Frisco Property Management How-To: Move In and Move Out
At Plat Realty, we have found that one of the most important and difficult jobs for a property manager is moving a tenant in or out of a property. If you can get a tenant moved in properly, you’ll have a much easier time with that tenant at move out. If you don’t prepare yourself for an efficient move in, then the move out process will be complicated and difficult.
Every tenant expects to receive a full refund of their security deposit when they leave a property. In turn, every landlord expects to get a property back that looks exactly the same as when it was rented out. You know that neither situation is likely to happen, and that’s why it’s so important to pay attention to your move in and your move out process.
In Texas, property managers and landlords are required to allow for normal wear and tear. That’s something we expect in any property and we cannot deduct those costs for the tenant’s security deposit. Some landlords have trouble understanding the difference between normal wear and tear and tenant damage. A professional Frisco property management company can help you with this because we deal with wear and tear and damage on a daily basis.
At Plat Realty, we use a detailed move in condition form. This is the same form we use when a tenant moves out. By using the same form, you can compare the condition of the property at the time the tenant moved in to the condition of the property at the time the tenant moves out. Every property manager should use this form. Make sure you have a good one on file.
In addition to filling out the form, you have to take pictures to document your notes. We usually take between 60 and 200 pictures for every property we lease to a tenant. Pictures are important because it’s easy to show them to a judge if you have to go to court. They will help you explain the differences in a property’s condition and why you might have charged a security deposit for damage.
If your tenants had a pet, make sure you take pictures of the back door, both inside and out, because that’s where a lot of scratches can show up. You’ll also want to photograph the yard, and take pictures of the neighbors’ yards too. It will help you show the condition of the grass. If the lawns in the neighborhood are healthy and green except for yours, you will be able to demonstrate that with the pictures.
Please contact us at Plat Realty if you have any questions about how to handle moving a tenant into your property or moving out.
