Guide
The Move-In Cost Worksheet: Know Your Real Number
A printable worksheet with 18 move-in cost lines, an ask-the-landlord column and two worked examples, so you can total your day-one cash before signing a lease.
In Under $15
By Whole Life HQGuide · 3 partsRead onlinePrintable
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The real opening page, word for word. 3 parts in total.
Part 1: How to use this worksheet
Welcome. This worksheet helps you find one number before you sign a lease: the total cash you will need on day one, plus what a normal month will cost afterward. It is a planning page, not a promise about what any landlord will charge.
What this product does
- Gives you 18 cost lines that commonly show up when someone moves into a rental, with a space for each amount.
- Gives you an "ask the landlord" column, so you know which lines to confirm in writing.
- Shows two worked examples with sample numbers so you can see how the math comes together.
- Gives you a short method for comparing the total to the money you have set aside, so the decision is based on a number rather than a feeling.
What this product does not do
- It does not tell you what rent or fees "should" be. Every building, city and state is different.
- It does not give legal, tax or financial advice. Rules about deposits, fees and notice vary by state and sometimes by city. Check your state or city tenant guidance, or ask a local tenant organization or attorney, if something in your lease is unclear.
- It does not assume anything about your budget. The numbers are yours.
What is in each part
- How to use this worksheet
- The 18 cost lines
- Two worked examples and what to do with your total
What's inside
- 18 cost lines from deposit to first groceries
- An ask-the-landlord column for each line
- Two worked examples with labelled sample numbers
- A last-pass checklist to run before you sign
Who it's for
Anyone about to sign a first lease who wants one page showing the total cash needed on day one and the usual month afterward.
How you get it
- In your libraryCheckout opens at launch. After you buy, it appears in your library straight away.
- Any devicePhone, tablet or computer. Print it if you like paper.
- Yours to keepIt stays in your account, and you can come back any time.