Conducting thorough commercial space inspections has many benefits. The main reasons to do them is to benefit from excellent documentation as a cheap insurance, rich data for better decisions and improved tenant experience.
Inspection checklists are a brilliant and convenient tool for collecting and keeping data about your units, inspectors and tenants. But what kind of questions and sections should you include in your move-in and move-out inspection checklists?
Move-in Inspection & Move-out Inspection Checklists: What To Include?
General information
- Name of property company/ manager and/or landlord and contact details
- Name of the tenant and contact details
- Name of the inspector and details (if not the same as manager or landlord)
- Property details: Property name, Address, Space/Unit ID
Structural conditions
You should check the structural conditions in each room of the rental space. These include:
- Roof and framing
- Walls
- Floor
- Openings: windows and doors
- Plumbing
- Mechanical and electrical systems
- Emergency exit routes
Equipment conditions
- Air conditioning system including heating and ventilation
- Appliances that come with the lease (i.e. kitchen appliances etc)
- Other equipment that is part of the lease contract (i.e. neon signs)
Water and electricity meter values
If you make an initial contribution to the water and electricity and want the same amount replaced at the end of the lease, be sure to take note of the value on the checklist.
This is important if your property does not have a smart meter so that the tenant pays for their use of utilities. If you have gas connections instead of electricity, you may want to allow the tenant to fill a fresh container of gas themselves.
Keys
- Check the total number of keys you give the tenant at the handover of the premises. Take note of additional elements like an electric gate remote.
- At the accepting of premises, check if the tenant still has the same number of keys.
- Your checklist, lease and rental tour should include the consequences for lost keys (i.e. a fine or replacement of keys and locks by the tenant).
Visual Appendix
Attach images to the checklist. If you are using a digital inspection platform, you can include visual evidence of the space both at the move-in and move-out inspections.
The visual evidence serves as proof of the condition of the space so that you can compare it at the beginning of the lease and at the end of the lease. It also allows you to better account for normal wear and tear vs drastic damage to property.
Further Actions & Signatures
Another benefit of using a digital reporting platform is that you can add signatures and everybody can easily access the signed documents on the platform. It also makes it easier to keep track of the actions that you still need to take.
For example, imagine there is a fault with the geyser and there are leaks in some rooms. You would note this during the inspection as an issue. In the ‘further actions’ section, you would state hiring a plumber as one of the actions you need to take.
Through the platform, you can keep the tenant updated on the progress of the action and you keep a record of all the repairs you have completed for your own logistics and financial tracking.
Check and Check Again
Inspection checklists are a necessity for any property manager or landlord. Document all the important elements of the space and their condition for financial and legal protection.
If you're looking for a mobile solution for move-in and move-out inspections, have a look at our module Falcony | Audit and start a free trial today:
We are building the world's first operational involvement platform. Our mission is to make the process of finding, sharing, fixing and learning from issues and observations as easy as thinking about them and as rewarding as being remembered for them.
By doing this, we are making work more meaningful for all parties involved.
More information at falcony.io.
