How Do You Help Your Tenant Get Set Up?

Helping a tenant get set up means finishing six jobs before and during move-in: hand over required disclosures on time, collect move-in money within your state's limits, make the unit safe, walk through it together, give the tenant a welcome letter, and confirm the utilities are switched over. State law sets the deposit cap, the disclosure forms, and the safety rules, so check your state before you name an amount or hand over keys. The walkthrough and welcome letter are not required everywhere, but they produce the condition record and the written instructions you will rely on for the rest of the tenancy.

What is the move-in sequence?

Schedule these steps around the deadlines below. Most can be done in the week before move-in.

How much can you collect before move-in?

You can collect the first month's rent and, in most states, a security deposit, but the cap depends on your state and sometimes on who you are.

• California: a deposit of up to one month's rent, on top of the first month's rent, for deposits collected on or after July 1, 2024. An individual landlord, or an LLC owned only by individuals, with no more than two rental properties and four units in total may collect up to two months' rent unless the prospective tenant is a service member, whose cap remains one month's rent. Under Cal. Civ. Code section 1950.5, the cap covers any payment held as security, whatever it is called, including pet deposits and advance rent beyond the first month.
• New York: no more than one month's rent for any deposit or advance combined, so last month's rent and a security deposit cannot both be collected on top of the first month's rent.
• Massachusetts: at or before the start of the tenancy, only the first month's rent, the last month's rent, a deposit of no more than one month's rent, and the cost of a new lock and key.
• Washington: no statewide dollar cap, but you cannot collect any deposit unless the lease is in writing and you and the tenant sign a move-in checklist. On written request, you must allow installments for deposits, nonrefundable fees, and last month's rent if deposits plus nonrefundable fees exceed 25% of the first full month's rent or last month's rent is required upfront.

Example: a California unit renting for $2,000 a month, owned by a corporation, can require at most $4,000 at signing ($2,000 rent plus a $2,000 deposit). Our guide to how much you can charge for a security deposit has the cap in every state, and how to store security deposits covers the bank account and receipt rules that start the day you take the money.

Give a written receipt for every move-in payment. Massachusetts requires a signed deposit receipt with the amount, date, a description of the unit, and the name of the person who took it. In California, you must accept at least one form of payment that is neither cash nor an electronic transfer, so a cash-only or online-only move-in policy does not comply there.

What disclosures and safety checks come before the keys?

Lead paint (federal). For housing built before 1978, the EPA requires you, before the lease is signed, to disclose any known lead-based paint or lead hazards, provide any reports you have, give the tenant the pamphlet "Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home," and include a Lead Warning Statement in or attached to the lease. Keep the signed disclosure for at least three years from the lease start date. Leases of 100 days or less with no renewal option and housing certified lead-free are exempt. Zero-bedroom units and housing for older adults or people with disabilities are exempt unless a child under 6 lives or is expected to live there.

Contacts and rent instructions. Some states require these in the lease. California requires the lease to state the name, phone number, and street address of the manager and of the person authorized to receive legal notices, plus who receives rent, where, and in what forms. California also requires you to give the tenant a copy of the signed lease within 15 days.

Locks. Rekey or replace the locks between tenants. Texas makes this mandatory: you must rekey key, card, or combination security devices at your own expense within 7 days after each tenant turnover.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Test every alarm before move-in and record the test on the checklist. Texas requires a smoke alarm in each bedroom and requires the landlord to confirm each alarm works at the start of the tenant's possession. California requires a carbon monoxide device in every unit that has a fuel-burning heater or appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage. Your city's housing code may add more, so check it along with your state statute. How to maintain and repair your rental covers ongoing safety upkeep.

Should you do a walkthrough of the rental unit with your new tenant?

Yes. A walkthrough on or before move-in day does two jobs: it records the unit's condition, and it shows the tenant how the unit works.

Record the condition. Go room by room with a written checklist and take dated photos of walls, floors, appliances, fixtures, and any existing damage. Both of you sign and date it, and the tenant keeps a copy. Some states make this a legal condition of keeping deposit money. Washington bars any deposit without a signed checklist, New York requires you to offer the tenant an inspection before move-in, and California requires photos of the unit at the start of any tenancy that began on or after July 1, 2025. Is a move-in inspection required? lists the states with checklist rules and their deadlines.

Show the tenant how the unit works. Point out:

1. the water shutoff valve, the electrical panel, and the gas shutoff if there is one;
2. the thermostat, the furnace or air filter and how often it is changed, and the water heater;
3. how each appliance works, including the garbage disposal reset and dishwasher settings;
4. how to test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and change the batteries;
5. the locks, mailbox, parking spot, laundry, and trash and recycling pickup days.

Write each item on the checklist and have the tenant initial it, so you have a dated record of what you explained.

Should you prepare a welcome letter for your new tenant?

Yes. A welcome letter puts the operating details in writing so the tenant has them after the walkthrough. Keep it to one or two pages and include:

• Contacts: your name, phone, and email, the manager if you use one, and a separate number for emergencies such as a gas smell, flooding, or no heat.
• Rent: the due date, the amount, accepted payment methods, and where to send it. Restate the lease's grace period and late fee so the tenant hears it from you before the first due date. How to collect late fees covers what your lease and state allow.
• Repair requests: how to submit one (a portal, email, or text), what counts as an emergency, and how much notice you give before entering for non-emergency repairs.
• Utilities: which accounts the tenant must open, with each provider's name and phone number, and which ones you pay.
• Building rules: quiet hours, trash and recycling days, parking, and any HOA rules that bind the tenant.
• Deadlines: the date the tenant must return the signed move-in checklist, if your state gives the tenant time to add items.

Ask the tenant to reply confirming receipt, and keep the letter with the lease. How to establish a good relationship with your tenant covers communication after move-in.

How should utility transfers work?

The lease should say which utilities the tenant pays and which you pay. For each tenant-paid account, give the tenant the provider's contact details at lease signing and ask for confirmation that service starts in the tenant's name on the lease start date. Keep your own accounts open until that date, and read the electric, gas, and water meters during the walkthrough, writing the readings on the checklist with a photo of each meter. Those readings provide a reference for checking bills, but do not determine payment responsibility. Before billing tenants for shared-meter utilities, check whether state and local law allow it; lease terms alone do not authorize the charges. Massachusetts generally requires a meter serving only the tenant's unit or exclusive-use area and a written rental agreement before making the tenant pay for electricity or gas.

How do you set up the first rent payment?

Decide before move-in how a partial first month is charged. If the lease starts mid-month and you prorate by day, divide the monthly rent by the number of days in that month and multiply by the days the tenant has the unit. Example: rent is $1,800, the month has 30 days, and the tenant moves in on the 20th, keeping the unit for 11 days. The daily rate is $1,800 / 30 = $60, so the first payment is $60 x 11 = $660, and full rent starts on the 1st.

Set up the payment method before the first full due date, send a written reminder a few days ahead, and give a receipt or confirmation for every payment. If the first payment arrives late or short, respond in writing right away under the lease's late-fee terms.