Continuing my blog series, “So, You Want to be a Landlord?”, we’ll move next to the all-important Move-In.
Setting the right tone at the outset is critical to achieving high Tenant satisfaction. By this point, the property should be properly prepped and a basic inspection completed. It’s important that all the plumbing systems work properly, all doors latch, etc.
We take our move-in process very seriously.
In fact, it’s not uncommon for our Property Managers to spend two hours with the Tenant conducting the walk-through. Not only do we complete a standard Move-In checklist, but we take a video of the home to confirm the condition of the property. The Move-In Checklist and video can be critical pieces of evidence if damages to the property are ever questioned at move-out.
Once the Tenant has moved in and begins living there, maintenance issues will inevitably arise. We call these “break-in” issues and nearly every Tenant will find something that doesn’t work correctly after living in the home for a few days.
Our goal is to allow a proper “break-in” period and send our Maintenance Staff to the property just once to handle any issues. This avoids multiple trips to the property, which ultimately saves our Owners money.
Again, handling issues quickly and taking care of legitimate Tenant concerns go a long way to creating a happy Tenant.
It’s important that the Move-In is handled with a great deal of care to ensure that outcome.
Check out Part 3: The Inevitable ‘Every-day’ Maintenance Issues.
