Real estate agency · Property management
End of tenancy and deposit return
Return every deposit on time, with deductions you can explain. The tenant confirms the move-out details through a shared link, the check-out is compared with the move-in report, an AI agent drafts the deduction letter, and nothing goes to the tenant before the deductions are approved.
- Duration: 2 to 4 weeks
- How often: For every tenancy that ends
- Steps: 8 steps
- AI agents: 1 AI agent
- Approvals: 1 approval
Free plan, no credit card needed.
What changes with this template
Without it
Deductions are decided from memory weeks after the tenant left.
The tenant gets a short email with a total and no explanation.
A disputed deduction quietly holds up the whole deposit.
The forwarding address is missing when the money is ready.
With it
Each deduction points to a difference recorded against the move-in report.
An approved letter explains each deduction, and the tenant answers through a shared link.
A dispute marks the run blocked with the process noted, and the undisputed part is paid as your rules allow.
The tenant gives a forwarding address before moving out.
The template, step by step
Each step says who does it: someone on your team, an AI agent, or the client through a shared link. An approval keeps every later step locked until it is given.
- Done by your team
- Done by an AI agent
- Done by the client, through a shared link
Starts when
A tenant gives notice, or a lease ends without renewal. The property manager starts a run with the property, the move-out date and the deposit held.
- 1
Log the notice and share the tenant link
Day 1Property manager · Team
Record the move-out date and the deposit held, tell the landlord, and send the tenant the shared run link with the move-out checklist.
Checklist
- Notice checked against the lease
- Landlord told
- Shared link sent to the tenant
Fields to fill in
- Property address (required)
- Move-out date (required)
- Deposit held (required)
- Tenant email (required)
- 2
Confirm the move-out details
Before move-outTenant · Shared link
Through the shared link, the tenant gives a forwarding address, confirms the cleaning and the utilities, and picks a time for the check-out inspection.
Checklist
- Home cleaned and emptied
- Utilities and final meter readings arranged
- All keys ready to return
Fields to fill in
- Forwarding address (required)
- Preferred inspection date (required)
- Phone
- 3
Carry out the check-out inspection
Move-out dayProperty manager · Team
Walk through the home with the move-in report at hand, record the condition and the meter readings, take photos and collect the keys.
Checklist
- Compared room by room with the move-in report
- Meter readings taken
- All keys collected
Fields to fill in
- Link to the move-in report (required)
- Link to the check-out photos (required)
- Differences from the move-in report (required)
- 4
Price the proposed deductions
Hidden from the shared linkDays 1 to 5 after move-outProperty manager · Team
Separate damage from fair wear and tear, price each deduction with a quote or an invoice, and record the landlord's view.
Checklist
- Fair wear and tear left out
- Each deduction backed by a quote or an invoice
- Unpaid rent and bills checked
Fields to fill in
- Proposed deductions and amounts (required)
- Total deductions (required)
- Landlord's view (required)
- 5
Draft the deduction letter
Day 5Deposit letter writer · AI agent
The deposit letter writer drafts the letter to the tenant: each proposed deduction, the inspection finding behind it and the amount to be returned.
Fields to fill in
- Draft letter to the tenant (required)
Checked by: The head of property management corrects and approves the letter in step 6.
- 6
Approve the deductions and the letter
Hidden from the shared linkDays 5 to 7Head of property management · Team
Check every deduction against the move-in report, the photos and your local rules, correct the letter and approve.
Checklist
- Every deduction matches a recorded difference
- Amounts backed by quotes or invoices
- Letter is clear and polite
Approval: Nothing goes to the tenant until the head of property management approves the deductions and the letter.
- 7
Agree or dispute the deductions
Within the period in the letterTenant · Shared link
The property manager emails the tenant the approved letter, and the tenant records through the shared link whether they agree, with their reasons and a link to their evidence if they do not.
Fields to fill in
- Decision (required)
- Reasons for disagreeing
- Link to your evidence
- 8
Pay out the deposit
Within the period your rules setAccounts administrator · Team
Pay the agreed amounts to the tenant and the landlord. If the tenant disputes a deduction, pay the undisputed part as your rules allow, mark the run blocked and note the dispute process.
Checklist
- Amounts match the agreed deductions
- Tenant paid
- Landlord paid the agreed deductions
- Deposit released where your rules require it
Fields to fill in
- Returned to the tenant (required)
- Paid to the landlord
- Paid on (required)
Done when
The keys are back, the deductions are agreed or in the dispute process your local rules set, and the deposit is paid out to the tenant and the landlord.
Make it yours. Rename steps, change owners and add checklist items, fields or approvals. The template is a starting point for the way your team works.
The AI agents in this template
An agent only works on its own steps, and a person on your team checks what it did. Anything an agent writes to a connected app waits for approval unless you allow it.
Deposit letter writer
Turns the inspection differences and the priced deductions into a clear letter for the tenant.
What it does
- Reads the differences, the deductions and the deposit amount on the run
- Follows the letter format in its step instructions
- Writes the draft letter into its step
- Completes its step, so the head of property management can review it
Checked by: The head of property management corrects and approves the letter in step 6.
Questions this template answers
Run every move-out through the same steps, from the notice to the last payment. Steps 1 to 8 take the tenancy from the tenant's notice to the deposit paid out, with the inspection, the deductions and the tenant's answer in between.
Compare the check-out with the move-in report, leave out fair wear and tear, and back every deduction with a quote or an invoice. Steps 3 and 4 do that, and the landlord's view is recorded before anything is proposed.
Let AI draft the letter from the recorded differences and amounts, and have a manager check every line. In step 5 the deposit letter writer drafts it, and in step 6 the head of property management corrects and approves it.
Show the tenant each deduction with the finding behind it, and let them answer in one place. Step 6 approves a clear letter, and in step 7 the tenant agrees or disputes it through the shared link, with their reasons.
Compare every room with the move-in report and photos, and record the meter readings and the keys returned. Step 3 records the differences and the links to both reports, so each deduction can point to them.
Plan the payout from the move-out date and the period your local rules set, and make a dispute visible instead of letting it stall. Step 8 pays the agreed amounts, and a disputed deduction marks the run blocked with the dispute process noted.
Run this workflow in OKiDO
Set up the steps, owners and approvals once, then start a run for every new case.