Get Rent Ready – 5 Things You Need To Do Before Move In Day

As a landlord looking to have a long, smooth and successful tenancy, there are a few tasks to be completed before move in day. Putting the time in to now to set up the tenancy clearly will prevent miscommunication and the mishaps that follow down the road usually ending with a lot of stress, time and tribunal.

Property: Have the property professionally cleaned. Using a company specialising in exit cleaning is recommended. These companies are not only aware of the amount of work involved so they can set aside a proper amount of time, they have policies to come back and redo anything they missed.

The biggest thing to be aware of is that the tenants are not likely to hand back the property in better condition than it was supplied to them in. This is a big tell as to what sort of Landlord you are and what standards you will accept from tenants. Provide a clean and tidy property and tenants will move in with respect and treat your property like their own and leave it in good condition when their tenancy ends.

Tenancy Agreement Tenancy agreements should be completed (read and signed) by all parties before the tenancy begins. All parties should have a final completed copy of the agreement. Any changes down the track need to be done in writing including renewals or vacate notices. Save copies of everything and remember you cannot contract out of the law.

Move in costs: Before successful tenants set foot in the property or you hand over keys you want to collect the full move in costs of bond and rent advance. Bonds need to be lodged within 23 days of receiving the funds.

Ongoing Rent collection At this stage it is wise to make it clear to the tenant when the first payment is due and how frequent payments are to be ongoing. Remember bank processing times – your tenants should make payments the day before the money is due to be in your own account. Don’t assume tenants will know this, make them aware of it.

Ingoing condition report: See our detailed post on condition reports here.

Just before your new tenants move in and make the place their own you want to perform a thorough condition report. This is your security blanket that will save you paying for any unreasonable damage or cleaning at the end of the tenancy. In cases where anything more goes wrong where you need your insurance company or tribunal to get involved this will be of even more importance as proof of the state of the property before the tenants had a go at it. Remember to get the tenants to also sight and sign this report in agreement with the current state.

Following these steps will have you well on the way to a peaceful, successful tenancy.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is exclusively for promotional purposes and is not to be relied upon for legal or contractual dealings. Tenant Source recommends you seek independent legal advice, and that you may need to seek technical or other advice and information prior to making any actions in regards to tenancies in your investment properties. Tenant Source Ltd including its staff and directors accepts no responsibility for any issues arising as a result of taking advice from this publication.