1. Start with your timeline and your property
Write down when you expect to leave, when the home could be ready, and who will have access after you move. A desired rental start date is a planning target, not a promise of immediate occupancy. Leave room to discuss cleaning, repairs, photographs, and showings.
Tell your property manager about existing concerns before marketing begins. A clear description of the home’s condition helps everyone plan the work and avoid surprises at handoff. Keep your personal move checklist separate from the property checklist. Military OneSource’s Plan My Move can help organize the relocation side.
2. Choose one local point of contact
Remote ownership becomes harder when the renter calls you, a contractor calls someone else, and no one knows who can approve the next step. Decide where questions go and how you will be updated.
Summit Peak handles communication directly with owners and renters. Before departure, agree on your preferred contact method, how time-zone differences will be handled, and which matters require your approval. Share an alternate contact if there will be times you cannot be reached.
3. Prepare a useful handoff folder
Gather the information someone would need to look after the property without asking you to reconstruct it from memory. Keep sensitive documents in a secure location and agree on how to share them.
- Keys, access instructions, and any garage remotes.
- Appliance manuals, warranties, and known repair issues.
- Utility, association, and recurring-service contacts, if applicable.
- A dated record of the property’s condition.
- Your contact preferences and agreed approval process.
Ask the relevant providers what changes are needed when the home becomes a rental. Do not assume an existing service arrangement will transfer automatically.
4. Understand placement and rent protection
Ask how renter inquiries are handled, how applicants are reviewed, and when an owner is involved in the decision. Careful screening supports a rental relationship, but no screening process can promise that a renter will never miss a payment.
Summit Peak offers a one-month rent-protection benefit when a renter does not pay. Get the coverage details in writing and ask about timing, eligibility, and exclusions. Treat that benefit as one part of the management arrangement, rather than a replacement for understanding your ongoing ownership responsibilities.
5. Leave with a plan you can explain
Before you depart, you should be able to answer three questions: who handles renter communication, how you receive updates, and what happens when a decision is needed. That clarity is more useful than a vague promise that everything is taken care of.
Our veteran-owned team brings more than a decade of Colorado Springs real estate experience. Talk with us about the property you are leaving behind and the support you want while you are away.
For your broader relocation, use Military OneSource’s official PCS resources. For management questions, contact Summit Peak.