Tenants Delay Submitting Move-in Inspection Checklist

[Kay March]

Tenants sometimes seem to be reluctant to return the move-in inspection checklist that they receive at the start of their lease. Lately I've sent tenants at two properties (single family homes) certified letters in order to establish for the record that they had not yet submitted their checklists even though about two weeks had passed since their move-in date. I figure that if there's a dispute over charges to the tenant's deposit later on, the certified letter as well as earlier emails on the subject would satisfy a judge that the tenant had delayed submitting the checklist long enough to undermine its validity.

The tenant's delay then actually would seem to work to the advantage of the landlord. Does anyone see a problem with looking at it that way?

It often doesn't seem to be practical to insist that the tenant complete the checklist in my presence at the very moment they move in. How about the idea of putting something in the lease that will motivate the tenant to turn in the checklist within a certain time limit?