Tenant moving out checklist?

K

kermit101

Guest
Hi Folks,

I have a tenant moving out very soon.
What should i do about the ESB and Phone bills?
Any other tips before i hand over his deposit.
He was an excellent tenant BTW never any problem
All advice appreciated

Cheers
 
Arrange to meet him to get back the keys - check that the keys are all the right ones. Walk through the property slowly noting is it clean, does it seem to be in good condition- open the oven and run your hand along the bottom, check the freezer compartment, look under bed, etc. Did you take an inventory of items from the property that you can check off? I have heard stories about tenants taking lamps, etc! If you come across something that you think needs attention point it out - if the apartment could do with a clean say that you are going to arrange a cleaner to come in and that this will be deducted from his deposit. Act as businesslike as possible. Take the meter readings on the day the tenant leaves and give them to the tenant letting him know that it is his responsibility to close the account in his name. Check with ESB a few days later that this has been done. Not sure about phone bills but imagine it's a similar process. Ask him for a forwarding address - may be useful if anything comes up.
 
Great,

Thanks a lot, didn't think of a few of those.

Kermit
 
Seriously, this is over the top! And I've never undergone such a process while moving out - running your hand on the bottom of the oven? Good lord. Do you expect to find diamonds there?

Of course the place will be in need of a clean up - charging your tenant for a bit of a basic spruce up is really petty, if he's been a good tenant and leaves the place in good shape overall.
 


You have never been a landlord then...!

Kermit, dont forget to move furniture like sofa's - they may be covering cigarette burns, stains etc.
 
No, in fact, I've always been a very good tenant, and I leave the place neat and clean - usually cleaner than when I moved in.

It's not normal landlord behaviour to run your hand over the oven floor, nor to move the sofa in search of a spot. It sounds like a desperate move to make a profit out of normal wear and tear. It's kind of pathetic, and I've never been treated in this way, nor would I expect to be.

This is not a problem tenant - the OP used the word "excellent" and noted there was never any problem. It's extremely petty to take such an adversarial approach on his way out the door.