Tenant Move-In And Move-Out Property Checklist: Fill & Download for Free

Thanks for the A2A. Since I am a landlord, here’s my take on this question. I agree with what everyone else has said already. Take care of the property. Don’t ignore maintenance issues - report them promptly. Don’t let pets soil the floors. Don’t let children knock up the walls or floors. Keep it clean. If you tear off a doorknob, replace it.So few people think about taking photos before the tenancy begins, that my husband and I started doing a pre-move in checklist so that the tenant and I AGREE on what the property looks like. When the tenant moves out, I am not going to ding him for normal wear and tear. Normal to us means the carpet may be slightly dirty or worn from areas that receive a lot of traffic, walls look ok without excessive nail holes, no gouges in the walls. We provide window blinds so we expect them to be in decent shape, that is, no blinds missing from the shade, the cords still useable, etc.We had a tenant once who had a small child who did mark up and put some gouges in the walls. She needed her entire security deposit for her next property, so she asked if she could have a member of her family come in and repair and repaint those walls. We said yes, if the work is done well. My husband dropped in while they were working and, sure enough, a very good job was performed. We gave her all her deposit back and we provided the paint as well.If a tenant stays for more than a few years, we expect carpet to be replaced and walls painted, so we don’t make the tenant pay for that. I do love to watch Judge Judy deal with landlords who want to keep deposits to replace the carpet and paint. She lets them know that they are expected to take care of those items before reletting the property. Unfortunately there are landlords who try to do this. Think ahead - protect yourself with photos or request a move in check list inspection. Take care of the property without unnecessary damage. Good luck!

Many years ago I was renting out a unit in a building I owned. The new tenant that moved in was very happy with everything, especially after going through a thorough inspection, using a checklist, of everything in the unit just prior to her moving in.Two days later the new tenant contacted me. There was one electrical outlet in the main bedroom that didn't work, having plugged in a floor lamp. I checked the circuit breaker which was fine as well as the other electrical outlets in the room which worked fine. Many times these outlets are strung on the same circuit so if one doesn't work, chances are those other outlets "down line" won't work.I unscrewed the center wall plate screw and took off the cover. Smiling, I found the "problem!"The prior tenant had, evidently, removed the existing outlet box and installed a "Fake" outlet box that was used as a mini wall safe! Right there in that fake electrical wall box behind the realistic looking plug plate, she had hidden a watch and a safe deposit box key to a bank! The new tenant and I had a good laugh before I replaced the outlet with the proper two plug electric box and cover. The wires were behind the fake box and were capped off.In the end, I contacted the previous tenant and told her what I found. She had left a forwarding phone number and address for mail. I kept her items in my office until she came back to sign for and collect the two items.All's well that ends well!

I've created a template that I use myself and have shared with others on Google Templates to download which is a full 'application' in which the prospective tenant must answer a series of questions: https://docs.google.com/previewtemplate?id=0AoJnV03yE5N8dFNZdFpEZVFQNjdQT3F6QlA3T0lPR1E&mode=publicThen, once the tenant has moved in, I also created a "Move-In & Move-Out" Property Inspection Checklist (double column format in English and Spanish), which is also very important to prevent any disputes that could arise at the end of a rental contract: https://docs.google.com/previewtemplate?id=1SJmilMY3-Z40XSNLjmm93cslUwo4KFaEgKY4nKWTBoE&mode=public