What is a rental inspection checklist?
A rental inspection checklist helps landlords, facility managers or real estate agents to prove that the rented property is in good condition before, during, as well as after the tenant move-in. Conducting a rental inspection includes a thorough visual inspection of the premises and the property’s exterior appearance.
A digital rental inspection checklist makes it easier for landlords and tenants to take possession on site. With its help, every point can be checked step by step without forgetting anything. Both parties can then confirm the information by signing the checklist. A final report is the evidence basis for any defects that may arise later.
The following topics are covered in this article:
1. The different types of rental inspection checklists
2. What in a rental inspection checklist belongs
3. The benefits of a digital rental inspection tool
The 3 types of rental inspection checklists
A rental inspection checklist for the apartment helps to ensure that important areas of the property are checked and are in good condition. Below are the three most common reasons for rental inspections:
- Inspection of the rental property
In this rental inspection, the overall condition of a rental property is checked to determine whether it is habitable or not. Thoroughly inspect every aspect of the property and look for possible damage such as scratches or streaks on walls or floors, holes in the ceiling or walls, damaged window sills, door frames, etc. Quarterly rent inspections are an effective means of ensuring that the good condition of the property is maintained. - Tenant move-in inspection
A tenant move-in inspection is carried out in the presence of the tenant. Carrying out this inspection documents any damage that may already exist before the handover and can be used as a reference for comparison at the end of the rental period. The aspects in this checklist cover the same aspects as a regular rent checklist, but are signed by both the landlord and the tenant. - Move-out inspection
A move-out inspection is carried out at the end of the rental period to check the condition of the property. Information collected through a lease inspection form can be included in the formal contract between the landlord and the tenant, which ensures responsibility for any damage found that was not present when the tenant moved in.
What in a rental inspection belongs
The rental inspection checklist is not binding. So there are basically no legal requirements. Nevertheless, the following points should be included in a rental inspection form.
1. Personal details of the tenant and landlord
- Name and address
2. Data on the apartment
- Address of the apartment
- Handing over the apartment
- Move-in date
- Last renovation
- Meter readings of gas, water and electricity
- Key handover
3. Existing damage and defects
4. If necessary taking inventory
The advantages of a rental inspection tool
With Lumiform’s mobile app, you can easily perform any type of rental inspection using a tablet or smartphone – online or offline. With the desktop software, you create your individual rental inspection checklists for your different properties. If anything is changing, you customize your existing templates in a snap. As landlord, facility manager or real estate agent, you will benefit from the following advantages for each inspection when you use Lumiform’s tool:
- Customize with the the flexible form builder in seconds your rental inspection checklists according to property type.
- Get comprehensive inspection reports by including photos and detailed notes in your rental inspection checklist.
- Get an overview of everything that’s going on and changing in your rental inspections using the digital surface.
- Saves the complete postprocessing: Get automatically created rental inspection reports
- Increase the efficiency of your internal processes: Through more efficient communication within the team, with third parties and with management, as well as faster incident reporting, you solve incidents up to 4x faster than before.
- Gather electronic signature at the end of every rental inspection for agreement and legal purposes.
