There are a number of details to manage when you have a tenant moving into or moving out of your Atlanta rental property. Are you prepared? Organized? Able to reduce those turnover expenses and protect yourself against tenant damage or complaints? How will you handle the security deposit?
If those questions seem to be a bit overwhelming, we’re here to help. At TCS Management, we’ve been leasing, managing, and maintaining rental homes in Atlanta for many years. We’ve created and improved upon all of our processes, including the documentation of your investment property’s condition at the start and end of a lease. We’ve found that our system reduces turnover costs and makes the entire process of moving in and moving out a lot more streamlined and efficient.
Let’s talk about the importance of move-in and move-out inspections for your Atlanta rental.
Move-In Inspections for Atlanta Rental Properties
The move-in process is an important part of establishing a good relationship with your new residents. We approach the move-in date from a place of service, wanting to leave residents with the impression that we are here to support and assist. Having a strong move-in process in place is fundamental to providing clear expectations for both parties to ensure that everyone involved has peace of mind when renting out property.
From properly collecting the security deposit and move-in funds to doing thorough walk-throughs before move-in day, we are intentional about getting off to a great start. Here are the particulars of our own move-in checklist, the most important part being the inspection:
- We Discuss the Lease Agreement
Before they move in, we take the time to go over the terms of the lease with your tenant. We make ourselves available to answer any questions they might have about their responsibilities and the requirements in the lease. We’re careful to explain the rent collection policies and the consequences of not paying on time. We also discuss what the tenants are expected to do in terms of keeping the property clean and well-maintained. We want them to understand the process for reporting maintenance and we want to be clear about pet policies and other rules.
- Collecting Move-In Funds
Before the tenant moves in, we also collect that tenant’s payment of the security deposit and first month’s rent. If they’re moving in with pets, we collect the pet fee.
- We Provide a Clean and Functional Property
We’ve screened and placed good tenants for your investment property, and good tenants expect to move into a home that’s clean and prepared. So, before the move-in day, we conduct a complete inspection of the property to make sure there aren’t any last-minute repairs that are needed. We will want to turn on all the faucets and check for leaks under sinks. We test each outlet and run the appliances. We turn on the heat and the air conditioning to make sure they work. The home gets professionally cleaned, and then we carefully document the condition of the property with a detailed inspection report and photos of everything.
- Creating a Move-In Condition Report
The most important part of that inspection is the documentation of your property’s condition.
We document the condition of your property before your tenants take possession. Then, we leave this inspection report with your tenants for two or three days after they move in. They’ll have the opportunity to add anything or leave any comments of their own. This protects both us and them when it’s time to conduct the move-out inspection, and we are comparing property conditions then to now.
Move-Out Inspection Checklists for Atlanta Rentals
Whether it’s the end of a one-year lease or a long term residency, we approach the move-out process with that same condition report that we created during the move-in. We want to work well with your tenants as they prepare to leave, so we communicate early about our expectations and the entire move-out process. It looks like this:
- Communication with Tenants Before they Leave
Our lease agreement is specific about the amount of notice that’s required before a tenant vacates. Once we receive the tenant’s written notice that they’re planning to move out, we send them a letter that lists the things they’ll need to do before departing. We explain how they should return the keys and what they’ll need to do to get the security deposit back. We’ll always ask for a forwarding address so we can return the security deposit.
- Conducting the Move-Out Inspection
After a tenant has moved out, we get inside the property as soon as possible to conduct a detailed inspection. This is where we compare the condition of the property at that time to the condition the home was in before the tenants took possession. It’s important to understand the difference between normal wear and tear which is to be expected, and tenant damage. Our experience and our move-in condition report allow us to work through that distinction easily.
- Security Deposits
We cannot deduct normal wear and tear from the tenant’s security deposit. Damage, however, can be deducted. We’ll consult our photos and documentation from the move-in inspection so we can be sure we are looking at damage. Then, we have the repairs made so we can collect invoices to share with the departing tenants.
If we are going to withhold all or part of the deposit, we will prepare an itemized list of what the money was spent on and why the tenant is responsible for it. Then we’ll return the deposit, or part of it, within 30 days of move-out.
A smooth and stress-free move-in and move-out process really depends upon the inspections that are conducted. If you’re not sure how to go about conducting your own property walk-throughs, an Atlanta property manager can be invaluable. As you can see, we are detailed and prepared.
Let’s talk about your Atlanta investment property and how we can help. Please contact us at TCS Management.
TCS Management is a full service property management company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also serving Cherry Hill, NJ, Wilmington, Delaware, Nashville, Tennessee and the Atlanta metro area. We focus on single-family and multifamily residential property management of homes, condos, townhomes, and apartment buildings.
