The Ultimate Move-In Guide: Pt. 1

How to move-in a tenant without losing your mind

Life changes and that means the occupants of your buildings will change. Systematizing the process may seem like climbing a mountain, but just like a real mountain, you can only take one step at a time. If you have an experienced guide, like an Internet article series, you can make it up and down safely.

The steps are as follows:

• Repairing property damage and fixing safety issues
• Cleaning the property
• Inspecting utilities
• Photographing the units
• Having government inspections
• Reviewing and signing the lease
• Collecting rent and security
• Changing the locks
• Helping old tenants move out.

It can feel helpful just seeing all the steps! It’s the roadmap for the mountain.

The last step can be started the earliest; previous articles reminded you that the best way to reduce vacancies is to keep your tenants happy. But people will move on, and it’s important you give them back their security deposit, ask for respectful feedback, and leave them with a good impression.

The next article will focus on the physical changes to the building, then we will look at the marketing and social side. We may not be there yet, but we have our map, granola bars, a bottle of water, and comfortable shoes. Metaphorically.

Originally published at https://blog.tenantreport.net on December 21, 2020.