What happens after a tenant gives notice to vacate?

A tenant might give notice they’re leaving your property for any number of reasons. They might be moving interstate, have bought their own home, or their personal situation has changed.

But as a landlord, once you receive that notice, time is of the essence because the last thing you want is for your property to sit vacant.

Here’s a quick insight into what happens after a tenant gives notice to vacate.

Vacate notice period

The notice period that a tenant is required to give prior to vacating varies depending on which state your property is located in, whether it’s a break-lease or end of lease vacate, and whether the lease is fixed term or periodic.

However, the date your tenants intend to vacate the property should be clearly noted. This is when they officially hand the keys back and when the property should be returned to the condition they found it in.

This is also the date when any new tenants can take up residence in the property, but usually there are a couple of days set aside between a tenant vacating and a new one arriving in order for the exit inspection to take place, and any issues to be remedied.

Re-advertise

Once you know when your current tenants are vacating, it’s important to re-advertise the property for rent, and this is something your property manager will organise on your behalf.

The sooner you do this the better as it allows you to have minimum downtime between tenancies.

That said, you may wish to use the period after a vacancy to conduct any improvements or repairs, and if that’s the case, you should discuss this with your property manager, then organise any work, and set a date for when any new tenancy can commence.

Inspections and applications

In advance of any new tenancy, prospective tenants will need to view the property and apply for it if they’re interested.

Again, this is something your property manager will organise on your behalf. If the current tenant is still in residence, they will liaise with them to set fixed times and give notice of inspections.

They will also accept and vet applications on your behalf, checking things like the prospective tenant’s rental history, employment status, and personal references.

Exit inspection

After the current tenancy has expired, the outgoing tenant will be required to return the keys and the property manager will conduct an exit inspection.

This ensures the property is in the condition they found it in (barring fair wear and tear) and is clean and tidy. If the tenant is required to remedy any problems, the property manager will organise this on your behalf.

Returning the bond

Once the property manager is satisfied the rental property is in good condition and clean and tidy, they will arrange the return of the bond that has been held by an independent body for the duration of the lease.

If there are items that need fixing, the property manager may also apply to keep part of the bond to remedy any issues.

In the interim, they will liaise with you about the property’s condition and any items they feel need to be drawn to your attention.

New tenants

Once the exit inspection has been conducted, any issues have been remedied and the keys have been returned to the property manager, the property is officially ready for new occupants, and the rental cycle begins all over again.

How Eview Group can assist

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