I got a little taste of what it must be like to be WMH on a turnover last week. I had a tenant move out and I went over to do the house walk through. I walked in and had to do a quadruple take! The house was immaculate! I didn't have to lift a finger! I promptly listed it for rent and had it rented in 2 days with a nice increase. It was awesome! This is a security deposit return that I will happily write the check for!

I know, it should be like this every time. I agree too. I have attempted to educate, I have sent a move out check list, I have talked to them ahead of time. Nothing works. I even had a tenant 2 weeks ago contact me and explain how she wanted her deposit back and ask what she needed to do. I was so happy to hear this! I get it back and you guessed it! I had to clean the rest of her junk out, make a dump run and send the cleaners over still.

I mainly have class C rentals, but they are very functional, clean and nice. Tenants just don't seem to get it. At a minimum, I still have to send the cleaners over. Funny how when they look at a place to move in, they pick it apart saying it's dirty. However when they move out, it's spotless (eye roll)!

Keeping a list of these immaculate move-outs.

Look out! Crown thief!

We've only had one spotless move out - we knew beforehand that it would be like that. Military officer and family - stellar referrals from former landlords, kept their 3 girls busy and happy and under control.

GOod Job Doogie, hopefully they send you a relative, I have had a few who that put concrete in the floor drain, put the screens in the garage roof - none fit my house, must have took them from a house with a window world yard sign?

Hey, that's great!! (clapping & cheers : )

Can you go back over their history with you - from their application & screening, through maintenance visits and misc. communication - and see anything different from your other, less-stellar tenants?

Get some clues as to why they were different.

Congrats on the perfect turnover!

I added a line stating that if I don't have to do anything to re-rent I will give them $100.

Doogie,

Congrats! See! It IS real!

Your post hints to their psychology/mindset at move out. Either they care or not.

I learned the DEPOSIT is THEIR security - to not have to clean at move out. One departing res told me "That's what deposits are for".

Now that I do not take a deposit I remind them we charge $75 per hour to clean and $100 bonus for PERFECT with NOTHING for us to do.

I used to charge a $200 Exit Cleaning Fee and guess what - they ALL left me what they thought was $200 worth of cleaning.

The bigger problem was the rent time lost and labor diverted away from more important projects to do cleaning.

Again, CONGRATS!

BRAD

That's a great story! Seems like mine were either really bad or really good...nothing in between. I had one tenant that had some damaged drywall areas I noted on walkthroughs during their 3 year rental stay...so when they told me they were moving I was prepared for making repairs and charging their deposit for the damage. However, when I walked through, not only had they had the repairs made by a contractor (couldn't even see where they were), they had painted the entire house including the trim! They did a really nice job with the paint too! The house was perfectly clean also.