New Tenant Checklist for Landlords: Move-In Day

Congratulations! You've successfully found yourself a qualified tenant for your rental property. This is just the beginning of the landlord-tenant relationship that will last through the duration of your lease agreement.

Since it is essential to foster this relationship from the get-go, you’ll want to make sure that you do everything in your ability to ensure that your tenant has a seamless move-in day. Let's take a closer look at what that entails in this new tenant checklist for landlords: move-in day.

Sign Lease Agreement

If your tenant has not already done so, you'll want to ensure that you have a copy of the lease agreement ready for their signature before handing over the keys. While it is ideal to have the lease signed by both parties ahead of time with any kinks worked out before move-in day, circumstances don't always allow for this.

That's okay! Bring copies with you to move-in day. We recommend bringing two copies for signatures. That way, both you and your tenant will have signed copies of the lease agreement.

Even if both parties have already signed the lease agreement, you'll want to be sure to bring a copy with you on move-in day. This is an excellent opportunity for you to go over the lease details with your tenant, in-person and address any questions that might arise. You can even bring an extra copy with you to leave with your tenant so that they have a hard copy of their lease agreement to reference should anything come up later on.

Collect Security Deposit & First Month's Rent

The lease agreement should detail required move-in payments. Make sure to discuss these terms with the tenant before move-in day to ensure they come prepared with the proper payment methods you need.

Always be sure to collect the security deposit and the first month's rent from your tenant before handing over the keys. As a landlord, it is in your best interest to have the finances settled to avoid any headaches from trying to collect these fees once your tenant has already moved in.

Exception: Tenants Receiving Government Assistance

If your tenant is receiving government assistance, such as Section 8, this rule will not apply. Due to the legal obligations, Section 8 will send you the funds after move-in day for your tenant. Of course, you'll know about this situation ahead of time so you can plan accordingly. Also, you won't have to worry about tracking down the money as it is coming from the government directly to you.

It's important to note that Section 8 is responsible for providing you with monthly rent. Even if your tenant is receiving government assistance, they are still responsible for covering the security deposit on their own. For tenants with Section 8, be sure to collect the deposit and anticipate the first month's rent to come at a later date.

Optional: Require Renter's Insurance

While it is not required by law, you have the option to exclusively approve applicants who have proof of some form of renter's insurance. This specific form of insurance will help to protect your tenants and provide assistance in personal property damage costs as well as legal liability.

Renter's insurance will cover pre-approved emergencies, as set forth by your tenants' insurance provider, but may include things such as:

• Water damage
• Fire
• Wind damage
• Falling objects
• Theft
• And more!

Upon move-in, you can request that your tenant provide you with proof of their renter's insurance. Some landlords may even have specific requirements about minimum coverage options.

Confirm Move-Out Details

Even though move-out may seem very far away, it's essential to take the time during move-in to confirm all of the move-out details with your tenant so they know what to expect. Make sure to list these details in the lease agreement so your tenant can reference the document closer to move-out day and be well prepared.

Date

The first thing to confirm with your tenant is the agreed-upon move-out date. Make sure this date is listed on the lease agreement.

Notice

You should require your tenants to provide you with adequate notice that they will be moving out on the agreed-upon date. A 30-day notice is standard. Before their 30-day notice is due, you should provide your tenants with the option to extend their lease if that is available.

The purpose of the 30-day notice is to let you know that they are choosing to end their lease agreement rather than extend it at that time. This notice should provide you with enough time to get your arrangements in order so that you can be ready to clean out and relist your property as quickly as possible once your current tenants move out.

Checklist

On move-out day, you will complete a walk-through with your tenant referencing the same checklist you used on move-in day. Make sure they understand the purpose of the checklist for both move-in and move-out days.

Determine Move-In Day & Details

Communicate with your tenant to determine their move-in day. Once the two of you can commit to a specific date and time, you can let them know the details of the day.

While your move-in days might follow a specific schedule, you have to remember that everyone has different expectations. Tenants experience varying move-in days, so you should always make sure you give them details on what your move-in days look like.

Communicate How to Pay Rent & Log Maintenance Requests

Even though you'll collect the first month's rent at move-in, you must explain to your new tenants how they will pay rent moving forward. Make sure you let them know what payment forms are permitted and how late payments are handled.

Move-in day is an excellent time to discuss how to log maintenance requests as well. It's best to go over maintenance requests at move-in to avoid confusion when something pops up. The sooner they can request maintenance, the sooner you can get it tended to.

Online Communication Portal

If possible, we recommend creating an online portal where your tenants can pay rent directly and log maintenance requests all in one place. Not only does this make things incredibly convenient for them, but it helps keep you organized as well. Best of all, it provides you with time and date stamps on all tenant communication.

Move-In Day Checklist

Move-in day is stressful for both landlords and tenants. It's important to remember that, as a landlord, it's in your best interest to be there to support your tenants as much as possible through this process. Not only will this help to minimize any confusion down the line, but it will also help to develop a lasting relationship between you and your tenants.

We recommend providing your tenants with a move-in day checklist within two weeks before their move-in date. Providing them with this resource early on will help reduce some of the stress of their big day and allow you to make your expectations apparent.

The move-in checklist will detail every aspect of each room within your rental property. There will be one column to take notes on the condition on move-in and another column on the state upon move-out. Some of the things listed for each room may include:

• Walls
• Ceiling
• Flooring
• Doors
• Closet
• Outlet/switches
• Light fixtures
• Lightbulbs
• Windows
• Screens
• Shades/blinds
• Blank spaces to write in any other features not listed

Welcome Package

In addition to the move-in checklist, it's a good idea to provide your tenants with a welcome package. It can be as simple as sending them this information via email, in which case you can save it for future tenants as well.

Your welcome package should be unique to your property and include things like:

• How to set up utilities
• When is trash day
• Where the amenities are and how to access them
• Where their assigned parking spot is located
• What guest parking options are available
• Move-in checklist

Move-Out Day Checklist

The move-out day checklist will be the same as your move-in day checklist. You'll go over this list with your tenant before moving out to ensure your rental property is returned to you in the same condition it was on move-in day.

Final Step - Welcome Your Tenant to Their New Home!

Last but not least, it's time to welcome your tenant to their new home! Now that all business has been taken care of, you can hand over the keys and leave your tenants be. Your face-to-face interactions with your tenant are likely to be limited through the duration of their lease, so it's nice to have had the time at move-in to connect with them on a more personal level.

Don't forget your landlord duties don't end here! This is just the beginning of your relationship, and it will be up to you to continue fostering this relationship through the move-out day, whenever that may be!