Tenant leaving at end of lease

[Will Triplett]

I have a tenant who has told me he cannot afford the increased rent that will come with his lease renewal and is going to leave at the end of his lease. Can anyone point me to something that tells me what to do to get the tenant out in an orderly manner, perform a timely check of the premises, and perhaps suggest some things to look out for before returning the security deposit?

[Cassi Justiz]

My mentor showed me a nice and orderly move-out checklist that she provides to her tenants when she receives their notice. It has everything that she expects to be done by the time they move out. She also includes the base cost to have the home cleaned professionally and have trash and belongings removed should they choose not to do it themselves. I would come up with something like that and go ahead and send it to them now. If you google "move out checklist" you'll find a lot of resources. 

Hopefully you have a good tenant and they will just move out without any issue. I would schedule your walk-through for the day after they move out. If you find any damages, make sure you take pictures and itemize the costs.