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INSIDE T he dreaded move-out process … ugh. As property manag- ers, it is a part of the job and, at times, a challenging one. Of course, we love to see our tenants renew their leases, grow within a property and upgrade their spaces, but unfortunately renewing every lease is not a given. Through- out my career, I have run the gamut of experiences during the move-out process in every property type: any- thing from fixtures being removed, to an enormous number of contents left behind, to restoring a space from a unique special use, and the fortunate scenario of tenants who turn a space over in the condition they accepted it in. It is rare to see a space turned over without some sort of expense associ- ated with bringing it back to lease- ready condition. Even normal wear and tear has some expense associ- ated with it. The goal for property managers is to get a newly vacant space lease-ready in a timely man- ner without breaking the bank. Holding tenants accountable is one of the first steps in achieving this goal, in addition to understanding the expectations for vacant space from ownership. Will the space be leased as is? Will there be future tenant improvements? Will it just need new paint and carpet? Asking questions and knowing this infor- mation is key. I’d like to share two examples of challenging move-outs that I have completed during my career. In the first example, we had a dentist ten- ant who was retiring and planned to sell his dental equipment. At the end of the lease term, the tenant had not sold his equipment and left it behind. There was a new tenant interested in the space in 30 days for a completely different use, so ownership paid $14 per square foot to get the equipment removed. This did not include another $6 per sf in damages. The security deposit was double the last month’s base rent, but not nearly enough to recover the remaining balance. In the second example, we had a climbing gym tenant that had Accessibility considerations and landlord liability for criminal acts are discussed Legal updates Corporate beekeeping services are growing in popularity as a socially responsible amenity Sustainable amenity PAGE 18 Property managers can now provide access to FirstNet to tenants via emergency phones Life-safety tech Please see Page 26 July 2021 PAGE 21 PAGES 8-10 Move-out expenses: How does a landlord maintain control? Amanda Darvill, RPA, LEED-GA Senior property manager, BKM Management Co. 2021 Treasurer, Denver Metro BOMA BKM Management Co. Prior to a tenant vacating, this property had visible oil stains on the floors, filthy walls and ceiling insulation, and old light fixtures. It required work by both the tenant and the landlord to get it ready to re-lease.