Rental inspections are important to ensure the property is up to the living standards of the tenants and address any issue that might have been overlooked. As a landlord, you should have a fixed rental inspection routine so that you don’t disrupt the tenant’s privacy. It’s advisable to give them a notice before 24 hours so that they are available and prepared to show you around.
Why are rental inspections important?
Annual rental inspections are necessary to maintain the relationship between the landlords and the tenants by addressing potential repairs and damages beforehand.
Your tenant may not get the time to inform you about maintenance issues if they don’t cause much inconvenience. When you arrive for a routine inspection, they can inform you about the same and get the issues resolved as soon as possible.
If you don’t have the time, you can hire real estate agents to run the rental inspections on your behalf. For example, the property managers at Rentbottomline.com handle the inspection requirements and cater to tenants’ issues from time to time. It will not only keep the tenants happy but also enhance the value of the property.
While the rental inspections that are conducted during the tenant’s stay mainly focus on addressing maintenance issues, the property managers should run a thorough check before a tenant moves in to ensure proper living conditions. The following checklist sheds some light on the things one needs to keep in mind while inspecting a rental property.
Check for damages, if any
One should look for damages that need to be repaired as soon as possible like broken door locks, a hole in the wall, dampened walls or even old and torn wallpapers. Every landlord should treasure the relationship with his tenant to ensure long-term commitment. Hence, he should take care to restore proper living conditions before the tenant moves in.
Plumbing and electrical issues
The utilities should come next in the rental inspection checklist, and care should be taken to inspect each plumbing fixture, pipe, electrical switches, and appliances and see if they are operating. Clogs in the pipes, damaged lighting and other malfunction in the existing equipment should be addressed immediately, and proper conditions should be restored.
Resolve safety issues ASAP
A rental property should never compromise on safety. While running inspections, one should focus on the smoke detectors and see if they are working fine. The locks, burglar alarms, and other security features should also be checked thoroughly to ensure safety. One should also install new security systems if the old one has become ineffective.
Get the property cleaned
The rental property should be in pristine condition to give the best impression to the tenants. Clean the toilet, bathtub, kitchen sink, stove, and other important areas to enhance the appearance of the property. Get rid of all the accumulated debris from the floors, and vacuum the dust on window panes and drapes. Let the tenants feel that they are moving into a new house, and not some old, rental property.
Wrapping it up
Inspecting a rental property is important as signing the lease agreement and collecting the rent. You should provide maximum value to the tenants to ensure their stay for the long-term. Last but not the least, rental inspections also prevent misunderstandings between you and your tenants regarding maintenance issues and damages.
