Do you own property in California? Are you about to complete a tenant move out?
Well be VERY careful. As this is the strictest move out process I have seen so far to date! At the same time it can be an amazing and useful process if done correctly. As it helped turned an absolute problem child into a great move out, (think they totally fixed all the issues, so we went from thousands of dollars in damages to perfect–crazy right?!)
Trust me from someone who normally LOVES operating in California (the low property taxes and insurance) that this is a tenant friendly state who has VERY specific move out procedures. When I was working with my problem children tenants these rules terrified me. In my head I was terrified that I would miss a step and there it all goes on a technicality.
Before a move out I ALWAYS research the procedures to make sure I do it right! I had a prior move out in California but they were DREAM! They didn’t want a pre-inspection, the house was in perfect condition, and she even VACUUMED before every showing. So house rented instantly and quickly 😉 Oh what a dream.
Well let’s just say the next one was my problem child so I knew this would not be smooth sailing! They have been difficult the ENTIRE TIME. Heck they insisted on a pre-inspection and then stood me UP! Now I am getting ahead of myself.
So the first thing I did was read the rules. I found them here . The rules require that you do an initial inspection if they requested (mine did) and they also require that I print out a copy of the rules; which I also did.
Here’s the trick I learned! You want to be REALLY REALLY thorough. If you do not catch anything then unless you can prove that the tenant did something to cover it up or did the damage after the inspection but before move out than you are SOL. I had OVER 20 items of contention when I completed a walk through inspection the first time. You are supposed to leave the list at the time of move out inspection. So I went old fashioned and bought carbon copy paper. This way you can leave them the list while also having your own copy of the list too! YUP,OLD FASHIONED.
I also took a TON of pictures. If they do not show up after requesting the initial inspection per California law you do it anyway and leave it all on the table. So I did that. Then at move out you just collect the keys and then after they left I did the final walk through.
While I was SUPER paranoid that this would be awful experience -having to do an initial move out inspection- it worked out GREAT. They left the house in great condition. All 20 points of contention were cleared up!
Have you done a move out in California? What was your experience?
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my parents own income property in california, and their first move-out was a nightmare. the tenants were definitely a much bigger issue the final year of their 3 year lease. what my parents didn’t realize was that the property manager had become so anxious over interacting with the tenants, that on the move-out inspection form he wrote “looks good” and left as quickly as he could. seriously, that was all he wrote. my parents ended up doing a walk through of their own after they saw that written on the form, and they noted holes punched in the walls, sliding closet doors that were lying on their sides in the rooms because of the damage to the hanging system, a toilet with the bolts broken that had dislodged the toilet base off the wax ring (yup – waste seepage on a second floor bathroom), the list goes on. the tenants are now disputing the deductions because the phrase “looks good”. and the tenants are military utilizing free legal aid from the base to argue their stand. sigh….
I am so sorry for your experience. That is awful. Have you thought about enlisting the help of a lawyer? When we had our problem child, our lawyer was really helpful. Another option is to pursue recourse through the broker/California Real Estate association if it is due to misconduct of the agent. Good Luck!!