How to Prepare Your Unit Before a New Tenant Moves In?

Owning a property can be extremely challenging compared to renting one. The former entails a lot more responsibilities, because it is your place, so any malfunctions or repairs are yours to handle. Being a tenant, on the other hand, is a lot more care-free in comparison as you just live in the place, but then again, it’s not yours, so that’s definitely a downside. Being an owner becomes exponentially more complicated if you plan on leasing your unit, because you have to deal with a tenant on top of any issues that might ensue with the apartment or house. To make your life easier, you need to start with preparing your unit before any new tenant moves in. Here’s how you can do that. 

Safety first

That saying becomes even more important if you own a property and are planning to lease it to someone, because any danger to their health on account of a problem in the facility is your responsibility. That means you need to take care of and remove any possible hazards to ensure that the place is safe for the new tenant to move in. So, ensure that all fire detectors are installed and working, fire exits are unobstructed, and check for any signs of danger to human health like mold or insect infestation. 

Fixing any damage

Safety aside, you need to repair each and every problem in the unit before a tenant moves in, or else they might not even do it. You should understand that it is your responsibility as a tenant to fix cracked walls, broken or dented doors, missing windows, and so on. You should replace anything that cannot be repaired, and never expect the tenant to do it, because it’s you who should do it. 

Resupply 

There are some supplies that are up to you to get, not the tenant, and those include light bulbs, blinds, utensils, and so on. These items are supposed to be present in the property before you lease it to a person, and you shouldn’t wait around to bring them over, because you might just forget to do it. 

Paint 

There’s nothing as painfully obvious to a new tenant as cracked paint, and it’s not something you should neglect. Always make sure you regularly repaint the place before a new person moves in, and some even recommended doing it between tenants, because it’s more than likely that, over the tenancy of a person, the paint will suffer –– unless they’ve stayed for a couple of months or something. Adding a fresh coat of paint always gives the place a new feel, and it can even help you raise the rent a little bit since the place would almost look as good as new. 

Clean 

Most landlords will feel tempted to grab a bucket and a mop, and go clean the property themselves. This is a very bad mistake for several reasons. For starters, you are going to do a poor job at it, and you will miss a lot of spots, if not even make it worse. When you click here, you’ll understand why it is always a good idea to get professionals to help you with cleaning. An experienced cleaner would know where the blind spots that most people would miss are, and they’d have the necessary equipment and cleaning supplies to thoroughly clean the place. You, on the other hand, would most likely grab the first detergent you find in the store, and go about mopping the floors and call it a day. 

Changing the locks

It’s always a good idea to change the locks before a new tenant moves in. It’s for their own safety and to protect you from any legal complications should an old tenant have spare keys or copies. It wouldn’t cost you much to change the locks, and it’s definitely better for the security of the new tenant, and your own protection against liability. 

Look for internal problems 

A lot of landlords focus on fixing the apparent issues with the property, ignoring all else, which might be quite problematic should a tenant find faulty plumbing or something a couple of days after moving in. Make sure you conduct a thorough inspection of the property’s plumbing, electrical, and heating systems to ensure that there are no hidden issues that you might have missed during your first inspection of the place. A clogged pipe or faulty valve could cost you a lot of money in the long run if you failed to act on it, so it’s best to be thorough from the get-go to avoid any future problems. 

Tenant’s special requests

It’s very important to ask and see if the tenant has any special requests before moving in. After all, it is your responsibility to provide them with an equipped residence with everything they might need. Maybe they need a wheelchair ramp or any other special accommodations, and it’s best if you found that out before they decide to move in. 

Document everything

Generally speaking, it’s a good practice to document the condition of the place before the new tenant moves in. Take pictures of everything and even put it in writing. This helps when the tenant is moving out, because you’ll have a clear idea of what damage might have happened during their tenancy as you’ll be able to compare with the documentation you had before they moved into the place. This documentation has to be thorough, mentioning every minor detail from the exact conditions of the machines to scuffs and scratches on the walls. This will help you avoid any legal complications in the future should you decide to withhold the security deposit.

 Leasing a property is hard work, and the more tenants come and go, the harder your job will be. This is why you have to ensure that the place is in excellent condition so that they could stay for the longest duration possible without any issues or complications. Fixing a problem before a tenant moves in is a lot easier than afterward, and it is also better for your credibility and image. 

Images source