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.
