Rental Property Move Out Inspection
I just completed my first year of being a landlord, so the move out inspection was very shocking to me. Probably more so than it would have been to a seasoned RE investor. When I pulled up to what used to be my “home,” this is what I saw:
FRONT YARD
The front yard was a mess, but I have little expectations when it comes to a renter doing yard work. I’m going to make sure it is a requirement in my next lease – especially for the front yard. There are weeds growing around the flower beds, overgrown bushes near the front door, and spider webs everywhere. The landscaping on the right side was COMPLETELY washed out. My maintenance guy said it was probably due to the heavy rains. The rain gutters (??) on that side were missing, so that makes sense. But where did they go? I have no earthly idea.
BACK YARD
The backyard was not terrible, but it wasn’t as I left it either. I can tell they never watered the grass. There are dry, dead patches all over the yard. The grass was cut, but I can also tell they never took the time to trim against the house or around the fence. It’s about 3 inches high. Ugh!
GARAGE
They left all kinds of crap in the garage. The garage door does not lock. They did not leave the two automatic garage door openers or the two garage door keys. So I need to order new openers and keys and have the lock on the door fixed.
ENTRY/FOYER
When I entered the place, I saw a huge dark stain of something splattered on the floor in the foyer. WTF!! I have no idea what it is, but there are tiny stains of the same color throughout the first floor hallway. And they had the nerve to leave a broom and mop near the front door. Geez, thanks assholes!
BASEMENT
Other than the carpet and walls, this area wasn’t too bad. The electricity was disconnected so we couldn’t check the condition of the washer & dryer. The entire room was really dirty though. Even the ceiling! WTF???
CARPET ON FLOORS 1 & 2
The carpet on the first floor (basement), staircase, and second floor (living room) is sooo dirty, it may need to be replaced. I mean, big huge DARK stains. My maintenance guy is going to spray the deep soiled areas with an industrial cleaner to see if they lift.
BATHROOMS 1 & 2
The first floor (basement) and second floor (living room) bathrooms appeared as if they were rarely used, but they were not left in the condition they should have been.
KITCHEN
The kitchen was NASTY. The counter tops weren’t even wiped down. They left mix match dishes, silverware, and a frying pan on the counter. They left crap in the cabinets and drawers. They left a laundry basket and other crap in the corner. The mini blinds on the kitchen door is broken. The light and cover under the range is broken. It’s barely hanging on a limb. The garbage disposal doesn’t work (no electricity, but noted this during a quarterly inspection). And worst of all, they left food in the fridge/freezer, which spoiled. Now there is a horrible smell in the kitchen and tiny bugs are flying everywhere. *sigh*
CARPET ON FLOORS 2 & 3
The carpet on the second floor staircase and third floor (bedrooms) was not that bad. A few stains here and there, but they can be cleaned.
BEDROOM 3
The third (smallest) bedroom was not bad. It just needs to be cleaned and painted.
BEDROOM 2
The second (BabyGirl’s) bedroom was not bad either. Her walls were previously painted with a glossier paint and it held up very well. They hung a shelf on the wall and a hook (?) in the center of the ceiling, both left behind. Otherwise, the holes would have shown white drywall against purple paint. The shelf is cute, so I’ll leave it up. I may get my maintenance guy to remove the hook and install a cute ceiling fan (all the bedrooms were pre-wired). Like the 3rd bedroom, this one just needs a really good cleaning.
BATHROOM 3
The hall bathroom between the two bedrooms was NASTY. And they had the nerve to leave cleaning supplies under the cabinet. Ugh! The toilet seat is barely hanging on, so I may need to replace it, if it can’t be tightened. The shower rod was missing and the tub was gross.
BEDROOM 1 (MASTER)
The master bedroom was interesting. There were a BUNCH of holes all over the wall. What in the hell were they hanging in the bedroom, of all places? I can see where they tried to fill the holes, but they did a terrible job. They also put up a ceiling fan, which I approved in advance and told them they couldn’t remove once installed. It’s so ugly and filthy, I may take that shyt down anyway.
BATHROOM 4 (MASTER)
The master bath was also NASTY. More shyt left under the cabinets. They also installed a shelf behind the toilet, which is kinda cute, but they did a terrible job installing it. It’s wobbly and it blocks the toilet bowl cover. If my maintenance guy can’t fix it, it’s coming out.
