Orlando Property Management Blog

Move-In Checklist | Tips for Orlando Tenants

At Specialized Property Management in Orlando, we are thrilled that you’ve chosen to rent one of our properties. We are here to welcome you to your new home and provide you with a checklist that can help you make the move-in process a little less stressful. We know that moving can be an exciting and an overwhelming time.

Hopefully, this resource will help you as you get settled into your new home. If you need any help during the moving process, or you’re not sure about what’s required of you, please contact us. Your property management team is here to answer any questions and address any concerns.

Good luck moving in, and we expect you will have a wonderful rental experience while you’re staying with us.

Moving In and Inspecting Your New Orlando Rental Home

Before you move into your new home, your leasing agent will provide you with a resident manual filled with all of the information you need to enjoy and care for your new home. When you receive your keys on moving day, you will also receive an inventory and condition form to document the move-in condition of the property. This is an important document that’s used to protect you and to ensure everyone agrees on the condition of the home at move-in. Before you arrive, our property managers will conduct a thorough move-in inspection to ensure that everything is working and clean. However, you might notice something that we missed.

It’s important that you document any problems or damage that you see before you move in. If you don’t make these notations and we see those problems after you move out, we will assume that the issue occurred during your residency. You don’t want to be responsible for things that weren’t your fault. So, the inventory and condition form is an excellent way to protect yourself and your security deposit.

Once you receive the inventory and condition form, please take a few moments to go through your new home before you move your belongings into the house. As you walk through every room and open up every closet and drawer, you’ll want to complete this form.

If you do notice issues, be sure to take pictures. For example, if there’s a scratch on an appliance or light fixtures are missing light bulbs, snap photos of those things and make a note of them on the form. This will document what you found and let us know that you cannot be held responsible for these things after you move out.

We ask that you return the inventory and condition form to us within five days of moving in. Make sure you sign it and include any back-up documentation, such as photos or videos. We keep this form in the leasing department so we can use it during our move-out inspection at the end of your leasing period.

If you see anything that needs maintenance while you’re moving in, please let us know. It’s our goal to provide you with a clean, comfortable, and functional home from the first moment that you take possession of the property. If something is broken or not working, we ask that you submit a separate maintenance request through your tenant portal. Your leasing agent should have helped you set up an account for that online portal when you got together to sign the lease. It will help you pay rent, request maintenance, and communicate with our staff.

We want you to enjoy your new home and will work with you to ensure the property is well maintained.

Understanding the Owner and Resident Responsibilities

A good relationship between tenants and property managers is essential. One of the ways we work to establish and maintain good relationships is with clear communication and expectations. We want our tenants and our owners to understand exactly what their responsibilities are, and what the other party is responsible for doing.

Tenants are responsible for keeping the property clean and tidy. We want you to treat this property like it’s your own. This is your home – be proud of it, and help us take care of it. Tenants must also set up all utilities in their own names. Before you move in, make sure you’ve contracted the utility companies and either switched your current service or set up a new account. We also ask our tenants to care for all landscaping and yard work. Completing minor and seasonal maintenance is also the responsibility of the tenant. This includes changing light bulbs and filters for both the furnace and the water. All of these things are examples of what you’d do in any property to keep it functioning properly for you.

Additionally, tenants must comply with local, state, and federal laws and rules. If you live in an HOA property, you’ll be provided with the rules and regulations for that HOA. Any violations will be your responsibility.

Owners are responsible for ensuring that the rental property is clean, safe, and ready for occupancy. Owners must re-key all doors leading to the outside for security purposes. They must comply with state and federal laws pertaining to required detectors in the home. If applicable, owners must provide residents with a copy of the HOA or other rules. If you believe that the owner of the property you are renting has not met his or her obligations, please notify us immediately. We will make sure everything is in order and do whatever we can to inspire a successful and peaceful rental experience for all parties.

Instructions for Paying Rent

Before you move into your home, a leasing coordinator will show you how to pay rent online by logging into your portal. This is the easiest and most efficient way to pay rent every month. When you pay online, you have less of a chance of paying late. Simply link a checking account or a debit or credit card to your rental account, and you can pay from one of those sources every month. You can even set up recurring payments so you don’t have to think about it; the rent automatically comes out of your account and gets paid. This provides many of our residents with a lot of peace of mind.

There are other ways to pay rent, which are outlined in your lease. If you don’t want to pay online, you can pay in person or through the mail. However, most of our tenants pay online and appreciate the security and the convenience of making these payments at any time of the day or night and from any location. You can use a computer or a mobile device like a tablet or phone.

Submitting Maintenance Requests

Your online portal will also be used when you need to request maintenance. If you notice a repair, simply log on and provide all of the details that you can about whatever needs to be fixed. We also have a maintenance hotline that you can use if you would prefer. We like the online submission form because it gives you and your property managers a written document that shows when the request was made and what was done about it. If there’s an emergency after hours that needs an immediate response, please call our 24 hour emergency maintenance hotline.

Moving Out Instructions for Orlando Tenants

We will contact you when your lease renewal time gets closer to find out if you’d like to stay with us for another lease term or move on. If you decide to move out of your property, we will reward you for the on-time rental payments you’ve made throughout your tenancy. We’ll also provide incentives for taking good care of the property. We provide our residents with a printed payment history and a letter of recommendation for any future landlords or property management companies.

If you’re planning to purchase a home or look for a new rental property, please don’t hesitate to request a reference letter. It’s our pleasure to help our outstanding residents move on.

At your move-out time, you’ll also be provided with instructions on what we expect. We want to have the property returned in the same condition that it was when you received it. You’ll also get information about the return of your security deposit and instructions on how to turn in keys. Don’t forget to leave us a forwarding address.

Receiving and Reading the Resident Manual

Your leasing agent will give you a Specialized Property Management resident manual with more information on all of these items and more. Please keep this manual handy for easy reference throughout your stay. It’s important for you to glance at the manual so you have some idea of what we expect from you while you’re renting one of our properties. It can also save you a lot of time and hassle. If you have questions during your tenancy, those answers can probably be found in the manual. If not, you can always contact us.

Thank you for choosing one of our properties. We hope you enjoy your new home. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at Specialized Property Management in Orlando.

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