Middle Tennessee, TN · Member since 2015 · 102 posts · 17 votes
Before the tenant moves in we're going to walk through and have them sign part of the lease that explains what damage is and is not present and to ensure the smoke alarm is working and there are no issues with the house. I don't want to leave out something I wish I had included because I couldn't think of it.
What areas do you guys have verified for a walk through before a tenant moves in.
Investor · Lubbock, TX · Member since 2015 · 308 posts · 106 votes
11y
The goal is to have the property in mint condition. Everything should be fully functional, in excellent repair, and clean. The yard should be in great condition. The tenant ought to see that you provide excellent value and expect excellent care in return.
If you know the property is in mint condition, you can take the tenant through, room by room and ask the tenant to make note of anything in disrepair. If the tenant notices anything, fix it right away. You can be patient while the tenant inspects the details.
At this point, both you and the tenant are in agreement that the property is in excellent condition. Therefore, it is much easier to hold the tenant responsible for any damage found at checkout.
I hope that helps. I'm looking forward to seeing what other advice BPers have on this.
Investor · Member since 2015 · 222 posts · 173 votes
11y
Brandon, be sure to have the tenant walk through and inspect every area that he/she will have access to, including the basement, attic, garage, deck areas etc. People often only think in terms of the apartment proper, but if they are going to access these other areas, they should be inspected as well.
One time I didn't inspect the attic and found an unwelcome surprise left behind by the previous tenant. Same goes when they check out. Document everything. It makes it so much easier. I give tenants 3 days after they move in to report anything that they find that was missing on the Check-In Inspection Report.
Specialist · Parsippany NJ · Member since 2010 · 128 posts · 47 votes
11y
@Brandon G. I use an app on an iPad called Happy Inspector. You can set it up to cover all aspects of the property (every room, plus outdoor spaces, hallways, driveways, etc)
On move in day we walk through the property together and note the condition of every room (walls, ceiling, floors, doors, windows, window coverings, etc). We select yes or no for the following: "clean" - "undamaged" - "working" and a final yes or no for "tenant agrees".
If there are issues there is a section for each room to make notes, and another to take pictures of the issue.
Once we've gone through every room we ask the tenants to sign the report (on the ipad).
Later on we process the report, and get a pdf to send to the owners, and upload to our management software.
It's a little time consuming, but it's a great way to create a record of exactly how you hand the property over.
Here are a couple screenshot to show the interface you use during the inspection, and a part of the actual inspection report. (Signatures are usually at the bottom of the report, but I omitted that section here).
Give them some time to document the condition of the property. It is hard to find everything in one hr with a landlord waiting on you...
The best way to avoid disputes is to document EVERYTHING when tenants move out. Then all you have to do is compare to the move-in inspection checklist.
Middle Tennessee, TN · Member since 2015 · 102 posts · 17 votes
11y
This is all really awesome info. Thanks everyone. I'm glad you mentioned the attic and the template was great, I'm going to download, modify and use that.