WALLS
The walls need to be painted throughout, which was expected and no big deal. I’m going to upgrade from the cheap builder’s paint and use a paint that can be wiped down when dirty. I’m also going to use a glossier paint in the bathrooms and kitchen.
KEYS
Even though I gave them two house keys and two mailbox keys, they only left one of each. So I have to change the lock cylinders on the front door and back doors, and I need to call the post office about the mail box keys.
FINAL DAMAGE
During our walk through, my maintenance guy created a list that turned out to be four pages long. His previous career was as a maintenance supervisor for a large apartment complex, so he said the list wasn’t a big deal. He said “after a good cleaning and some new paint, it’ll be all new again.” Hmph! I guess his experienced opinion should make me feel better, but it doesn’t. I think I’m still attached because this was MY first house…and I built it from scratch. :-(
As my RE investor friend told me, I need to disconnect emotionally because this property is now a real estate investment. I also need to lower my expectations because no one is going to take care of it like I would. Once I’m able to let go, the move out inspections will be less painful. At any rate, my maintenance guy is going to review the list this weekend and give me an itemized estimate on Monday morning. After his work is done (yard, inside repairs, and painting), he’s also going to coordinate and supervise the cleaning.
Before I left him, I bought two 5 gallon containers of paint, two bags of gravel, several bags of mulch, and other miscellaneous items. Some things will have to be ordered. I also wrote him a check for $100 for other things that may come up and told him to save ALL receipts.
CLEAN UP AND REPAIR PLANS
He’s working on the front and back yards this weekend. On Monday, I need to have the electricity reconnected (hopefully there isn’t a balance) so he can get started on the inside. Because he has a full time job, he’s going to work on my house in the evening and weekends, but I gave him a deadline of July 27th.
Next week, I’m going to renew all of my rental ads with a goal of having the property rented by August 1st. Each day it is vacant is more money out of my pocket.
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Fabulous Financials » My First Year Being a Landlord (Pingback), 17 August 2008, 15:39
[...] the full 12 months, they were gone. Whew! And I conducted my very first rental property move out inspection. Boy, was I in for a surprise! Dirt, crap, and more [...]
My fiance and I bought a place last year and are now renting out two apartments, and we have been helped through the process by a site called “Mr. landlord.” You should check it out, they have a great bulletin board where people ask questions/get answers, and where experienced landlords post ideas, tips, etc. Lots of info on lease wording, as well as links to the landlord laws of each state so you can make sure you don’t run afoul of the law.
Were the rain gutters copper or aluminum? Both metals have gone up quite a bit in value, and they may have taken them off and sold them. Crazy, huh?
Well I work at an apartment community and you should see the stuff I see on a daily basis. Dog poop all over the place, dirty dishes in the sink or in the dishwasher, moldy clothes left in the washing machine, nasty toilet bowls and showers…the list goes on and on. What gets me is the fact that these people pay big money to live here…almost 1500 a month for a one bedroom…and they make really good money and have great credit. So that dispells any myths that having money makes you any less trifling. But I agree with you investor friend…once you are no longer attached to the property it won’t matter too much to you anymore. I do understand how you feel since it was your first house. I don’t understand how people could leave it looking that way. I would be soooo embarrased.
Did you collect a security deposit? I know when we rent out a place, they require a security deposit equal to one month’s rent and some require a cleaning fee. When we move out they do an inspection before we go, with us present. If they find things not to their liking, they deduct the money from the security. Fortunately, we never had a problem as we manage to improve the places we rent and always get back our security :o)
Since I’m in the middle of moving out right now (ahh, breaks!), I wanted to say OH MY GOD. I know people leave places in bad shape, but this is appalling. It looks like they tried (the cleaning supples), but that it was just woefully inadequate, which makes it sadder in a way.
One thing I’d recommend is *not* putting yard care into the lease, but upping the rent $20/month or so and hiring someone to mow and do maintenance. I’m renting, and we’re responsible for the yard, and it’s just a pain. I prune bushes and the like, but not with the same kind of dedication that I’d put in if I were the owner – I’m not going to invest a lot of $ or time if the landlord is just going to tear out the bush later on, so I do the minimum. It’s also awkward to do things like cleaning the gutters, because I don’t have a ladder, and don’t want to make that $ investment as a transient renter. It’s also a good way for someone who reports to you to be checking out the property every so often – they can let you know if anything looks really funky.
