The move-in checklist is an important part of the leasing process, and it can help you set the stage for a positive tenant relationship and a pleasant rental experience.
Tenants are stressed when they’re moving. You can make things easier by providing a detailed and accurate checklist. This will also protect the condition of your property.
The checklist you employ during the move-in will also be used at the end of the lease term, when a tenant is moving out and a landlord is deciding what to do about the security deposit.
A checklist keeps you organized before and during a tenant’s moving in. It also allows you to accurately document the condition of your property before that tenant takes possession of it.
Move-In Process: Repair Checklist
Do a thorough walk-through of your property before move-in day to make sure that the home is ready for your new tenant. We have a handyman also do a checklist to get the house ready with the follow maintenance issues in mind:
Rekeying the property
Cleaning the property
Painting the property
Checking furnace filters, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors
Inspecting cabinet hinges
Checking screens and window/door locks
This is the opportunity to ensure everything is in good working order. If something needs to be repaired, you want to make sure it’s noted. Try to get the work completed before your tenants move in. You don’t want to start the tenancy with a list of maintenance requests.
Move-In Process: Cleaning Checklist
With work being done between tenants, there may be some dust, debris, and overgrown landscaping at the home. All of this needs to be cleaned professionally before your tenants move in. Not only do tenants want to move into a clean property, but also you want to demonstrate your own standards of cleanliness. You’re showing your tenants what kind of condition you expect the property to be in when they return it to you at the end of the lease term. A move-in condition checklist will help you confirm that floors, sinks, tubs, and toilets have been scrubbed clean.
Signing the Move-In Condition Checklist with Tenants
The most important reason to use a move-in checklist is that this will allow you to document the condition of your property. You want your tenants to agree to the condition, and that’s why it’s important that they sign it as well.
Take excellent pictures and even videos. Write up descriptions and make notes. Share the checklist with your tenants when they move in. You’ll want to provide your tenants with the opportunity to make any of their own observations on the condition of the property at move-in. Keep this in your records and refer to it when you’re inspecting the property at move-out.
A move-in checklist protects you and it protects your property. It also protects your residents from being held responsible for any damage that isn’t their fault. They will have the opportunity to point this out before the lease begins.
Full Circle: Move-Out Checklists for San Jose Rental Homes
Your tenants have the right to a pre-move out inspection, and you need to notify them of that right. We like to do these inspections with tenants present, but if they’re not home, we’ll do the walk through and make a note of any damages. That itemized list is left in the home for them so they know what they have to do if they want to earn back their full security deposit.
Usually, tenants want to be present.
The purpose of this inspection is to let tenants know what they need to repair. Usually, these are minor things; holes in the walls, carpet stains, and cleaning issues.
Before you make any security deductions based on your move-out checklist and inspection, make sure you can document the damage. Check the Landlord Law book or talk to a San Jose property manager. Laws and regulations are constantly changing, and you don’t want to make an expensive mistake.
We’re happy to help you with both the move-in and the move-out inspections. If you’d like to hear more about how we handle these procedures, please contact us at Cornerstone Property Management.
