Keys handed over, inventory still in draft
The tenant arrives at ten. The inventory clerk was booked for eleven because nobody updated them. The move-in money arrived yesterday but has not been checked. The documents your process requires the tenant to receive before the tenancy starts were sent to the lead tenant only. The smoke alarm test was done but not recorded. The tenant is handed keys and told the inventory will follow.
Three weeks later the tenant still has not signed the inventory, and at the end of the tenancy that will matter.
Why move-ins are fragile
A move-in brings together many small tasks from different people: the clerk, the property manager, accounts, the landlord, and the tenant. Your business will have a list of what must happen before and at move-in, including documents your adviser says tenants must receive. Each item is simple. The problem is that they are tracked separately, and move-in days tend to cluster at the start of the month.
| Move-in item | Common problem |
|---|---|
| Inventory clerk booked | Wrong time or not updated |
| Move-in money received | Not checked before keys handed over |
| Tenancy agreement signed by all | One tenant or guarantor missing |
| Required documents sent | Sent to one tenant only, not recorded |
| Alarms tested and meters read | Done, but not recorded |
| Inventory signed by tenant | Chased for weeks |
The cost of a messy move-in
Mistakes at the start of a tenancy tend to surface at the end. An unsigned inventory weakens deposit deductions. Documents not served correctly can cause problems your adviser would want to avoid. A tenant whose first day was chaotic starts the relationship with little confidence in the agent. Landlords hear about it too.
The start of the month also concentrates the risk. When several tenancies begin in the same few days, the same property manager is juggling clerks, keys and paperwork for all of them. That is precisely when a step gets missed, and nobody notices until much later because each move-in seemed fine on the day.
The move-in checklist we build
- Checklist per tenancy: when a tenancy is agreed in your lettings software, a move-in checklist is created from your template, with each item owned by a person.
- Clerk booking: the inventory clerk is booked with the property, time and access details, and updated automatically if the move-in date changes.
- Money and signatures: the move-in money and signatures from every tenant and guarantor are confirmed on the checklist. Keys are marked not for release until they are.
- Documents: the documents your process requires are sent to every tenant from your templates and certificates on file, with delivery recorded.
- Move-in record: alarm tests, meter readings and key sets handed over are recorded on a phone form on the day, with photos.
- Inventory sign-off: the tenant receives the inventory with a link to sign or comment within the period your process allows, with reminders, and comments are logged.
What move-in day becomes
Everyone knows what is ready and what is not, before the tenant arrives. Keys are not released until money and signatures are confirmed. Documents are sent and recorded for every tenant. The signed inventory comes back without weeks of chasing, and it is on file when the tenancy ends.
Busy first-of-the-month weeks become a list of checklists, each with its owner and status, rather than a pile of reminders on sticky notes.
Are your move-ins this fragile?
- Inventory clerks are booked by email and sometimes arrive at the wrong time.
- Keys have been handed over before all money or signatures were in.
- You cannot easily show which documents each tenant received.
- Tenants take weeks to sign inventories, or never do.
- Meter readings and alarm tests on move-in day are not recorded consistently.