Rental Property Turnover Checklist

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Rental Property Turnover Checklist: How to Prepare for New Tenants

The day your renters move out can be a costly time, or it can be an opportunity to make needed repairs before they pile up. Deferring small fixes instead of handling them right away is what leads to higher turnover and a long-term drop in your rental property’s value. Protect your asset and prepare it for new quality renters with a systematic approach for vacating your tenants and preparing your rental property for relisting on the rental market. The following is a Rental Property Turnover Checklist to prepare your rental property for new tenants moving in.

Conduct a Thorough Move-Out Inspection

Wait until the tenant has moved out of the rental property and complete a formal Move-Out Inspection, documenting each area with time-stamped photos and writing up the findings in the rental property’s inspection report. Compare that report to the one you completed at the tenant’s Move-In Inspection.

Key areas to evaluate include:

• Walls, ceilings and trim: Any holes, scuffs, stains or excessive wear.
• Flooring for scratches, stains, or damage beyond normal use
• Appliances for functionality and cleanliness
• The plumbing fixtures, faucets and toilets for any signs of leaks or damage.
• Windows, doors, and locks for proper operation
• HVAC filters, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors

Reference to normal wear and tear as opposed to tenant-caused damage can be found on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development website to assist in determining appropriate security deposit deductions according to state law.

Complete Repairs and Maintenance Before Relisting

Next up, address any repairs needed prior to cosmetic touch-ups. Addressing any deferred maintenance issues before relisting a rental property for new tenants can be very expensive and be very disruptive to a tenant’s daily life. Address any structural/safety issues first, followed by any functional repairs and finally any cosmetic touch-ups.

A standard maintenance checklist should include:

• Replacing HVAC filters and servicing the system annually
• Testing all electrical outlets, switches, and fixtures
• Check for plumbing leaks under sinks and behind toilets.
• Re-caulking tubs, showers, and kitchen sinks
• The roof and gutters (if responsibility for exterior of the property rests with Tenant).
• Verifying all appliances are in working order
• Rekeying locks or replacing hardware for security

Rekeying locks to new keys for landlords/property managers and for new tenants is a relatively simple and low cost task and should be done between every tenancy to protect new tenants from lost keys by previous tenants and to protect property manages from liability for lost keys by previous tenants.

Repaint Walls and Address Cosmetic Wear

Painting walls between tenancies is another way of providing a quality reset to a property. Depending on the degree of scuffs and marks, minor touch-ups may be required for heavily worn areas or for dark accent colors previously used by a tenant. However, a unit that hasn’t been painted for years or so will require a full paint of all the walls using neutral colors such as warm whites or greiges that will give the best presentation to potential tenants and show well in photos.

Unless you’re well-experienced and equipped with top-notch painting gear and sufficient time to spare, it’s wise to hire a professional painter. Not only will they complete the job much faster and more thoroughly, but a subpar paint job can actually deter prospective renters and negatively impact how your property is presented in listings. For interior walls, consider a warm white or a greige (a taupe-like, gray-brown color) as the most renter-friendly choices.

Deep Clean Every Surface

While it is understandable that between tenancies landlords do not want to clean from top to bottom, such work is required to show a property in the best possible light. A proper move-out cleaning covers every kitchen surface, appliance, and cabinet interior, bathroom tile, grout, fixtures, and exhaust fans, window interiors, sills, and tracks, baseboards, door frames, and light switches, flooring under and behind furniture, and ceiling fans and light fixtures.

And, even if your rental unit still has carpet, this surface must be professionally cleaned as well, typically via steam cleaning, as specified by state habitability standards for new tenancies. Carpeting, whether in rental apartments or homes, can harbor a multitude of hidden allergens and even very small particulate matter that regular vacuuming cannot remove.

Invest in Professional Real Estate Photography

Professional photos of your rental property take just a couple of hours to shoot, and compared to smartphone shots, they deliver far better results in click-throughs and time on market against other listed properties.

A service like Fotosold has the expertise to set up each room for the best possible shots, the right equipment to capture the space accurately, and the editing skill to make everything look polished for your listing. Virtual staging of furnished and partially furnished units can also be added, giving potential tenants a better sense of how the space could look with their own furniture.

That investment typically pays for itself through reduced vacancy time alone.

Market the Vacancy and Screen Applicants Carefully

With updated listing photos in hand, post the vacancy to all of the major rental platforms as well as any local publications or websites relevant to your area. Remember to create an accurate and detailed listing and tenants will be less likely to show up for a tour only to find out that the listing was “pretty” but inaccurate and you will attract the most qualified applicants.

The tenant screening process can be a sensitive one for landlords and property managers, but treating every applicant the same way protects everyone involved from future financial loss.

• Credit report review
• Criminal background check
• Eviction history search
• Income and employment verification
• Landlord reference checks

Remember, you must always screen applicants consistently and comply with the requirements of the Fair Housing Act as well as the laws of your state. Failure to apply the same criteria to all applicants can result in significant legal exposure.

Coordinate the Move-In and Support Incoming Tenants

Once you have found a qualified tenant, it is time to start planning for their move-in. Creating a move-in packet with all of the necessary documents for your tenant’s move-in is a great idea. This should include a copy of the signed lease agreement, a property condition report for your tenant to review and return to you, any copies of HOA rules that apply to your tenant, information on how to set up utilities, and contact information for any after hours maintenance emergencies.

Providing a short list of resources to newly rented properties is an easy way to show appreciation to new tenants. Landlords and property managers can refer their tenants to established local movers, whether that’s Charlotte movers in North Carolina or a trusted crew closer to home, to help make the move into the rental property as smooth as possible. In the San Diego metro, America’s Finest Homes builds this kind of local support directly into its property management services.

By providing a smooth move-in to your rental property, you will start the right relationship with your new tenants. In return, they will probably treat your home with care, make on time payments and might even consider extending their tenancy or becoming a reference for future tenants.

Final Walkthrough Before Keys Are Transferred

Complete a final walkthrough of the rental unit to inspect for any repairs completed, for the property to be clean and all systems to be working. Take photos to document the completed repairs for future reference as part of the move-in inspection.

Turnover on your rental property is an important aspect of caring for your property and building a good relationship with your tenants. While it is easy to take shortcuts through the process, these can have large negative consequences in the long run. By completing each step of the process with care, you can ensure the best possible outcomes for your tenants and your property.