I hope that all of the stains and funk are GONE soon!
I feel for you and so completely understand your disappointment. I have a rental property that I acquired completely by accident and I have had the worst issues with renters…worse with the folk that I have known. The last person did not pay the water bill for months and left the toilet full of urine and feces. It amazes me that people can be so NASTY!
What I don’t understand is that even though you may not own the place where you live, it is still the place WHERE YOU LIVE and not to take care of it just shows what kind of person you are. I was glad to get rid of the last renter!! I know from this point forward that my lease will be very specific: no checks, there will be a charge for the yard work (because you are right, renters will not take care of your yard), and I will make frequent checks on my property and if you cannot keep it clean you can get OUT!!!
I have a few friends with rental properties and I’ve yet to hear good stories about how tenants maintain them. Once the economy and the housing market turns, which experts estimate will be in about 5 years, I’m thinking about investment property, but to fix up and flip, definitely not to keep and rent out. Being a single parent with a young child and an elderly parent to take care of, I don’t have more time or patience for what sounds like more headaches.
Just be thankful that you have the means to do the necessary repairs and maintenance. And if it becomes too much or you’re not able to rent it in a timely manner, you always have the option of trying to sell. Better to have such options than to be like many Americans who own nothing and have limited to no options!
I’ve always had lawn and any outside maintenance included in the rent–I think this is standard unless your renter is a landscaper by trade or something.
That said, the rest of your post is just insane–how on earth can people leave their places so gross? I’ve always had a professional maid and carpet cleaner come in upon moving out, filled holes with caulk, wiped down walls, left extra light bulbs, a roll of toilet paper for the new tenant, etc. I’ve always gotten my full sec. deposit back, and my landlords are always sad that I’m moving out. How hard can this be??
Now I know why they offered to paint the place-you should have taken them up on that offer. Well, I have not been renting for about 15 years now, do new landlords ask for tenants references from prior rental? would be great if that was required, much like getting a new job and going on the interview and then getting your references, education, employment , credit history and fingerpints checked. Oh yeah, and your kindergarden and pre school history as well.
would be great to have a website where landlords from any particular area can live their comments about condition of the apartment/house once tenants move out so that other landlords in the area can check it out
Rental Police sort of
I’m glad you wrote this – it’s one thing to read the landlording is difficult, but it’s another when you get details on HOW. Good thing for you that you are not undercapitalized, so you can handle it.
I’ve considered a long term plan of renting out my first house after moving up to a second, but I realize that doing that is actually like taking on a part-time job. It’s heady stuff, and I can imagine what it’s like to see your first place all messed up. I’m upset in the same way every time I see the condition of my childhood home.
It’s interesting to me that you thought leaving the cleaning supplies was gross (although, since they obviously didn’t use them, that is extremely tacky). With the exception of one, every rental I’ve moved into has had cleaning supplies and a plunger left in the bathroom, and I’ve always made sure to show the same consideration on my way out. This way I don’t have to move half-empty bottles, and the new people moving in don’t have to worry about getting a whole bunch of cleaning stuff if they want to give it a once-over before they move in. I always thought it was a nice thing to do. Then again, I’ve always cleaned the bejazzes out of any place I’ve left. I’ve never been denied a full security deposit back!
I know what you mean SM, I was shocked as well on my first inspections after move outs. And…. I never lived on the property. So, I can only imagine what you feel like. I was literally sick to my stomach.
Funny about the electric, when my tenants move out – the local utility leaves power on. I guess it costs more to turn on and off then leaving it sit -when property is empty. In my state, landlords are not held responsible for the electric bill. This debt follows the tenant. Although, the city water and trash follow the property owner.
In my leases, I state that lawn & yard maintenance is the tenants responsibility. Although, that doesn’t mean much. I’ve determined that renters don’t care what the property looks like.
Also, I have written in my lease, that they need to have the carpets Professionally cleaned and provide me the receipt, prior to receiving their Security Deposit.
Take a deep breath and hold on. You seem to have a lot of plusses with your situation (like the fix-it guy).
i agree with other commenters that yard work should be included in the rent. i really hope that you don’t give them any of their security deposit back. that is INSANE! ugh. good luck!
