Eventually, a tenant would have to end their lease. During that time, the landlord will stress over the condition of the rental property. He might discover damages that would need repairs or items that need replacement. He would have to deal with them eventually, of course. The stressful part comes if there is a tenant lined up or he can’t afford to have a long period of vacancy. The landlord would have to work fast to ensure the property is ready.

As an agent, it is also your job to check if the tenants can move in immediately. To ensure an easy moving-in experience, the landlord would have to take a few steps to ensure a stress-free moving-out process. You should probably take down some notes for this one. It will come in handy.

Before Moving-out

• Send a reminder

The landlord should send a reminder to the tenant at least thirty days before the agreed-upon date. Sometimes the tenants may forget until the last minute. Notifying them will prompt them to settle any requirements or documents before moving out.

• Moving out inspection

The only way to check the property’s condition is to conduct a moving-out inspection. It will give the landlord plenty of time to identify everything that needs repairing or replacement. He should set a schedule for this with the tenant. The landlord must bring the moving-in list to look into any changes.

In the province of Toronto, the Toronto Community Housing staff will inspect once the tenant sends a notice to end their tenancy. They will repeat the process once the renter moves out for good.

• Confirmation

Although the tenant might become a little busy with the moving, they should meet up with the landlord for any final concerns, such as payments they have to make and returning the keys.

Expectations on cleaning, expenses, and maintenance

The landlord must remind the tenants to check the things they need to do before leaving. Their responsibilities include keeping the property clean at all times, and the landlord should see that it is during the inspection.

For example, the province of British Columbia has a rule that renters should clean the rental regardless of the condition it was in when they arrived. For instance, the tenants should have the carpets shampooed and cleaned if they rented the place longer than a year. The windows, doors, and appliances should be clean as well. The landlord should also check if any light fixtures are not working.

Refunds

Sometimes the landlord would return money to their tenants at the end of the lease, usually the deposit. However, we have to remember that there are places where security deposits are prohibited, like in Ontario.

But for the areas that do, the property owner must send a refund within 10-15 days. The number of days will vary depending on location. The tenants are entitled to know any deductions from their deposit, and the landlord must send them a report for transparency.

Set expectations right from the get-go

Moving out can cause a few conflicts between the tenants and landlords. Although, landlords can avoid them by setting expectations starting from day one. They don’t have to wait for the end of a lease to let the tenants know of their responsibilities.

The landlord should sit down with the tenants to discuss the present condition of the rental. They can go over the moving-in checklist as evidence. They can also show pictures as part of their documentation. The tenants should also know how the deposit works and how to get a refund.

As a leasing agent, you should know these steps because the tenants may ask you about this. You can give them a brief orientation to give them an initial idea. After all, they can talk it over more thoroughly with their landlords.

And since the tenants are moving out, you have to find new ones to avoid keeping the property vacant for too long. If you sign up for Padleads now, you can post your property listings online ASAP. And don’t forget to syndicate them to other websites too.