Clearing the house before the report date: a PCS and move-out guide
Fort Carson, Peterson and Schriever put more than 32,000 active-duty members and 51,000 family members in this county, and a share of them moves every summer on orders. The household goods go with the movers. This guide is about everything that doesn't.
Work back from the date
Three dates matter: the day the movers pack, the day the house is inspected or signed back, and the report date at the next duty station. The cleanout goes between the first two, as close to the pack-out as you can manage, because that is when you finally see what is left. Book the hauling truck for a day or two before the inspection, not the morning of it. A delayed mover, a second load or a surprise in the shed should not put you on the wrong side of a deadline you cannot move.
What the movers leave behind
The list is the same house to house, and it is longer than people expect:
- Propane tanks, grills with tanks attached, fuel in the mower, paint, cleaning chemicals, aerosols: refused as hazardous, and most of them refused by us too, which is why you want to know early.
- The grill itself, once the tank is off. The fire pit. The patio set that lost to the hail. The trampoline and the swing set.
- Anything you decided wasn't worth the weight allowance: the sagging couch, the particleboard dresser, the mattress that has done its tours.
- The garage. Bikes with flat tires, the treadmill, the bins of things from the last move that never got opened.
- The storage unit across town that has been quietly charging you since the deployment.
- Plants, firewood, the extra pavers, the second fridge in the garage.
What housing or the landlord checks
On-post, privatised and off-post housing all have a move-out standard, and the people inspecting it are looking for an empty, clean house with nothing left in the garage, the yard or the side yard. The hauling receipt is not the inspection, but it is the proof that the heavy lifting was done before the walkthrough, and a dated, itemised receipt with the address on it is what gets asked for when a question comes up later.
The order that works
- Pack-out happens. Walk every room, the garage, the yard and the shed with a notepad.
- Separate what can't ride with a hauler, the paint and chemicals, and take those to the hazardous-waste route early.
- Call for a look, with photos if you can. The crew prices the whole leftover load in one number.
- Hauling day, a day or two before the inspection. Garage swept, yard clear, receipt in your phone.
- Walkthrough. Clear your storage unit the same week, and tell the facility you are vacating.
Military families, plainly
We do not claim any affiliation with the installations, we do not offer a military discount as a marketing line, and we will not thank you for your service as a way to sell you a truck. What we do is show up before the date, carry everything, and hand you a receipt. That has been enough for a lot of families from Fountain to Northgate.
Asked often
How far ahead should we book?
A week is comfortable in summer. The last week of June, July and August is the busiest.
Can you come the same day if the movers finished early?
Often, yes. Call in the morning.
What about the storage unit?
Meet the crew there with the key, or let the facility admit us, and it's empty in an hour or two. Tell the facility you're vacating.
Do you give a receipt housing accepts?
A dated, itemised receipt with the address. What any office accepts is theirs to decide; that's what they usually ask for.
Can some of this be reimbursed?
Possibly, depending on your orders and the rules at the time. That's between you and your finance office; we don't advise on it. We give you the receipt a claim needs.
Also read: Fountain · Garage cleanouts · Paying for it