Orlando Property Management Companies
Why are walkthroughs of rental properties important?
When speaking with different Orlando Property Management Companies, an important question to ask is…’how many walkthroughs of the property do you do in a year?’ Currently our firm is performing an inside property walkthrough atleast 4 times in a year (when a tenant moves into a property and then moves out 12 months later). Some properties have additional walkthroughs; some have drivebys to check the condition of the lawn.
As Orlando Property Management Companies perform a pre-occupancy walkthrough of a property they are looking to record the condition of the property. An extensive amount of photos must be taken. A list of items in the property that are not in good condition must be documented in writing. The newly found tenant needs to sign this document. These types of practices keep the owner and Orlando Property Management Companies from a dispute with the tenant later when the security deposit claim is sent out. When performing this walkthrough, look at the condition of the carpet (which should be freshly professionally steam cleaned prior to tenant possession). Review the cleanliness of the property. A very quick way to have an upset (and very hard to turn around) tenant is to deliver this property in an unclean condition. Check on the top of the refrigerator, run your finger along the baseboards, are these areas clean? Are the kitchens and bathrooms clean? If not, strongly consider a professional cleaning service to perform this work for you. Is cleaning a property yourself something you can do, yes. Is a professional cleaner better equipped to perform the job in a superior way, most likely. Then you will be able to turn this property over to the tenant the way you would like to receive it back. Clean!
Now that the tenant has taken possession of the property, Orlando Property Management Companies like ours like to go to the property about 90 days into the tenancy. Why? It is just enough time for the tenant to do any damage (hopefully not) to the property without it getting out of hand. If all looks fine, another inside walkthrough about 90 days before the end of the lease is probably needed. If the property does not look good, that would be a good time to issue the tenant a notice to cure. This written notice gives the tenant time to correct the issue, and the warning if it is not corrected soon. Take pictures of the inside of the property, as another written documentation. Another tip the good Orlando Property Management Companies perform, while ‘walking the property’ take pictures of the lawn, especially if it looks good. That way if the lawn turns bad later, holding the tenant responsible will be easier.
Finally, the final walkthrough. By having lots of pictures from the initial walkthrough, and the mid-lease walkthroughs, the final walkthrough is not hard. Again, go to the property with camera and the original move in document. Definitely take lots of pictures of damaged areas. Then process the claim from there.
Another important tip: Perform the walkthrough alone. It will take a lot less time, but more importantly, you will be able to take pictures and document fully. Remember a thing called a newspaper? Try reading one with someone looking over your shoulder, it is not easy.
If you are reviewing Orlando Property Management Companies, and want a firm that will perform these walkthroughs, give us a call at 407-641-5049.
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