off campus near UW-Eau Claire, the end of the school year also means the end of a lease, and that deadline does not move just because you have a summer job starting or a flight home.
This checklist is for students in Randall Park, the Third Ward, along Graham Avenue, and anywhere else in Eau Claire's rental market, plus the parents who end up driving a minivan up from somewhere to help. Work through it in order and move-out week gets a lot less stressful.
Know Your Dates Before Anything Else
Pull up your lease and find the exact end date and time. In Eau Claire, many off-campus leases end in late May while new leases start June 1, which leaves a short turnover window that local students have long called "homeless week." Landlords use that gap to clean and make repairs between tenants, so they are usually not flexible about late departures.
If your next place does not open until June 1, or you are heading home for the summer, figure out now where you and your stuff will be in the meantime. Options include crashing with a friend whose lease runs longer, staying with family nearby, or putting belongings into short-term storage for a week or the whole summer.
Three to Four Weeks Out
Read the move-out section of your lease, especially cleaning requirements and key return rules.
Find the check-in sheet you filled out when you moved in, along with any photos you took.
Talk with roommates about who owns what, especially shared furniture, the TV, and kitchen stuff.
Decide what is coming with you, what is going to storage, and what is getting sold or donated.
Book help early if you need it. Late May is a busy stretch in a college town.
Splitting up shared items is where roommate drama usually starts, so have that conversation before move-out week, not while the futon is half out the door.
Sell, Donate, or Haul Your Extra Stuff
Most college apartments collect a surprising amount of furniture, lamps, mismatched dishes, and random décor. Start listing things for sale a few weeks out on campus groups and local marketplaces, since incoming students often want exactly what you are getting rid of.
Here is the important part: do not just drag a couch to the curb and hope it vanishes. Eau Claire uses licensed private trash haulers, and city rules say only containers provided by those haulers can go out at the curb for collection. A mattress or dresser left on the boulevard is not "trash pickup," and it can come back on you or your landlord. Ask your landlord which hauler serves the building and how to arrange a bulky item pickup, or plan a donation drop-off before your last day.
One Week Out: Clean Like You Want the Deposit Back
Wisconsin landlords generally have 21 days after you move out to return your security deposit, minus any lawful deductions, so the condition you leave the place in matters. Work room by room:
Kitchen: Empty and wipe the fridge and freezer, clean the oven and stovetop, scrub the sink, and wipe cabinets inside and out.
Bathroom: Toilet, tub, shower walls, mirror, and floor. Clear the drain.
Bedrooms and living areas: Vacuum or mop, wipe baseboards and windowsills, and take down everything taped or tacked to the walls.
Small repairs: Patch tiny nail holes if your lease allows it, replace burned-out bulbs, and put back any blinds or screens you removed.
Trash: Get every bag out, including the forgotten one in the closet.
Moving Day
Start early. Parking near campus can be tight during move-out week, and you are competing with every other building on the block for curb space and daylight.
Pack a small bag with essentials (chargers, ID, medication, a change of clothes, and a snack) so it does not end up buried in a car or truck. Load heavy items first, and do not try to carry a loft bed down a narrow stairwell with one tired friend.
For families coordinating from out of town, or students with more furniture than a hatchback can handle, it can be worth booking an Eau Claire moving company that already knows the neighborhoods, the parking, and the tight stairways of older converted houses. Many local movers also offer short-term storage, which neatly solves the "where does my stuff go for summer" problem. Book as early as you can, because those late May dates fill up quickly.
Before You Hand Over the Keys
Do one last walk-through with your phone camera running. Take detailed photos and video of every room, inside the fridge and oven, and the bathroom. Compare it all with your original check-in sheet.
Then:
Return every key and fob the way your lease specifies.
Give your landlord a forwarding address in writing so your deposit has somewhere to go.
Cancel or transfer internet and any utilities in your name.
Update your address with the university, your bank, and anything else that mails you.
The Quick Version
Confirm your lease end date and plan for the late May gap.
Sort shared items with roommates early.
Sell or donate extras; do not dump furniture on the curb.
Clean every room thoroughly, inside appliances included.
Photograph the empty apartment before you leave.
Return keys and leave a forwarding address.
Get these done and you can head into summer without wondering what happened to your deposit.
About the author: Dan the Moving Man is a locally owned moving company with an office on Jeffers Road in Eau Claire, along with locations serving La Crosse, Wausau, and Rhinelander. The team helps students, families, and businesses move throughout the Chippewa Valley and across Wisconsin.