How to Conduct a Tenant Walk-Through Inspection
Property inspections are a surefire way to ensure your rental property is always in good shape and your tenants are honoring the terms of the lease, be it a fixed or month-to-month lease. In addition to regular inspections throughout the tenancy, landlords must conduct move-in and move-out inspections.
By doing an initial walk-through inspection with tenants when they first move in, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of property damage and ensure the property is left in good shape at the end of the tenancy. Moreover, walk-through inspections can prevent most security deposit disputes, saving you a lot of headaches.
Don’t know how to conduct a tenant walk-through inspection? We’ve got you covered! In this article, the experts at TrueNest Property Management will go over everything you should do in an initial walk-through.
1. Create a Checklist
A checklist is the best way to document the condition of all the rooms of your rental before and after a tenancy.
Your checklist should list every room and its elements, such as floors, walls, doors, windows, light fixtures, ceiling fans, and even kitchen appliances. Make sure to leave a couple of columns next to each item, so you can write down their condition before move-in and after move-out.
Keep the original checklist on file and give your renters a copy so you both can be aware of what the rental looked like when they first moved in. You might also want to have renters sign the checklist to prevent misunderstandings or security deposit disputes in the future.
2. Pre-Inspect the Property
A walk-through property inspection should not take more than half an hour. However, this doesn’t mean that the initial walk-through shouldn’t be thorough. That’s why it’s a good idea to perform an extensive property inspection before meeting with your new tenants.
Whether you conduct the inspection yourself or hire a professional, you must ensure that there are no safety hazards and that all the systems are working correctly. Then, when you do the walk-through inspection with the tenant, you can go over everything once again. Only this time, you’ll have your checklist in hand to help you save time.
3. Conduct the Walk-Through Inspection
It’s crucial that, before the tenant moves in, you schedule a walk-through inspection with them. This allows you both to inspect the property’s condition together, reducing the likelihood of disputes when the tenant moves out.
Additionally, conducting the walk-through inspection together allows you to communicate your expectations. By showing tenants the condition and cleanliness of the rental, they’ll know what you’ll expect of their end-of-tenancy cleaning.
This is also a great time to talk about more specific stuff, such as what constitutes normal wear and tear and what you consider property damage. One thing to keep in mind is that the walk-through inspection should be quick and simple.
Taking too long or going over too many topics at once can confuse your renters. Moreover, if your requirements seem too much, tenants could reconsider renting your property. So, try to keep the inspection under half an hour and make sure to only go over the essential information tenants should know.
4. Take Pictures and Videos
Writing down the current condition of your rental property before a new tenant moves in is sometimes not enough. After all, tenants could try disputing your notes, claiming that you made them up. That’s why it’s crucial that you also document the property’s condition with photographs and videos.
Take a picture and video of each room, as well as close-ups of any damage or details you want to highlight. If you can, making sure the date stamp is visible will go a long way in preventing disputes. Luckily, you don’t have to invest in fancy equipment to do so, as most smartphones have this feature.
Moreover, you can record the entire walk-through inspection. Just remember to ask tenants whether they mind you filming them. Having video proof that you conducted the inspection together and knew what the property’s condition was like before moving in can go a long way.
4. Pre-Inspect the Property
A walk-through property inspection should not take more than half an hour. However, this doesn’t mean that the initial walk-through shouldn’t be thorough. That’s why it’s a good idea to perform an extensive property inspection before meeting with your new tenants.
Whether you conduct the inspection yourself or hire a professional, you must ensure that there are no safety hazards and that all the systems are working correctly. Then, when you do the walk-through inspection with the tenant, you can go over everything once again. Only this time, you’ll have your checklist in hand to help you save time.
5. Allow Tenants to Further Inspect the Property
Once the tenant moves in, give them time to do their inspection of the property. If an issue comes up, you can further inspect it to ensure it’s legitimate and work on getting it fixed if needed. When doing this, you must document everything in writing and with photographs.
6. Follow Local Laws
The responsibilities of landlords vary from state to state. That’s why you must be familiar with your local landlord-tenant laws. These regulations determine what you, as a landlord, can and cannot do when a tenant moves in or moves out.
For instance, these laws specify how much you can collect for a security deposit and the instances in which you can keep or deduce from said deposit. Landlord-tenant laws also indicate which repairs the tenant is responsible for and which you should take care of.
Complying with these laws will not only help keep your investment safe from liabilities but can also improve the relationship with your renters.
7. Hire a Property Management Company
Performing an effective tenant walk-through inspection requires a lot of time and effort. That’s why hiring a professional property management company is highly advisable. These experts can help you with anything from pre-inspecting your property to doing the walk-through inspection for you.
Bottom Line
Walk-through inspections are beneficial to both you and your renters. These inspections assure renters that the unit is in good condition and can prevent security deposit disputes when they move out.
When performing a walk-through inspection, you must take the time to pre-inspect the property and write a checklist of all the rooms and items you’ll be showing tenants. This can save you a lot of time and ensure the initial inspection goes without a hitch.
Don’t have time to conduct tenant walk-through inspections? Contact TrueNest Property Management! Our team can help you with anything from screening tenants to conducting move-in inspections so that you can rest easy knowing your investment is in good hands.