You’ve sent the notice to end tenancy, they accepted it, then they moved out, now what?
We’ve already discussed how to go about ending the rental agreement, but what happens once that’s over?
So far, we’ve covered how to get started as a landlord, how to market your rental unit, what to do once you’ve found your tenants, dealing with problems, and now we’re going to guide you through what to do after you send the notice to end tenancy.
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of your duties once the tenants evacuate the property.
Conduct a final inspection
Once the tenants depart, you’ll need to conduct an inspection of the premises to look for any potential damages that will need to be corrected.
You should refer back to the initial inspection you did when the tenants moved in so you can be sure what damages tenants caused.
If you have filled out a move-in checklist comprehensively and added notes to it, you are most likely to conduct a more efficient move-out inspection.
This will also assure that you don’t miss any new damages. If you have no move-in inspection, you won’t be able to justify the fact that the tenant is responsible for any casualties.
“No move-in inspection means you cannot justify any damages incurred by the tenant once you do a move-out inspection.”
If you are planning to hire a property management company to be sure to ask for the move in and move out inspection reports so you can easily monitor your property even though you are away. Move-in Move-out Inspection Reports – purpose of these is to monitor the property’s well-being.
Be diligent in your inspection and always make necessary repairs and repaint when it is needed so that your property is always in its most acceptable shape. When you maintain your property, you are not only doing yourself and the tenant a favor, you are also preparing the property for the next tenants.
A few things to note once the unit passes inspection:
- You need to be sure that you return the tenant’s damage deposit, if applicable, promptly.
- If the place is in disrepair of unreasonably dirty, you can request that the tenant pays for cleaning and damages, but be sure you are well versed in your local laws.
You also want to make sure that you charge the previous tenants for any major damages they caused during the time they lived there.
If you are not saving and updating your records, and a scenario happened to you like this, you won’t have sufficient evidence to prove your stand – This is the primary Move-in Move-out Inspection Reports purpose.
[inf_infusionsoft_inline optin_id=optin_2]
If your property is in BC keep this in mind:
A tenant is responsible for any substantial damages that need repair caused by themselves, their guests or pets.
If a tenant refuses or doesn’t take the responsibility to fix casualties, then you as the landlord can submit an appeal asking the tenant to take care and pay for the damages incurred. The appeal can be filed in the Residential Tenancy Branch along with their pieces of evidence ( move-in move-out inspection reports ) to support their claim.
See also: Big Mistakes Landlords Make Around Rent and Eviction
When Returning a Deposit
It’s very crucial that you know what your local laws entail because they change from province to province.
When a tenancy ends, the initially collected deposit, if applicable, should be returned to your tenant and most areas require interest paid as well.
If there’s a difference in the last month’s rent and the deposit, oftentimes the interest can cover that difference.
It’s important that you are fully versed in your local laws, so you’re sure not to make any criminal mistakes. Be persistent in your inspections up to the final one and return the deposit within a reasonable time. As long as you hold up your end of the responsibilities at the end of the tenancy, all should be well legally and for your next tenants.
Maintaining your property while waiting for new tenants
If the property is not adequately cleaned and fixed after each move-out, first of all, you will not get as much in rent, the tenant will not be entirely happy, and the worst part is that the property in such a shape will be handed from one tenant to another and damaged even more.
At this point the property managers are helpless, and the only way to bring your property to a spotless condition is by paying for the services.
[inf_infusionsoft_inline optin_id=optin_11]
In conclusion
After sending the notice to end tenancy, the next thing that you should prepare is your previous records of inspections. Conducting a move-out inspection allows you to see if there are any damages made by the tenants. It will also help you determine if you are going to deduct anything from their deposit or not.
Since this is an endless cycle, keep in mind that you should keep your property well-maintained in preparation for your upcoming tenant.
Our best practices are the following:
- Keeping a record of all inspections done.
- Ensuring that you know all maintenance concerns that needs fixing.
- Dispatching a maintenance specialist for the maintenance task as soon as possible to maintain good ties with the tenant.
- Returning deposits as swiftly and smoothly as possible refraining from any other issues.
- Inform the tenants of their responsibilities before moving out.
How a property management company like us can help you with inspections and maintenance
Even a simple one coat of paint can give your property a brand new look.
Before each move in, we’ll conduct a thorough inspection and commercial cleaning.
Our company believes that property in spotless condition is a good start for a new tenancy.
We rent the property in perfect condition. We ensure that the property has the same perfect condition after the tenant moves out.
Part of our contract is the agreement of the tenant to clean the unit professionally after the move-out.
While we clean the unit professionally, we conduct a comprehensive inspection.
Who can inspect the place better than the person who details every single inch of the place? That’s right we mean detailing. Problems discovered will have immediate attention and get fixed right away upon your approval.
[inf_infusionsoft_inline optin_id=optin_11]