Woman Comes Home, Discovers Movers Prematurely Cleared out Her Apartment

A tenant recorded the immediate emotional aftermath upon learning that movers had gone through her apartment and cleared it out. She says this happened a week before her official move-out date.

Sarah (@radicallysimple) posted a viral TikTok clip detailing how distraught she was upon seeing her apartment devoid of her belongings.

Throughout the clip, she records herself attempting to sift through trash bins in an attempt to save the items that were removed by building management.

At several points in the TikTok, she expressed her ire and mortification as to why no one had informed her prior to going into her home.

Sarah begins her video crying and from the get-go, it's evident as to why she's so upset. The TikToker frontloads her video by stating that the lease on her apartment officially ended on April 28, 2025. However, she uploaded the clip on April 21 of the same year, a full week before she was supposed to vacate her unit.

She says that someone from the building management company had "turned in keys" on her behalf for her place before her move-out date. Consequently, movers began clearing it out before she was supposed to leave the premises.

Furthermore, Sarah relays to viewers that building management changed the locks to her unit and informed her that they had the keys to her place. This initially confused the TikToker as she told them she still had her own keys to her place.

It wasn't until she made it inside her place that she realized the movers had already gotten rid of her belongings.

This included a closet shelf that contained her particulars, along with a mattress, which she points out in the video that has been placed up against a wall. "They threw a bunch of my s--t out," she says, sobbing into the camera as she walks through her empty place.

According to Sarah, "there was at least two car loads worth of" her items that were removed from building management a week before her move-out date. Consequently, the tenant states, she had to "go dumpster diving for [her] own stuff" as a result.

As her video progresses, Sarah points out other items that were tossed by the movers. At one point, she highlights an upper cabinet area that contained "glassware from [her] parents" which she says was from their wedding day. Because of the building management's preemptive move-out protocols, Sarah says that these belongings are now "all gone."

Another sentimental object that was lost in the move was a rose that Sarah's husband handed to her the day the two of them signed for their house together. "I was drying it so I could save it," she says.

There were some items, however, Sarah says the movers did leave behind. She opened the refrigerator pointing to some food, including ice cream that was in the freezer.

Moreover, a pair of rubber gloves and a necklace were left behind, which seemed to baffle the TikToker. "You couldn't call me to confirm? Who does this?" she questions. She also stated that the movers tossed out articles of clothing, highlighting that all of her pants were now missing.

Also, Sarah points out that the lights in the apartment aren't working, despite that the unit's utilities, she states, are "still in [her] name."

At this point in the video, Sarah records herself in the parking lot of the unit. She points to a black garbage bag beside her sedan, along with a plastic waste bin that also has items wrapped in plastic bags. According to her, these are the only belongings she was able to salvage from the premature move she wasn't made aware of.

"Apparently they started cleaning out today," she says while rattling off other items the team of movers tossed, which included an expensive vacuum cleaner she had received as a wedding present. Also, three bongs she says she hadn't smoked out of in a long time were broken, and a decorative cookie jar also got smashed as part of the move.

Sarah adds that the experience was particularly frustrating because she has a personal relationship with the individual assisting her with exiting the premises.

"I'm gonna make them explain themselves because I'm so f--king pissed. The reason I'm so pissed is because the lady that is helping us like leave the apartment and everything ... she knows me."

Due to their rapport," Sarah expected that the least she could've received from this woman was a courtesy call to let her know that the building had planned to send movers in to clear out her belongings.

As she aired more of her grievances with the situation, Sarah said that she believes someone had helped themselves to her dish supplies. Also, her patio furniture was missing. What's more is that she was holding stuff for her friends, which included a scooter she was worried was taken away.

On her way back inside her apartment, Sarah spots a flag, which was a souvenir from her wedding day that someone randomly took and "stuck in the ground." Toward the end of the clip, she tells viewers that she's on her way back to the office.

Before closing out the clip, she records the interior of her vehicle, which is filled with items she was able to salvage from being tossed out by the movers. "Not a lot whatsoever," she says, before stating that she "need[s] to hit [her] vape" prior to talking to building management so she doesn't "pop off."

In a follow-up video, Sarah revealed what she believed to be the source of the gripe. Since there are multiple buildings under the supervision of the building management team, she speculated that there were several apartments with the same number as hers.

As chance would have it, she says that there must have been another resident moving out of their apartment at the same time she was. These tenants ended up turning in their keys at around the same time Sarah and her partner were turning theirs in.

This is where the mix-up must have happened, Sarah states. As a result, the movers went into her place and began clearing numerous items out. The TikToker did speculate that there were a lot of items that were put in storage. Including the vacuum cleaner she referenced, which was placed in the building's maintenance room and which she was able to rescue.

While some of the items were indeed left intact, others weren't, including some items in a bin she says were covered in ice cream that was taken out of her refrigerator. Although the situation wasn't as dire as she originally thought, she still believes that upon seeing so many items in her place, someone from the building management team should've taken a gander at her place and put two and two together.

Several users on the application highlighted that there were a number of items that were clearly "picked through" and stolen that Sarah had referenced in a previous video. Furthermore, others stated that she should file a claim with her renter's insurance.