When you’re ready to leave
The exit process is straightforward. The faster you read this, the faster you get your deposit back.
Give us notice
30 days written notice. WhatsApp or email is fine, just make sure it’s in writing and includes your exact intended exit date.
If you need to leave faster than 30 days for a real reason (job loss, family emergency, visa issue), tell us. We’ve made exceptions when the situation warranted it.
What happens in the 30 days
We confirm your exit date. We schedule:
- Final utility reading (a few days before you leave)
- Exit walkthrough (usually the morning of your last day, or the day before)
- Tạm trú deregistration (we handle this)
We also start showing the apartment to potential next tenants if you’re comfortable with that. Some tenants prefer to be home for showings, some prefer we coordinate with the doorman to enter when they’re at work. Your call.
The exit walkthrough
The most important 30 minutes of the exit. We walk through every room together, look at every item on the original inventory sheet, and note any damage.
What to do before the walkthrough:
- Clean the apartment to handover condition. This doesn’t mean professionally cleaned: it means swept, mopped, dishes done, fridge emptied, bathroom not gross. The same condition you’d want to find the apartment in if you were moving in.
- Return all keys, fobs, access cards.
- Leave behind everything that was on the original inventory. Take what you brought.
- Don’t strip the linens or empty the closet for cleaning. Just leave the apartment as it should be handed over.
What gets deducted
Three categories of deduction from your deposit:
Excess cleaning. If the apartment requires more than a standard 3-hour clean, we charge the actual cost. “Standard 3-hour clean” is what a professional cleaner needs to do between tenants: sweeping, mopping, kitchen and bathroom deep-clean, linens swapped. If your version of the apartment requires more than that, the cleaner charges more.
Damage beyond normal wear. Broken furniture, holes in walls beyond standard picture hooks, stains that don’t come out, broken appliances if you broke them. Charged at actual repair or replacement cost, with receipts.
Missing inventory. Anything on the original inventory sheet that isn’t there at exit. Replacement cost.
What doesn’t get deducted
- Normal wear and tear (small marks on walls, slight wear on rugs, slightly faded curtains)
- Items already worn at handover (we noted them at the start)
- Standard cleaning costs (we cover the 3-hour baseline)
- Routine maintenance like aircon servicing
- Repainting (that’s a landlord responsibility)
The standing rule on our side: when in doubt about a deduction, we don’t deduct. The cost to us of an unhappy past tenant is greater than the cost of any borderline deduction.
Deposit return
Within 7 days of the walkthrough, your deposit is returned to the same account or method you paid from. You get a final statement showing:
- Original deposit amount
- Any deductions, with description and receipt for each
- Final amount returned
If you disagree with any deduction, write back. We’ll go through it with you. Most disputes are resolved by a 10-minute conversation.
Final logistics
Tạm trú deregistration: we handle this with the local police. You don’t need to do anything. We’ll send you a confirmation when it’s filed.
Forwarding address / mail: unlikely to be an issue (Vietnamese mail is rarely a problem for short-stay expats), but if you want any incoming mail forwarded, leave the address with the doorman.
Final utility bills: electricity and water bills for your last month come 1-2 weeks after exit. We invoice you separately at usage.
Reference for your next landlord or housing platform: if you ask, we’re happy to write you one. Standard text confirming the dates you stayed, that you paid rent on time, and that the apartment was returned in good condition. Just message us.
If you might come back
Many of our tenants leave Vietnam and come back later: a different job, a different season, an extended visit. If you might be one of them, tell us when you leave. We’ll keep your tenant record open and skip the full inquiry process when you return.
Some past tenants have asked us to hold a particular apartment for their return. We can’t always promise the same unit, but we can promise the same standard.
A note on the goodbye
A clean exit is one of the few moments where we can confirm the brand promise from end to end. We took an apartment we said was good. You lived in it for a stay we said would work. You’re leaving with the deposit we said you’d get back. The arc closes.
That arc closing well is the source of most of our next tenants. Most of you write a reference for us in some expat Facebook group, recommend us to a colleague, mention us to your replacement at work. We don’t ask for this. It happens because the arc closed.
If anything about your stay didn’t close well, tell us in your exit conversation. We’d rather hear it directly.