The purpose is to establish any preexisting conditions for which the new tenant is not held responsible at move out.
Many states have a requirement that within a short window of time from moving in a new tenant a written summary of the condition of the premises is presented to the tenant and signed by both tenant and landlord. The purpose is to establish any preexisting conditions for which the new tenant is not held responsible at move out. In Virginia § 55-248.11:1 requires the landlord to, within five days after the tenant’s occupancy of the premises, submit a written report to the tenant itemizing any damages to the premises. The tenant then has five days after receipt of the itemized list of existing damages to respond. If the tenant does not dispute the list then it is considered accurate.
Also in this Condition of the Premises Agreement the landlord is required to state any existence of mold in the premises. The language used in LeaseRunner’s Virginia Condition of the Premises Agreement follows the statute:
Notice Regarding Mold
Code § 55-248.11:2 states the following:
As part of the written report of the move-in inspection required by Code § 55-248.11:1, the landlord shall disclose whether there is any visible evidence of mold in areas readily accessible within the interior of the dwelling unit. If the landlord's written disclosure states that there is no visible evidence of mold in the dwelling unit, this written statement shall be deemed correct unless the tenant objects thereto in writing within five days after receiving the report. If the landlord's written disclosure states that there is visible evidence of mold in the dwelling unit, the tenant shall have the option to terminate the tenancy and not take possession or remain in possession of the dwelling unit. If the tenant requests to take possession, or remain in possession, of the dwelling unit, notwithstanding the presence of visible evidence of mold, the landlord shall promptly remediate the mold condition but in no event later than five business days thereafter and re-inspect the dwelling unit to confirm there is no visible evidence of mold in the dwelling unit and reflect on a new report that there is no visible evidence of mold in the dwelling unit upon re-inspection.
As you can see the tenant has options if there is mold in the unit - terminate the agreement with no further obligation, or take possession of the unit, and in the case of possession the landlord must remediate the mold condition and have the unit re-inspected, all within a five business day period.