When renting, the last impression can be more important than the first.
When it comes to moving on at the end of a lease, there is a lot of stress involved. Frequently, the stress is around that ever-daunting prospect of packing up - when your Marie Kondo declutter gives way to the reality of the many, many boxes of oddments you have stashed around the house. We’ve all moved home only to find a box from the PREVIOUS move still yet to be unpacked, with a faded description on the box and a layer of dust over the top…
Alternatively, it might be the search for your next address that spikes the anxiety. This has been a market where frequently a tenancy might come to an end without the next one in hand for the tenants - whether through procrastination, pricing out or pure competition. 60 days notice might seem like plenty when the email first comes through, but crunch time can creep up very quickly, and it can quickly feel like you’re sending more rental applications than Christmas cards.
One area you can reduce stress however, is in regards to your exit condition report - specifically planning ahead for more success than surprises.
The exit condition report is prepared by your property manager at the end of your lease, and serves as a direct comparison with the details noted in your ingoing condition report which should (definitely) have been completed at the beginning of your tenancy. Prepared by the property manager and verified by the tenant, this should cover everything from the lawn and gardens through to flooring, walls, light covers, appliances and more. If its an OLD lease it might just be in a written format, but in 2022 there really is no excuse not to have photography, and lots of it.
Rather than waiting til your move out, it can be worthwhile (particularly after an extended period of renting) to bring the entry report out early for comparison. This can give you an opportunity to assess the condition of the property well in advance of when you would need to do any rectification. Most people (owner occupiers included) tend to get comfortable in their spaces, and its easy to not notice little marks that add up over time. Measured against a potentially pristine photo though, it can be both more compelling and a timely reminder to find that tin of paint.
Getting ahead with your exit will not only reduce the stress of otherwise leaving it to the last minute, it also means you are likely to have a better rental reference when looking for your next home. And with money tight all round, a fully refunded bond is unlikely to go astray either.