The walk through process is the important last step before handing over the keys to a new tenant to begin moving into their rental home. This is the time to note any pre-existing damages in the home and to get a running checklist of issues with the home. We conduct one walk through at the beginning of the lease and a final walk through at the end of the lease. Working in Parker property management this procedure is crucial in ensuring smooth turnovers between families.
The move in walk through involves meeting the tenant when the house is empty and going room to room noting all areas of each space. We check out the wall, floors, ceiling and doors as well as every cabinet, closet, appliance, light fixture and fans. This part of the process can be very telling of your new tenant. If they are detail oriented this walk through might take quite a while, in which case you have to keep them on track and moving forward. If they have low attention to detail or are just easy going you might breeze through the walk through in just a couple minutes. If this is the case you have to inspect everything yourself in order to properly and accurately reflect the condition of the home.
We do not charge for normal wear and tear items like nail holes or scuffs on baseboards. We look for major things like cracks in the wall, chips in the paint, dents in the doors, or appliances that don’t open correctly. Often times we have people trying to note every ding they see, worried they will be charged for it on their way out. Always remind them that these won’t be an issue at the end of the lease and continue going. For things like some minor water damage or a big scratch behind a closet door, I always mark these to make the tenant feel a little more at ease. You’ll have to use your judgment when doing the walk throughs, once you do enough of them and become comfortable with the properties, you’ll be able to use your discretion to mark certain items.
After the walk through you do the finishing touches with the tenant. You collect your sign and lockbox from the property and take back a copy of the key for the office. We always give the tenants 2 door keys and 2 mail keys if we have them. You go over the list of items with the tenant one more time to be sure everything was marked and accounted for. You recap what work orders, if any, need to be put in when you return to the office. At this time you can also give them little details like trash day and mailbox number. At the end have them sign the sheet and inform them you will scan and email them a copy later in the day. The walk through is complete. Gather your things and let the new tenant begin the moving process. If you’re doing this during the summer you likely have 5-8 more to get to after this one. Best to stay on schedule and continue the rest of the appointments for the day.
Blue Olive Properties handles walk throughs for most of the South Denver metro area. If you would like assistance with Parker property management, please call 303-956-3507 today.
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