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Your lease ends on Aug. 31, but you move in on Sept. 1. What do you do?

We want to hear your tips and tricks on how you navigate this in-between period.

By Annie Jonas

July 18, 2024

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The September 1 countdown has begun. For those unfamiliar with the phenomenon, September 1 is an annual occurrence in Boston when two-thirds of the city’s residents’ leases turnover.

The day has become so infamous it has even generated its own lore, with terms likes “Allston Christmas” and “Storrowing” becoming part of the vernacular to describe the particularities of the day.

For renters, the chaos of the day can come with a logistical nightmare, too: If your lease ends on August 31 and you have to vacate the premises by midnight (or earlier), what do you do with your belongings before you can move into your new place on Sept. 1? 

There are many moving parts (no pun intended) that make this Sept. 1 paradox even trickier: When are the tenants at my new place leaving? When are the cleaners coming? How early do I have to pick up my moving truck? Do I need a parking permit? The list goes on.

This chaotic limbo period has caused some Bostonians to avoid a Sept. 1 move-in all together, and instead opt to move in before or after Sept. 1 if they can.

“I once moved into an apartment in the middle of the night on Aug. 31. My friends and I worked in restaurants so we just did it after work,” one Redditor wrote in a Sept. 1 tips and tricks post.

Another Redditor, who said they have moved within the Allston neighborhood five times, suggested transferring your things into a storage unit the week before Sept. 1 to avoid any logistical limbo.

“Rent a storage unit nearby, and about a week or so before the 1st, move everything but a suitcase and an air mattress. Move into the new place with just that on the first, then wait a week, and either move everything else in one go, or steadily over the remainder of the month. Way less stress, and cheaper too,” they said.

Others on Reddit suggest communicating with your current landlord and the tenants at your new place to see if there’s flexibility to move in earlier on Aug. 31 or first thing in the morning on Sept 1.

“I’ve always left first thing in the morning on the first. Everyone does, and as a now landlord I can tell you there’s not a damn thing we can do about it anyway,” one Redditor wrote.

If you can’t move in earlier, but you still have to be out by Aug. 31, some suggest staying overnight at a hotel with your moving truck, if you can.

“You should have sleeping arrangements for the 31st whenever you move. Welcome to a college town,” one Redditor said.

We want to know what you do between Aug. 31 move-out and Sept. 1 move-in.

Tell us by filling out the form or e-mailing us at [email protected], and your response may appear in a future Boston.com article.

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