What is Expected of a Marin Owner When a Tenant Moves In?

Part of the professional property management services we offer at Foundation Homes International is turnover service. It’s our job to prepare the property between tenants. Often, owners and landlords will ask us what the property has to look like before a tenant moves in. They want to know how clean it should be and whether there should be new paint.

Today, we’re discussing the reasonable expectations that tenants have of an owner before they move into a home.

Deliver a Clean Rental Unit to Your Marin Tenants

It’s hard to define what clean looks like. But, there is no better way to begin a relationship with a tenant than with the delivery of a clean unit. Every wall in the home should be painted or at least touched up. The floors should be mopped and the carpets should be cleaned. Pay attention to the kitchens and bathrooms especially – they should sparkle. You want to wipe out all the drawers and cabinets, and make sure there isn’t any food debris or mess inside or around the appliances. Dust the baseboards and eliminate any cobwebs on the ceiling fans or in the corners.

When tenants walk into a clean, fresh unit, they feel comfortable knowing that all they really have to do is unpack and settle into their new home. There’s no feeling that something else needs to be done before they’re completely moved in. This is a positive way to receive a unit, and it sets up a great landlord and tenant relationship.

Gather Your Vendors and Make it Ready

As soon as your previous tenant moves out, begin working on the property’s turnover. Start by painting the interior walls of the house. You can touch up minor areas, but if there are a lot of scuffs from furniture or nail holes from pictures that were hanging, it’s often easier to paint the whole wall. Then, you need to hire a professional cleaning crew to thoroughly clean the interior of the home. This should be someone who is a step above your normal housekeeper. You want someone who can really get in there and take care of all the details.

If your property has carpets, hire a carpet cleaner to shampoo and steam clean those carpets. Some of the owners we work with like to apply a Scotch guard if the incoming tenants have pets. In addition to the carpets, you want to clean the windows inside and out. This should include the screens. Eliminate any dirt, leaves, dead bugs, or dust.

This process can take between five and 15 hours depending on if you already have vendors in place who can do this. Our management services include the turnover services, but if you are self-managing, you can still hire us to take care of this process. We’d be happy to help.

If you have any questions or you need some help preparing your unit for a tenant, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Foundation Homes International.