The state of Arizona provides the landlord with 15 days — after a tenant moves out to do an accounting for the security deposit.

Yet, some landlords feel inclined to return the deposit right after the tenant moves out. Occasionally, a landlord will even promise a quicker turnaround as an incentive for a new tenant.

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to discover damage after the final walk-thru, especially if the tenant knew about the problem and tried to conceal it. For instance, one landlord shared how a tenant had asked to install a shade over a custom window because the room was  too sunny in the mornings — or so the tenant said. The shade was down during the final inspection. It wasn’t until the landlord happened to be out back that he discovered the window was cracked.

Three common sense for move out walk through:

• Make sure all utilities are still on or you want to turn them out for the walk through.
• Bring along the move-in checklist which serves as the baseline of normal wear-and-tear of the property.
• Invite the tenant to join the move-out walk through. Don’t just do it yourself, you want the tenant to agree on your findings.

Arizona’s Landlord and Tenant Act deal a good hand to landlords by offering a little bit of time to find any damage a tenant may have left behind.

Don’t fold too soon — or you could lose out.