How to Conduct a Successful Move-Out Inspection

Conducting a successful move-out inspection is a vital part of wrapping up a tenant’s time in your rental. Though they may seem time-consuming and annoying, these inspections benefit both you and your tenants and are an essential item on any landlord’s end-of-lease checklist. But depending on the size of your unit, your move-out inspection might range anywhere from a daunting task to a seemingly impossible ordeal. Luckily, with a few simple steps, you can break down your move-out inspection into a manageable checklist and take care of it without any trouble. 

Why Conduct a Thorough Move-Out Inspection?

For time-strapped landlords, conducting a move-out inspection might seem like a waste of effort. After all, the tenant is leaving and you’re already worried about the unit standing vacant and the maintenance you need to conduct before your rental is move-in ready again. That doesn’t even factor in the necessity of crafting a standout rental listing to attract quality tenants. With all that on your mind, it’s easy to think about phoning it in at the inspection. However, this is never a good idea.

A move-out inspection is the time to determine the condition that your tenants have left the property. This, in turn, helps you figure out how much of the security deposit to return and how much to budget for maintenance or repairs. It also allows you to talk to a tenant about any disagreements arising from the property’s condition. A thorough inspection report, with photos, can serve as evidence if a tenant disputes your claim that they damaged your property.

If you skip or skimp on the move-out inspection, you may find it causes more trouble than it saves. You could even end up in small claims court defending your choice to withhold some of your tenant’s security deposit for a repair. At the end of the day, not cutting corners during the inspection lays a solid foundation for the future of your rental.

Oregon Law Requires a Move-Out Inspection

One of the most important reasons to conduct a move-out inspection is that Oregon law requires it. ORS 90.300 requires you to provide an itemized list of deductions from a tenant’s security deposit within 31 days of lease termination. This means that you must conduct your inspection and account for every repair you plan to make. In addition, the itemized list should include fees for cleaning or replacing any malfunctioning appliances. 

How to Conduct a Successful Move-Out Inspection

So now you know why conducting a successful move-out inspection is so important. But what are the proper steps to go about it?

Inform Your Tenant

You do not have to conduct the move-out inspection with the tenant. Sometimes scheduling can make this problematic, and tenants may not be interested in accompanying you on the inspection. However, you must still allow your tenant to inspect the unit before their tenancy ends, so they can choose whether to make any repairs and keep more money from their deposit. 

Create a Checklist

Having a detailed checklist is one of the most critical steps in conducting a successful move-out inspection. You can find many sample move-out checklists online to help get you started. That being said, it’s important to tailor your list to your specific rental. As the landlord, you’re likely aware of the ins and outs of your property and the nooks and crannies that a generic checklist might not direct you to check. 

Gather Your Supplies

You’ll want to print out your checklist and bring a pen to avoid the inconvenience of your phone or tablet dying mid-inspection. Be sure to bring a camera (or phone camera) and the move-in inspection report if you have one. Any damage noted in the move-in report should not be counted from the security deposit. 

Conduct the Inspection

Next, you just have to get through the inspection yourself. Using your checklist, thoroughly go through every room in the unit looking for any signs of damage. If you see anything, use your camera to document evidence with well-lit and focused pictures. 

A few things to use as a starting point are: 

Overall Issues

• Wall damage: Did your renters leave holes in the wall from pictures or shelves larger than the lease allows as normal wear and tear? Are there places where the paint is chipping 
• Floor damage: If your apartment has hardwood floors, look for places where furniture might have left scrapes or scratches where tenants dragged it. If you have carpet, look for stains or tears. 

Kitchen

• Appliances: Are all the appliances reasonably clean and in good working order? Be sure to check the inside of the fridge, microwave, and dishwasher, if applicable. Also inspect the pipes which connect to the dishwasher and laundry machines.
• Sink: Can you still move the sink faucet properly? Does the water work properly? 
• Behind the refrigerator; Make sure there are no surprises left forgotten behind the fridge for a future tenant to find. 

Bathrooms

• Mold and mildew: Scrutinize the bathroom for signs of mildew, which can build up in moist environments. 
• Tubs, sinks, and toilets: Inspect these fixtures to make sure they’re clean and functional. 
• Bathroom cabinets: Are the cabinet doors still working well? Was any part of the wood chipped, broken, or scraped?

Successful Move-Out Inspections Are a Lot of Work

It’s not easy to nail your move-out inspection. In fact, these inspections can take a lot of time and be very stressful for landlords, especially if you have tenants leaving multiple units at once. If you need some help with your move-out inspection, Rent Portland Homes by Darla Andrew is the solution for you. We take care of move-in and move-out inspections, thoroughly documenting the state of your unit at the beginning and end of a tenancy to ensure that you never have to worry about a dispute over the security deposit. We also take care of the regular maintenance between tenants. If any surprise repairs come up, our five-star contracting team is ready to leap into action right away. Overall, Rent Portland Homes by Darla Andrew makes Portland property management easy.