Do you carry out Pre-Move out meetings?

What is one and why you should do one?

With the summertime approaching and tenants starting to think about leaving, it is in everyone’s best interests to have the property returned in a good condition at the end of tenancy.

The tenants want their deposit back in full and the last thing we want is to propose large or even small deductions from tenants’ deposits due to the potential disagreements this may entail and the arranging of the remedial work to bring the property back up to standard. Therefore, this is why we would recommend carrying out pre-move out meetings around May/June with the tenants present.

The ultimate goal of the meeting is to ensure the property is returned in an acceptable condition. We would normally discuss the following:

• Expectations on condition
• Removal of all rubbish & possessions
• Cancellation of utilities
• How to return the keys
• Process by which the deposits are returned
• A walkthrough of the house to advise of concerns/potential deductions

As with everything, we recommend backing up your meeting with an email stating the points discussed, particularly any concerns you raised.  This then gives the tenants time to hopefully rectify any issues that could have led to deposit deductions. This would also help should there be any deposit disputes at the end of tenancy, you can always refer back to the pre move out meeting (or even previous arranged inspections).

This is also the perfect opportunity to find out what the tenants liked most about the property and where they feel improvements can be made in the future.