One of the ways you can best protect your San Diego rental property is by conducting thorough and well-documented inspections. Two of the most important inspections will occur before a tenant moves in and after a tenant moves out.
RentSimpli is a full-service San Diego property management company specializing in single family homes, townhouses, condos, mobile homes, small commercial buildings and small apartments. We invest a lot of time and resources to our move-in and move-out inspections, and today we want to explain why they’re so essential.
Move-In Inspections Document Property Condition
The move-in inspection is part of any well-planned leasing process. You need to walk through the property before your new tenant moves in so you can be sure that everything is functioning the way you expect it to. You’ll want to check:
- Plumbing and electricity. Flush every toilet, turn on every faucet, and make sure each outlet works as well as the lights inside and outside of the home.
- Cleanliness. The property should be professionally cleaned before a tenant moves in.
- Health and safety issues. Are the smoke detectors working? Do the doors and windows open, close, and lock with ease?
As soon as you know the home is ready for your tenant, you want to document what it looks like. Take careful notes and a lot of pictures. Photograph the appliances, walls, floors, ceilings, even the closets and inside the cupboards.
This is important because you need to have an indisputable record of how the home looked before your tenants took possession. It will help you at the end of the lease, when you’re determining what to do with the security deposit.
Move-Out Inspections Hold San Diego Tenants Accountable
Use your move-in inspection report to conduct the move-out inspection. You’ll want to compare the two.
You should check all the same things you checked at the beginning of a tenancy. Take pictures, make notes, and look for evidence of damage and wear and tear.
It’s an important distinction, and only good inspections will help you determine what types of things are wear and tear (your responsibility) and what types of things are the tenant’s responsibility (damage).
This inspection report will help you decide how to process and return the security deposit. Without a good inspection process during move-in and move-out, you’re putting yourself at risk for security deposit disputes. With your move-out inspection report, you can hold tenants accountable for any damage that may have occurred during the tenancy, even if it was accidental.
Include and Communicate with San Diego Tenants
Always prioritize tenant communication when residents are moving in or out of the property. You want to provide the move-in inspection report to your tenants when they get settled so they can add any of their own notes or comments about the condition of the property. Be sure to provide move-out instructions when they deliver their notice to vacate so they’ll understand what you’ll be looking for during your inspection after they leave.
If you’d like some help putting together a consistent process for your inspections, please contact us.
RentSimpli is a full-service property management company serving landlords, investors and property owners in San Diego & Riverside Counties, including La Mesa, El Cajon, Chula Vista, Santee, Rancho Bernardo, Escondido, Fallbrook, Temecula, and Murrieta.