OwnerSecrets.com

Move out reports and security deposit reconciliations are by far one of the least favorite things for landlords to conduct. Often is it because they don’t know exactly what condition the property was in when the tenant moved in.

Having a thorough and well documented move-in report will counteract any questions on the condition of the home when the tenant moved it. The tenant will be held accountable for any discrepancies between the move-in and move out reports.

Don’t be too hasty when performing the move-in. A little time allotted for precise and meticulous documentation, will go a long way in the end.

When conducting the move-in, it is best to start in one room of the house and move fluidly throughout the home. Often times it will be the living room, because it is typically the first room you enter. Remember the more detailed the better. Marking the living room as good just will not cut it.

Whether or not you want to start at the ceiling and work your way down, is completely your prerogative. Try to ensure you keep whatever sequence works best for you throughout the home. Check for cracks, discolorations, holes, rips, tears, etc.

Once you are finished with one area continue on to another. Look at the blinds; are they clean? Do they work properly? Do the windows open and close as they should? Are the screen the right size and free from bends or holes? Is the carpet new or are there worn areas?

Proceed in the same manner throughout the rest of the home. Go through each and every bedroom and bathroom. Examine ever cupboard in the kitchen, open the stove, and check for leaks in the sinks or showers. Don’t forget any extra rooms like an attic or laundry room.

Taking pictures of the home is always a good idea, especially focus on areas of concern or new items through the house. Documenting the outside condition is vital as well. Check the exterior lighting and fences. Is the yard alive, recently mowed or raked?

When you have completed the move-in report; have your tenant look it over and check the information, make sure they sign and date it. Provide them a copy of the report and allow them a defined set of days to come back with anything that may have been missed. A hole in the wall reported two months later is not acceptable.

Hopefully you can see why conducting a complete and comprehensive move-in report really is crucial. You wont mistakenly charge your tenant for damage that was already present; and you wont have to bear the costs of any new damage when they leave.

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I am so nice that I let the tenant move in without a lease agreeement. I want to go back and do one now, but the tenant won’t sign it. Guess what? The tenant did not pay the 1st month rent! It’s now 20 days late! He did pay cash for the security deposit.

Since no lease agreement exits, what is the right process to quick this tenant out?

You’re so nice? Nice is not the first word that comes to mind. In fact, nice is not even the top 2 words that come to mind. The word STUPID does. What in the world were you thinking? If you can’t make better decisions as an owner who rents out his home than this, you NEED to hire a property management company. A good property management company will cost anywhere from 5% to 10% of the monthly rent collected. If you don’t have a paying tenant, they don’t charge you a management fee. Let’s say your home rents for $900 a month, this means that a property management company would charge you anywhere from $45 to $90 a month. You would still get to keep over 90% of the profit. So what’s your problem? Stop being stupid. Now what can you do to try and fix the mess you caused?

If there is no lease, the court in your area may define this as an “at-will” non-written agreement. Tenant-at-will agreements are month-to-month agreements that can be verbal agreements.

Serve the dead-beat tenant with a 3 day notice to pay rent or quit. Do not try and salvage the relationship with this tenant by trying to get him to sign a lease agreement. For example, you can’t serve a 3 day notice to pay rent or quit and then kick him out because he refused to sign your lease agreement. The court will see that he paid the rent and yet you still kicked him out. Forget trying to salvage the relationship with this tenant. You need to kick him out for non-payment of rent.

After a total of 30 days has gone by without the full months rent being paid, file an eviction notice with the court or hire an attorney eviction service to do it for you.

Never do this again. Once you kick this guy out, with your next tenant make sure you ALWAYS have them sign a lease agreement. A lease agreement isn’t about being nice or not. A lease agreement is about putting a set of rules out on the table that protect both you and the tenant and give a clear course of action if either you or the tenant violates his part of the agreement.

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