Managing Disposal & Minor Moving Maintenance Chores

Managing Disposal & Minor Moving Maintenance Chores

(1) Should tenants get their own movers to dispose of everything in the house that is not part of the Inventory List before the Handover Session (Tenant-to-Owner)?

On many occasions, we were told by our associates ResidentAgent®s that tenants were generally not prepared for the Handover Session (Tenant-to-owner), with many items that were not part of the Inventory List being left behind.

A Handover Session (Tenant-to-Owner) is basically an inspection session by the owner (or owner’s Sales Person) of the investment properties when the lease expires. This will involve checking through the items stated on the Inventory List as well as inspecting the condition of the house before the tenant hands over the property back to the owner.

However, in order to go through the Handover Session (Tenant-to-Owner), the tenant has to do a thorough cleaning of the unit and also to instruct their movers to dispose of all the items or furniture not belonging to the owner. If these items or furniture are only removed after the Handover Session, then the tenant will be asked to to do one more round of cleaning again. This is because underneath the items or furniture, there may be dirt and dust. Once movers were to come back another day to dispose of all these items or furniture, the house will get dirty again. This will mean tenant will be wasting time cleaning again to prepare for another round of Handover Session. This would also mean the owners or the owners’ Sales Person have to re-arrange another appointment for the Handover Session – a waste of everybody’s time.

So, what is the above got to do with managing disposal and minor moving maintenance chores of your investment properties? On some occasions, owners may “gladly” receive some furniture being left behind by the tenants on goodwill. However, owners may need to take note that many potential tenants have their own furniture and would like to rent the unit on a “partially-furnished” basis (ie, only require fridge, washer and dryer). In the event that the next tenant wishes to rent it “partially furnished”, then owners have to engage movers to dispose of these furniture which are left behind by their ex-tenant – NOT FOR FREE. Yes, it will cost owners money to dispose of. This is because the days of the “kalanguni man” (used furniture traders) coming to your house to “buy” old furniture from you (and pay you) are no longer happening anymore. Such disposal services are no longer free. Many years ago, these “kalanguni man” used to buy many used furniture and export them to some neighboring countries. Because no one is no longer buying such old furnitures, the market for used furnitures has collapsed. So for now, to ask movers to come by to dispose of old furniture, owners even have to pay them. Some movers may tell you that these furnitures are to be dumped at the approved dumping ground. Whether they dispose them at the dumping ground or keep them for their own use is anyone’s guess. So, end of the story, do not be too happy first to get “free” furniture left behind by out-going tenants.

So, several weeks before the Handover Session (Tenant-to-Owner), tenants should be reminded to ask their own movers to dispose of items or furniture in the house which are not part of the Inventory List. This will save owners the potential expenses in engaging their own movers to dispose of all these unwanted furniture.

If you need further clarification of the above issue, please contact us to find out more.

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