You may have decided to rent your apartment. But this doesn’t mean that you can immediately organize a walkthrough. Instead, you should make a list of all the things that you must do in order to be able to strike the best possible deal. Once your potential tenants see the place. In order to help you out with this, we’ve prepared a comprehensive starter checklist for all landlords. Let’s take a look and get down to work!

Make sure that your property is safe

First things first, you must make sure that you won’t expose your future tenants to any danger by skipping the apartment safety check-up. On top of that, failing to do this may result in serious legal consequences due to the safety legislation breach. For instance, one of the regulations requires all landlords to install smoke alarms on every floor. As well as carbon monoxide detectors if there is a solid fuel-burning appliance in the apartment. Finally, you are obliged to check for signs of mildew and moisture as well since they are considered to be a serious health hazard.

Check all the utilities

Before your potential tenants come to see the place. You must make sure that the essential utilities work properly. For instance, you can start by checking whether there are any leaks or issues with the heating system. Which can be true deal breakers. Additionally, don’t forget to examine all the light fixtures as well since broken ones can be a real annoyance and lead to tenants asking you for a lower rent. After all, don’t forget that, in the majority of cases. It is the landlord’s responsibility to pay for all the necessary repairs even after the tenants have moved in.

Make it sparkle

Another crucial aspect that every tenant will pay attention to is cleanliness. Therefore, make sure to clean the entire apartment and remove all the clutter. After all, nobody would like to rent an apartment full of junk like old newspapers and similar useless items. However, aside from making the apartment sparkle, don’t forget strata cleaning as well. This is absolutely essential since your tenants would definitely like to see that the hallways. Futhermore, share building spaces also look immaculate and are well-maintained.

Check the doors and windows

Another thing that you must do before you organize a walkthrough is check all the doors and windows. This way, you’ll avoid an unpleasant situation where your potential tenant won’t be able to open the window or close the bathroom door. This may seem like going into too much detail. But don’t forget that it’s your responsibility to provide them with a fully functional apartment. So, in order to avoid any complications, do all the necessary repairs in advance and thus be fully ready when the time for a walkthrough comes.

Get their references

So far, we’ve only mentioned what you should do in order to protect your tenants. And how to provide them with a healthy living environment. However, aside from taking care of them. You should protect yourself as well. Therefore, in order to minimize the risk of renting your apartment to the wrong kind of people. Who can cause some serious damage to your property and provoke other issues. You should check their background and ask them for a reference. For example, calling their previous landlord is usually the right way to go.

Do an immigration right-to-rent check

Before you arrange a meeting with your potential tenants. Make sure to check their immigration status and all the related immigration and renting laws. Keep in mind that in the majority of countries, including the UK and the USA, you can be severely punished for leasing your apartment to tenants with no legal right to rent in that particular country. Therefore, if you want to rest assured that you won’t breach this or any other laws and regulations, it’s highly advisable to hire an experienced lawyer who will deal with all the legal issues for you.

As you can see, there are certain things that a landlord must do in order to make sure that their future tenants will be safe, satisfied and ready to pay good money for the apartment. However, aside from concentrating solely on their tenants’ needs, landlords must know how to protect themselves and their property as well. This is where hiring legal help is probably the best possible solution.

By Faith McGregor