Unit Inspections for Section 8 Housing

I hate cleaning…well, I hate some aspects of it.  I don’t mind vacuuming or mopping the floors…but I know I dislike dusting which makes me sneeze.  No Matter how much I dislike cleaning, it is imperative to have well maintained affordable housing units.  Having a clean and well maintained property contributes to a healthy environment and can have a positive affect on your next Management Occupancy Review (MOR).  This is why it is vital to inform tenants as to your expectations on keeping their units in tip top shape.

In the grand scheme of things, when affordable housing tenants move out, are they aware of how they are expected to clean up behind them? Tenants who say that they don’t know how to clean are simply full of beans!  Trust me, if their life depended on it, they would shave their heads, dress in a white shirt and pants and call themselves “Mr. Clean.”  Having a unit manual with a list of areas to clean and how they are expected to clean should pretty much quash any claim “I don’t know how to clean.”

NOTE:  For some tenants who may be physically challenged, there may be a need to ask for some assistance to achieve the same goal.

So perhaps we should start by photographing the unit before the tenant moves in.  In preparing our tenants for their annual unit inspections and their move-out inspections; I would begin by creating a binder, with a tab for each room.  In this binder, describe to your tenant exactly how each room should be cleaned, what kind of cloth to be used and what type of detergents should be used…and what type of detergents NOT to be used. I’d continue to analyze every room in the unit and address what needs to be clean and how it should be cleaned. Appliances always are accompanied with their own User Manual.  Every appliance manual has a section which shows how to maintain the appliance and how to clean it.  Why not stick a copy of the manufacturer’s directions right in the binder and apply it to our use.  Fixtures like sinks need to be cleaned and scoured…Do you use a scrub brush, a mild abrasive?    Check for the manufactures recommendations and insert that in our manual.  You can even have a section on how to safely remove spots in the rug, upholstery and sticky spots in the linoleum.

Defining how you want the unit cleaned will be mutually beneficial to your tenant and the Owner/Agent.  Unit inspections will be so much quicker and easier.  Your maintenance staff will spend less time cleaning up after the last tenant enabling you to move the next tenant in right away thus maximizing your gross rent potential.    On top of that, when it comes time for your MOR, your asset manager should be equally impressed by how well your community is maintained.  Tenants will benefit by getting their Security Deposit back and feeling good that they left the unit in the same condition as when they first moved in.  This is a win-win for both the Owner/Agent and the tenant.

I would be interested if any of you out there in the affordable housing industry had any examples of instructions or suggestions you may have for your tenants on how to clean and maintain their units.   You can post them using our Leave Comment option on the bottom of the articles.