Property Inspections - A Good Idea For Park City Property Management
When a tenant moves out of a long term rental in Park City, a landlord has several tasks to accomplish. Obviously getting a property ready to rent again is at the top of the list. Hopefully you will always have awesome tenants who leave the place better than they found it. However sometimes there may need to be maintenance performed and it may be something that was caused by the tenant and exceeds normal wear and tear. I have previously written about this situation in "Damage Or Wear And Tear? Park City Property Management Info". Today I would like to give landlords some tools for their Utah property management belts that can help move outs become a uniform, simplified process.
A Good Checklist
One of the best tools a landlord can have in their arsenal is a well thought out checklist for the property. A good checklist should be comprehensive in covering things like the condition of walls, floors, plumbing and appliances, as well as mechanical components like hot water heaters, furnaces and water softeners. Items included in the checklist should be grouped in a logical order. Interior components should be listed by room so that you aren't checking a bedroom window upstairs followed by a hot water heater downstairs. You should also test items that have a function to them, such as flushing toilets, running water in a sink and turning lights on and off. This will help you know if there are any items that will need to be addressed before a new tenant moves in and serve as an excellent preventative maintenance program. If exterior components are part of your inspection process they can be listed by the different sides or areas of the property. Having a checklist like this in place will help standardize your inspection of a property after a tenant has left. This document should also allow room for you to write notes about the condition of items contained in the list. Be thorough in your descriptions. "Grease spills and black drip pans" is better than "oven dirty" and will also be supported by the next tool in your bag, taking photos.
Take Photos
These days nearly everyone has a cell phone. Most phones have very high quality cameras that are on par with a basic digital camera. It is very easy to then email a group of photos from the phone to your computer. Take detailed photos of damage, both from far away to provide perspective, and close up to show detail, is a great way for both the landlord and the tenant to account for any conditions present in the property that could exceed reasonable wear and tear. Should the dispute ever have to go to court photographic evidence of damage will strengthen a landlords case that money should have been taken from a security deposit to enact repairs. Keep your digital photos in a file based on the move out date and periodically delete old photos if there is no disputing of charges. Don't be afraid to take a lot of photos, they can easily be deleted later. With a good checklist and photos to back up your findings you will be well on your way to avoiding potential security deposit disputes in Park City property management.
If you would like more information on quality property checklists, security deposit disputes, or further information about Park City property management in general click the link below for a free consultation. You will receive valuable information specific to your property that will help you make an informed decision. You will also receive a free, no-obligation quote on our property management services. At CC Realty we specialize in making investment property ownership a trouble free experience. Please contact us today for your free consultation.
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