Sorry to hear about the damage to your rental property SM. My husband and I live in a rental home owned by my father in law. When we moved into the house 2 years ago, it was absolutely disgusting! The previous renters left huge holes in the walls, the carpet had to be pulled up, their kids wrote curse words on the walls and a host of other issues. The thing that got me the most was the fact that they left hair weave and panties in the cabinet in one of the bathrooms. Oh, and they stole the fan out of the central heat and AC unit. It was too trifling!
As a renter, I am appauled that someone would leave or live in a home that nasty. The way it sounds, in the end, they are going to owe YOU money.
I’m praying that your next tenants are the best.
All I can say is WOW! I’m a renter and I can’t imagine ever leaving a place in such shape. I know people do it, but I don’t know what’s the matter with them.
Awesome is AWESOME! I had a friend recommend some cleaning stuff called Awesome that you can get at the dollar store…for a dollar. lol She had red wine stains on cream carpet for three years that wouldn’t come out. She bought this Awesome stuff and claimed they came right up. After hearing her story, I had to find some. So I did and I can’t believe how well it works. It has worked on stains on my clothes that I was going to through away and on my boyfriends nasty clothes from work (he’s a mason – concrete and mud and such). Carpet stains (I put it in my carpet cleaner) and bathroom stains. Just a thought…for a buck…it might be worth trying instead of trying to replace carpet.
I am a new and young landlord. I understand your bewilderment.
I am a huge fan of Oxyclean and Cascade for cleaning carpets – the industrial carpet cleaners work – sort of – but Oxyclean and Cascade mixed with just enough water to dissolve them – works wonders on all sorts of questionable stains. I learned about it when we had one too many chocolate martinis at a friend’s house with white carpet.
Good luck! Get big deposits! Get their social security number and forwarding address so they will think you can track them down!
I am a landlord. Our house has been rented for 6 years and we have not seen it once in that length of time. Why? It is about 2000 miles away. I did have a nephew do a drive by and knock on the door and ask to do a walk through 3 years ago. He said the house and yard were spotless and in good repair. I have a great relationship with the tenant over the phone and via email. She calls when anything needs to be repaired and is great to help us find professionals in that area by networking or calling the BBB to get a list of those that are in good standing. She has only been late with the rent one time in 6 years and she called and told me she realized it and it the check was on the way. Her check has never bounced.
I know, seeing is believing. I wish I could but life gets in the way. We sort of plan on going out there late this fall for a couple of days. We had a new roof and a new A/C put on it this year. Next we’ll have the outside painted. We also plan on having a home inspection team going in to see where we stand overall. It is the best way to know what is going on when you can’t be there.
As a former tenant, I have never left a place in less than stellar condition. I have made many management companies eat crow. “Oh we never give back the deposit!” Oh yes you will because I left it better than when I arrived. I’ve never lost a single deposit. I’ve also never left cleaning supplies behind. Why? Because I used them all!
You’d have to change the locks anyway; you don’t know how many copies anyone might have made. In CA, landlords usually (if not always) pay for the gardener, because it’s cheaper and faster than fixing the yard back up after tenants back out.
But other than those, WOW! I can’t believe they left such a mess. It sounds expensive. :(
I take it they would not be getting back a deposit!
I guess that’s the bad side of being a landlord, It could have been worse. At least you got a check out of them every month!
I remember a friend of mine, second floor tenant decided to run the bath water in the tub and not cut the water off. I guess you know what happened next — the floor caved in and the tub went through the floor to the 1st floor tenant apt.
Talk about money to pay. $15K was just the beginning!
Oh man, Single Ma, that’s rough! I hope you got a good deposit from them! But yeah, it could have been worse – sounds like a lot of cosmetic stuff. At least there’s not structural damage! Some people are so gross!
Hopefully, you have enough in the security deposit to cover the damages left by your tenants. Your friend was right, you have to stop thinking of this as “your home” and realize it’s an investment property. That can be tough to do the first few times.
I work in real estate and we do a walk through at the beginning of the rental and a walk through at the end and note all items on a check list. Things like carpet cleaning are the responsibility of the tenant, either they pay for it and give us a reciept or we take it out of the security deposit.
Most rental properties that we deal with have minimal landscaping, because as someone pointed out, many landloards don’t care or will tear out and most tenants are not gardeners. And this being an investment property means that things like gutter cleaning, major landscaping are the responsibility of the owner and not the tenants. Hope your house comes together quickly.
