Checklist
Printable checklist
Vacant unit check sheet
Print the sheet, log every visit and work down the list each time you walk the unit. The dated record answers questions from a landlord, an insurer or an incoming tenant.
How to use this sheet
An empty unit gets worse quietly, and most of the damage comes from water and humidity rather than from anyone breaking in. The sheet has a log for each visit, then the things to look at on every walk through, then what to settle before the space is reopened or relet. Walk the whole unit rather than the front, and use your nose in every room.
Photograph the same views from the same positions each time and note the file names in the log. That series shows whether something is changing. The reasoning behind each line is in our articles on checks for a vacant unit, reopening a closed space and what to secure when a tenant moves out.
Doors, locks, glass, drywall, ceiling tile and painting found on a visit are repaired by our own technicians. Anything electrical, plumbing or HVAC is something to note and report. That work is carried out by licensed, insured contractors, coordinated and documented by TrionX.
The checklist
Vacant unit check sheet
Visit log columns
- Date of the visit
- Who attended
- What was found, room by room
- Photos taken (file names or count)
- Action needed and who was told
Doors and locks
- Every external door locks and latches properly
- Closers and exit devices still work
- Frames, strikes and cylinders show no new marks
- Keys known to be out: agents, contractors, cleaner
- Any lock or keypad the old tenant added
Glass and frontage
- Glazing checked for chips and cracks
- Papered glass looks deliberate, not abandoned
- Exterior lighting on its timer or photocell
- Post and flyers cleared from the door
- Nothing dumped against the building
Water, air and ceilings
- Ceilings checked for new stains and lifted tiles
- Floors checked for water, walls for cracking
- Water poured down every drain to refill the traps
- Air conditioning running at the setting left
- Any musty or sewage smell noted by room
- Pest entry points and droppings at the perimeter
Before reopening or relet
- Photograph the unit empty before any making good
- Rekey after the old tenant has gone, before anyone else enters
- Revoke their cards and change shared alarm codes
- Walk it with everything off, then run every tap and flush
- Test emergency lights, run the walk-in empty first
- Agree in writing who pays for rekey and making good
Where it comes from
Built from these pages
Common questions
Questions about this checklist
How often should the unit be visited?
Often enough that a leak is found in days rather than months and the unit does not look abandoned. Your insurance policy may set a minimum interval, so read it. Log each visit instead of relying on memory.
Should the air conditioning be switched off while the unit is empty?
Set it back rather than off. A unit left unconditioned through a Miami summer grows mold in the drywall, the ceiling tile and anything soft, and the system still dehumidifies when it runs at a higher setting.
Who fixes what the visit turns up?
Our own technicians handle doors, locks, glass, drywall, ceiling tile and painting. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC findings go to licensed, insured contractors, coordinated and documented by TrionX. TrionX carries general liability and workers' compensation.
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Found something on a visit?
Send us the log and the photographs. Someone who works here answers, out of hours included, and the repair is photographed before and after.