You just found a tenant for your rental property and aren’t sure what to do before they move in? Our short instructions will help to craft a perfect to-do list that will help you get rid of any issues happening during tenancy. And our special reception will do a lot of work for you.
Let’s get started:
1. Change your locks
Change the locks is rule #1 to do for your safety and the safety of your tenants. Of course you don’t want your previous renters to come to your property after they moved out. And $20 on a new lock is not that much.
2. Make your property clean
Make sure that your apartment or house is put in order. Take away the rubbish, carefully clean everything and pay special attention to the refrigerator (empty and defrost it), stove, and toilet. If there is a garden, clean it up. It doesn’t matter if everything is brand new or not, vacuum the rooms to remove all the debris.
Related: 4 Things To Prepare For A New Tenant Into Your Rental Property: Landlord Checklist
3. Give the instruction for electrical appliances
It is your responsibility to make sure that all the electrical appliances are in good condition, fit for use and safety. Provide tenants with the information on how to use them, and notify them. If something is broken, let them know they have an option to submit a maintenance request in their personal TenantCloud account. That means less headaches for them and you, of course.
4. Ensure gas safety
Get all the certificates for gas safety and make sure your property is furnished according to fire safety regulations. Let your tenants know where the fire extinguishers are and how to use them. Show all the fire exits, window locks and security devices and explain what to do in case of an emergency. If you have burglar or fire alarm systems, you should also show them and make sure they are checked regularly.
5. Give your contact information
Make a list with your contact numbers and email addresses, pointing out the hours when you can be reached. Leave written instruction on what to do in case of emergency situations such as robbery, burst pipe or gas leak. Or simply use your TenantCloud to communicate with your tenants.
6. Arrange the utilities and redirect your mail
Before tenancy, take final readings of gas/water/electricity meters and transfer all utilities to the new tenant. If you previously lived there, don’t forget to redirect your mail as you you won’t bother your renters every time you want to pick up the post.
7. Take photos
A great idea is to take photos of the condition of your property before the arrival of your tenant. Take several photos of every room and some special details there. Later it can help greatly to solve the issues during tenancy as you will be able to compare the condition of the property before and after the tenant moved in. TenantCloud property management system allows you to attach move-in and move-out photos to leases, work orders and reports so you can make sure all of those pictures are in a safe place.
8. Meet your tenant
A face-to-face meeting is very important as you’ll be sure that the tenants are aware of what you expect of them during tenancy and you’ll also know what they expect of you. Don’t forget to tell them that the property should remain in the same condition it was given to them on the first day. Try to keep a friendly relationship with your tenants, so they would want to stay in your rental as long as possible.
9. Have your tenant sign the lease
Go through the lease agreement with your tenant and explain everything properly, make sure they understand every section. After you analyzed the entire agreement and answered all the questions, you can sign and date the lease.
5 Common Tenant Scams On Landlords: The Main Things Homeowners Shouldn't Ignore
How To Avoid Rental Scams: 5 Common Red Flags You Should Pay Attention To
