So, your tenant is moving out. You are about to embark on your final inspection of your property to make sure there is no serious damage that needs attending to. So what exactly do you need to check?
White Goods
Don’t just take your tenant’s word for it; check every single appliance to make sure it works as it did when it was installed. This could save you money in the long run by identifying any problems that the tenant hasn’t reported to you and getting it fixed before it leads to a bigger problem.
Do Meter Readings
Try and do these while your tenant is with you, and make sure they get a copy as well so there are no disputes over how much gas, electricity and water they have used up until their moving out date.
Tenants should contact their service providers themselves at the end of their tenancy, and give the final meter readings directly to them. However, it’s always beneficial to do a follow up call as the landlord to make sure that the readings that were provided match the ones you took together, as well as simply making sure that the right companies have been informed that they will be vacating the property.
Check Under/Around ALL Furniture
You would hope that your tenants would be truthful and inform you of any damage to your property upfront– but they may have forgotten about something. Make a point of moving your furniture around to make sure it hasn’t been placed to conceal any damage to your property, such as holes or spills on your flooring.
Make sure your furniture is all accounted for. This is why it’s so vital to have an inventory sheet at the beginning of the tenancy! Also, pop in and take another look at the room once all the tenants’ furniture has been removed. Take photos of any new damage you have seen and forward them to your tenant to document it.
Windows and Doors
Check that all the windows and doors open, close and lock adequately. These can be extremely expensive to replace, so make sure it isn’t coming directly out of your pocket if your tenants have broken them.
Check ALL the Bins
Make sure that all bins have been emptied and thoroughly cleaned. The last thing you want is to bring a prospective tenant to the property and be confronted with foul smelling bins that haven’t been disinfected.
It is extremely hard to get any compensation from your tenant once their deposit has been returned to them, so don’t skimp on the final inspection. Make sure you scour the house, even looking in places you wouldn’t even expect to have something wrong.
Here at Belvoir, we are one of the leading letting agents in Birmingham city centre, and we know how important it is to keep your property in the best possible condition, for both you and your prospective tenants. For more information about how we can support landlords, or any of our other services, get in touch by giving us a call on 0121 212 0122 and speaking to one of our experienced team.