I’m glad to have seen this post. When me and my guy get married and get a home together, it’s highly likely that I will lease my current house. Having encountered this for the first time without any emotional preparedness would have rattled me to the core…. and I’m with you about the landscaping. I live on a very picturesque block and I’d hate to own the house with the jungle in the front yard… even if I wasn’t the one living there!
After 12 years of home ownership and three properties later, we sold all of outr homes and are currently renting. Yep, I cringe every single time I write that damn check. As renters though we do treat the property like it is our own home. I am not sure what you covered in your lease but let’s say that our landlord tried to ensure that should we or any of her oter tenants move out any responsibility for most things are on the tenant and not her. Our lease covers everything from air filters to lawncare and faucets and just about anything in between, which is our resonsibility. In addition the community is governed by a HOA which also has some rules that dictate things like lawn care and setting out trash. . I would be more than happy to forward you a copy of our over the top lease agreement and you can see that you probably are not quite stringent enough on your tenants. We are great tenants, seriously and so I was not offended by the lease but I know some folks who rent who would never sign that lease. Let me know if you’d like it! I will pray that you get better tenants next time. Also the idea of having someone do the lawn is a good one, then theu do it to your specifications and there is no surprise there. Best wishes my sista!
When I rented a house I made sure that the lease said
a) I paid less rent to maintain the yard myself
b) the landlord provides yard care
Yard work is fine and I have no problem for keeping it neat and in the same condition. However, the seasonal duties should be taken care of by the owner, not the tenant.
Daaaaaaaaaaaang SM – wtf is right!!! The ceiling? C’mon now! Why do people get upset at YOU because THEY have to move? My parents have had rentals for years – about half and half on the nightmares. The best tenant they had was for 14 years. They left because they just couldn’t afford it anymore, (mother daughter) but left the place spotless out of RESPECT!!!! I recently bought a house (I rented after my divorce). When it was time for the walkthru, I could tell the landlord was dreading it. He mentioned the last tenant had been long term but left because he was a druggie.
Imagine his surprise when he opened the door to be greeted by the scent of PineSol! Hullo – people, landlords can and do give references! He was so happy, I didn’t have to pay for about 10 “extra” days and I got ALL my deposit back! And yes, it was the house his family had lived in – he was quite attached as well.
Hang in there SM – its gonna get greater later. The next tenants will be better! And just think, in August you can go shopping again…lol.
Yes ma’am, I am doing that same thing. My baby goes back to college for year #2, so July is a shopping fast month for me too! Siiiiigh, July sales and clearances, sniff sniff :-(
Wow can you say “no deposit refund”? What a horrible first experience!
I did the same (turned first house into rental) but haven’t had problems; I’d say definitely hire a gardener that comes by once/month or once/quarter to take care of the place; it’ll be worth it in the long run (though it’ll cost more money than you want, but tenants just don’t take care of yards).
Sorry you had to go through this!
Thank you so much for this post. Just reading this almost gives me a panic attack. Maybe it’s time to rethink my buy a townhouse, then rent it out idea. I am clearly not cut out to be a landlord.
I got my box cutta.. you need me to make a phone call? :)
Just had my first renters moved out. During their 2 years, on my few visits, I just couldn’t bear seeing the house and yard in chaos and full of junk. Finally, when they moved out, we found that 2 years of weeds and leaves have accumulated on all the flower beds. They just mowed the loan. The bushes were all overgrown and there were snakes underneath and poison ivy growing, too. Almost all perennials were gone, as they made the yard a dog run. Grass was totally gone from the backyard and after asking them to get rid of all the twigs and broken limbs dumped in the front yard, they dumped them in the backyard, which was a cause of citation from the association. Window treatments that came with the house had been destroyed. Dog hair and dog food were in the air vents. Kitchen island and counter needed repair, bathrooms needed caulking, vent cleaning had to be done, and still had to paint behind the fridge which they skipped doing in painting the whole house. The outside sidings needed powerwashing, gutters needed to be cleaned, deck had to be cleaned, the patio had to be re-laid, as they took them out, and a total yard clean-up has been going on. Yet, in all these, they want every penny back of their deposit. Maintenance of the property, in and out is included in the agreement which had expired and had not been renewed before they left. Please give me any input on this. Thanks.