Before signing that lease, ensure you don’t encounter hidden damage that could turn your dream home into a nightmare. Despite landlords flipping over backward to make you promise just to assure you their rentals are the best in the market, it’s always in your best interest to do your investigation. After all, property owners lose money when their units are vacant, so they have less incentive to disclose when there’s a major problem with the house till it’s too late. By the time you discover the water heater is broken, or the roof is leaking, you’ll have already paid your first month’s rent and security deposit. Read below as we discuss how you can avoid rental regrets by using this tenant home inspection checklist.
Common Negative Rental Experiences Tenants Face
Hidden Damages
Watch out for problems that seem to hide in plain sight, like leaky faucets or pest infestations. As you’d expect, these are problems you would easily spot on the first day you move into your new home. However, if a landlord plans to dupe you, they could easily leave out these tiny details during the home viewing process. For instance, they could switch on only the lights they’re confident would work, leaving you stumped when you realize later that the wiring is faulty. They could also strategically place furniture or use wallpaper to cover up early signs of mold due for clean up, allowing you to realize your health and belongings only after you’ve moved into the house. That’s why first-time renters must do their due diligence before signing the lease.
Unresponsive Landlord
Picture this, after spending hours packing up your entire life and moving into your dream home, you realize that some of the bedroom doors are coming off their hinges. Despite your initial disappointment that the house you just paid for is already falling apart, you decide to keep your calm and call your landlord to fix the problem. Unfortunately, they don’t reply to any of your texts, and all your calls go straight to voicemail. After two more weeks of trying to contact them, you decide you can’t keep bracing yourself to lift the door every time you walk into a room, so you pay out of pocket to fix it. In such scenarios, an unresponsive landlord can be a real pain because when they ignore you for several days or weeks, it can make a seemingly small issue a major frustration.
Extra Move-Out Charges
If you’re in a situation where you can’t afford to pay out of pocket for property damages, it may seem like your only option is to move out of the house. However, that often comes with extra move-out charges that make the process expensive for you. Consider how much you have already spent on cleaning fees, resolving minor issues, and even paying the movers. Aside from what you’ve already spent, there’s also the trouble of looking for a new place to stay. You will have to again go through house hunting, pay another application fee, and cover the rent and security deposit for a new house that could have the same problems or worse.
What Should a Tenant Home Inspection Checklist Have?
Visual Inspection
Perform a thorough move-in inspection with your landlord before making your move official. Expert leasing in Baltimore property management provides a detailed inspection checklist that allows tenants to document the property’s situation before moving in, giving you the opportunity to spot hidden damage and rectify it. After all, your landlord can’t expect you to move into a house filled with termites or that has a leaking toilet. Ensure to check every nook and cranny, including the walls, ceilings, floors, windows, and doors. If it’s a fully or semi-furnished apartment, ensure you note the state of the appliances and furnishings. Outline whether there are stains or water damage on the couch and other pieces of furniture so the landlord can’t make fraudulent claims on your security deposit in the future.
Test Plumbing and Electrical System
Check your showers, sinks, and toilets to ensure the plumbing is in good condition. It would also be best to ensure the water pressure meets your satisfaction before signing the lease. Another major system you should double-check is the home’s electrical system, the last thing you want is to be in darkness for days because of a faulty fuse. Test all the light switches and outlets, and watch out for signs of exposed or damaged wiring. It would also be a good idea to ensure the HVAC system works properly, and if you’re unhappy with any of them, alert your landlord immediately.
Inspect Safety Features
Confirm that the home’s safety features are intact and up to code. Remember that a faulty smoke detector could be a deadly affair, so confirm that all necessary sensors are installed properly and working. Double-check other safety features like the fire extinguisher and ensure it hasn’t expired. If you have young children, it would also be a good idea to test the integrity of the handrails on the stairs and that all the door locks are functional.
Importance of Documentation for Tenant Rights Laws
Local Jurisdiction
Remember to collect evidence according to your local jurisdiction’s standards. Despite many areas mandating that landlords provide habitable living conditions to their tenants, pictures, and videos with time and date stamps are often the only thing that can prove that a property owner isn’t keeping their end of the bargain. The last thing you want is to file a suit based on what he said when you can just as easily prove that they violated your rights with documented evidence. It would also help to know your rights concerning security deposits and maintenance, otherwise the property owner could take advantage of your negligence to demand better.
Legal Assistance Options
Explore legal assistance options by joining local tenant unions, or reporting to the right housing authority. With evidence in hand, you can even take your landlord to a small claims court and ask for compensation for issues you had to fix out of pocket. However, your case in legal proceedings often depends on the strength of your evidence, which is why documentation is so important.
Conclusion
Keep your wits and ensure your dream home doesn’t glitter like gold while it’s cheap plastic by using a tenant home inspection checklist. Not only would this guide prevent you from being blind-sided by hidden damage but it will also save you the stress of an unresponsive landlord or incurring extra move-out charges.
Before moving in consider conducting a visual inspection to ensure the house is in order. Also, ensure that essential systems like plumbing and electricity are 100% functional by testing your toilets and light switches. However, if the results of your inspections come up short, or you realize the house isn’t safe, you can explore your legal options with the evidence you’ve collected.
Disclosure: collaborative post
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