Fair wear and tear, separated from actual damage.
When your staff member moves out, we document the house and compare it line by line against the entry record — so what you're claiming for is backed by evidence, and what you're not is settled without an argument.
The burden of proof is yours.
Tenants are not liable for fair wear and tear — the gradual deterioration of a house that people actually live in. They are liable for damage they caused carelessly, but only up to four weeks' rent or your insurance excess, whichever is lower.
Here's the part that catches people out: if it goes to the Tenancy Tribunal, it's on you to prove the damage goes beyond normal use. Not on your staff member to prove it doesn't. Without a dated entry record showing how the house looked when they arrived, that's a very hard case to make.
Which is why an exit inspection on its own is worth relatively little, and an exit inspection sitting alongside a proper entry record is worth a great deal.
weeks
The cap on careless damage — four weeks' rent or your insurance excess, whichever is lower. Worth knowing before you start counting up a claim.
The landlord carries the burden of proof. If you can't show what the house was like at the start, you'll struggle to show what changed.
days
Notice to end a service tenancy once employment ends. That's your window — book the inspection when you give notice, not after.
The cleanest exit record is an empty house. We inspect once everything is out, so nothing is hidden behind furniture or boxes.
Wear and tear, or damage?
It's the question every exit dispute turns on. Here's roughly where the line sits.
- Carpet worn thin in hallways and doorways
- Paint and curtains faded by years of Central Otago sun
- Kitchen benchtops and bathroom fittings worn from ordinary use
- Small scuffs and marks on walls from normal living
- Door handles, hinges and catches loosening with age
- Burns, tears or stains in the carpet
- Holes in walls or doors
- Broken windows, fittings or appliances
- Unapproved alterations or fixings
- Rubbish, gear or furniture left behind
- An oven or bathroom left genuinely unclean
These are illustrations, not rulings. Every case turns on the age and condition of the item, how long the tenancy ran, and what the entry record shows. Our job is to document it clearly enough that the answer is obvious to everyone — including a Tribunal adjudicator who wasn't there.
Timing on a farm is different.
Your tenancy ends when the job does, and everyone in the district is moving on the same day.
Book it then, not later
A landlord ending a service tenancy because employment has finished must give at least 14 days' written notice. A staff member leaving early gives 21 days. Either way, that notice is your cue — ring us the same week.
If your team changes at Moving Day
Contracts are signed months before 1 June. If you already know who's going and who's coming, lock your exit and entry inspections in now. The last fortnight of May is the busiest of our year.
Both parties, if you can
The cleanest handovers happen with the outgoing and incoming occupants both present. Confirm departure and arrival times so two families aren't trying to occupy one house on the same afternoon — it happens more often than you'd think.
Documented to the same standard as the entry.
- Interior and exterior property inspection
- Detailed written exit inspection report
- High-quality condition photographs
- 360° virtual walkthrough
- Direct comparison against the entry record
- Cleaning and maintenance concerns documented
- Damage and excessive wear recorded separately
- Smoke alarm visual checks
- Professional digital report, stored securely
Inside
- Walls and paintwork
- Flooring and carpets
- Kitchens and bathrooms
- Doors, windows and locks
- Fixtures and fittings
- Heating and ventilation
- Cleanliness and presentation
- Signs of damage or excessive wear
Outside
- Lawns and gardens
- Garages and storage areas
- Decks and patios
- Fencing and pathways
- Exterior presentation
- Rubbish or items left behind
- Visible maintenance concerns
Walk through a real report.
This is an actual 360° inspection in the format you'd receive. It's the difference between telling a departing staff member there's a mark on the wall and showing them exactly where it wasn't, six months earlier.
Half the entry rate.
Because the baseline already exists — we're comparing, not building from scratch.
- Travel: $1.29 per kilometre, charged one way from our office at 42 Russell Street, Alexandra, to your property.
- Multiple houses? Farms with more than one dwelling are quoted together as a package, and scheduled so you're only paying travel once.
- Exit and entry together. If one staff member is leaving and another arriving, we'll quote both as one job and do them in the same visit.
- Fixed before we begin. Full price in writing, travel included, before we drive out.
What counts as a space?
A space is any separate area in the house — kitchen, dining, lounge, each bedroom, laundry, garage, exterior, and so on.
We price per space rather than by floor area because that’s what actually drives the work. A compact 100 m² cottage can have just as many separate rooms as a 150 m² house, and each one still has to be photographed, compared, and written up properly.
Exit inspections, answered.
What if there was never an entry inspection?
We'll still do the exit inspection and document everything properly, and it's still worth having. But be realistic about what it can prove. Without a record of the starting condition, a claim for damage becomes your word against theirs, and the burden of proof sits with you.
The good news is that this exit report becomes the entry record for whoever moves in next. The gap closes from here.
Can I charge for cleaning?
You can claim for a property left genuinely unclean — a filthy oven, carpets that need commercial cleaning, rubbish left behind. You can't claim for a house that's simply been lived in. Our report separates the two with photographs, which is what makes the difference if it's ever questioned.
What about the bond?
If you took a bond it must have been lodged with Tenancy Services, and any claim against it needs evidence. The exit report is that evidence. If you didn't take a bond — which is common with service tenancies — you'd be pursuing any claim directly, and the documentation matters even more.
Should my staff member be there?
It's often the best way, particularly on a farm where you'll likely stay in touch afterwards. Walking through it together means anything contentious gets discussed on the spot rather than becoming a letter. If they can't be there, they still receive the full report.
How quickly can you turn one around?
Outside Moving Day, usually within a few days of you calling. Through late May and early June you should assume we're booked, so give us as much warning as you can — ideally back in March.
Someone moving on?
Tell us the property and the date. If there's a new staff member arriving too, we'll quote both together.