Inspecting your rental property is important if you want to protect and preserve its condition and value. Having a set routine for when and how you inspect your home is a good way to stay organized, consistent, and thorough.
We recommend you use the same inspection checklist every time you go to your property. It creates a seamless way to document the condition of your rental home.
The most important inspections for Tampa rental property owners are the move-in inspection, move-out inspection, and annual maintenance inspection.
Tampa Rental Property Move-In Inspections
The move-in inspection will allow you to set the expectation with your tenants for how you want the home to be maintained. When you hand over a property that’s clean, functional, and in excellent condition, you can let them know that you expect it to be returned in the same general shape.
Make sure everything in the home is working and clean. Take care of small things like changing air filters and light bulbs. Check appliances and faucets. Flush the toilets and test the outlets. Take pictures of everything, even floors and windows and closets. You want to completely and accurately document the condition of your property before your tenants move in.
You’ll want to give your tenants an opportunity to do a move-in inspection of their own. Allow them to add any notes or concerns to your report, and then make sure all parties sign off. This puts you all on the same page in terms of how the property looks when a tenant takes possession.
Tampa Rental Property Move-Out Inspections
When you receive written notice that your tenant is planning to move out, remind them of what they’ll need to do before moving out. This might mean having the property cleaned professionally or the carpets steam-cleaned. Refer to the lease agreement and explain how and when they should return the keys.
After your tenant has moved out, you’ll conduct another inspection to compare the condition of the property at that time to the condition the home was in before the tenants moved into it. Remember that normal wear and tear is to be expected, and you cannot hold the tenants accountable for it. Those small nail holes in the walls and scuff marks from furniture are normal and not to be deducted from the deposit. During the move-out inspection, you’ll make a list of work that needs to be done so you can turn the property quickly and prepare it for a new tenant.
Routine Tampa Maintenance Inspections
In addition to the move-in and move-out inspections, having a set routine where you inspect the home annually while the tenants are in place is a good way to manage your relationship and protect your property. Let your tenants know at the beginning of the lease period that you’ll conduct such an inspection, and give them plenty of notice before you show up.
During this inspection, you want to look for evidence of deferred or unreported maintenance issues. Maybe there’s a drip under a sink that your tenant didn’t notice or some debris gathering on the roof. Do a complete maintenance check, and take additional pictures. It’s also a good time to make sure the tenant is following the terms of your lease agreement. For example, if a pet was not authorized, you shouldn’t see dog bowls or cat litter.
We are always happy to help Tampa landlords with their inspections and anything pertaining to their investment properties. Please contact us at Real Property Management Instant Equity for more information.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.