RentSimpli is a full-service, residential San Diego property management company serving Riverside Counties, including specialty focus in the Temecula Valley and Murrieta areas. As professional property managers, we work on the move-out process every day with tenants and rental properties. We have found that a documented process, detailed checklist, and ongoing communication can help us tremendously.
When you’re moving a tenant out of your rental property, you want everything to be streamlined and efficient in order to move the next tenant in quickly, thus limiting your vacancy time and expenses. These tips can help you accomplish that.
San Diego Tenant Responsibilities at Move-Out
Your tenants need to be aware of their responsibilities to the property and to you before they move out. All of this should be well-documented in your lease agreement, and you should also deliver a reminder as soon as you receive their notice of intent to vacate.
For example, you’ll want the property to be returned to you in a clean condition. You may want to require that carpets be professionally cleaned. Other move-out responsibilities may include returning keys, garage door openers, pool passes, or other types of materials and belongings to the landlord or property manager.
Everything must be documented. Once you know when your tenant is planning to move, give them a list of the things they need to do in order to meet the move-out standards and get their security deposit back.
Pre Move-Out Inspection Walk Through
You’ll need to offer a pre move-out inspection to your tenants. Not all tenants will express an interest in having this done, but it can be beneficial to you and to them. It gives you the opportunity to look at the condition of the property and let your tenants know whether there is any damage that needs to be taken care of before move-out in order to avoid a charge against the security deposit.
We always recommend a semi-annual walk-through inspection so that there are no surprises when it’s time for a tenant to move out. The mid-lease walk through can be conducted to make sure there are no outstanding safety or habitability issues, and also to look for deferred and unreported maintenance. If you keep a checklist for this walk-through and document what you find with pictures and videos, the pre move-out inspection and the final move-out inspection will be much more streamlined.
Returning a Tenant’s Security Deposit
The security deposit needs to be returned to your tenants within 21 days of your tenant moving out. Do not miss this deadline or you’ll face expensive consequences. If you’re going to return the full deposit, this process is easy. Simply send the money to the tenant’s forwarding address.
If you’re going to withhold some of the deposit to cover the cost of repairing damages or cleaning the property, you’ll need to send an itemized list of deductions as well as any receipts, invoices, or estimates. Remember that normal wear and tear cannot be covered by the security deposit. You can only charge for abuse, neglect, or misuse of the property. This is where your documented inspection checklists will be necessary.
These are just some of the things that will help you have a stress-free move-out process with your San Diego tenants. If you’d like more information or help managing your investment property, please contact us at RentSimpli.