4 Tips to make your vacate process stress-free

For most rental property owners it is inevitable that you will need to go through the vacate process at least once. Because of this, it is vital that you have a vacate process in place in order to ensure that when your tenant does leave, you can have a stress-free handover. Often this handover process can be stressful for those unprepared as it is generally when conflicts and disputes arise. So, to help out, here are 4 tips you should follow to ensure your vacate process goes smoothly and is as stress-free as possible.

1. Inspect thoroughly

Thorough inspections are vital to ensuring the property is in a good condition for when the tenant vacates the property. Tenants are expected to leave the property in the same condition it was in at the start of the tenancy. Of course, there are exemptions to wear and tear which is expected over the course of a tenancy.

To start with you should provide the tenant with an exit condition report, and a cleaning checklist for them to follow. They can then use this to ensure the property is in as close as possible to the condition it was in when they arrived (minus wear and tear). You should also provide them with a list of recommended cleaners for when they do not want to clean it themselves and offer to arrange quotes for them should they wish.

Within the exit condition report, you should provide photos so that there is evidence of any damage or wear and tear. Be sure to also ensure all paperwork has been completed correctly.

2. Prepare to secure the bond if needed

In some cases, you may need to secure some of or all of the bond. Generally, this may happen if the tenant has any outstanding amounts owing. This could be unpaid rent, water bills, or damage to the property.

Where you do need to claim the bond you should inform your tenants that you are, and the amount requested. From their complete all legal requirements to secure the bond. If additional funds are still owed, you will need to discuss these with your tenant and come to an agreement. This agreement and the negotiations should be all in writing.

3. Settle any disputes

For cases where an agreement cannot be found between you and the tenant, there are some dispute resolution services through the state government. Start by submitting a Dispute Resolution Request with the RTA. As well as this seek an order for the outstanding money from the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT). While this may seem daunting, it is important to find help if you are struggling to come to an agreement with your tenant.

4. Key handover

The key handover is an important step at any end of tenancy. This step allows you to complete any final paperwork required, and ensure all steps have been completed. Firstly, you should ensure you receive all copies of the keys and that they are correct. Compare them with the images of the keys in the entry condition report. As well as this, a tenant may have made copies of their keys for family members or friends, ensure these are all returned.

In the second step, you should get the receipt for carpet cleaning before the bond is refunded. This will help you tick some of the final checkboxes, seeing that the carpet cleaning has been completed. If the tenant had pets, the tenant should also have the property checked for fleas by a professional.

Finally, get the tenant’s forwarding address. This is important if any future problems arise, or you need to forward important mail to the tenant.

Conclusion

Ensuring that the vacate process goes as smoothly as possible is vital to successfully managing a rental property. As disputes and conflicts arise during this time, having the correct steps in place to deal with them is important. With a plan in place, you will be able to deal with most issues that arise.

If this all seems challenging for you to deal with there is help available. Reach out to Link Living for a property manager who can run your rental property on your behalf.