What to Know About Routine Property Inspections

Inspecting a rental unit isn’t just limited to a tenant’s move-in and move-out, but could be essential in protecting your rental property if they are conducted during a tenant’s lease. Routine rental property inspections can hold tenants accountable for property maintenance and help you as a landlord identify and solve any problems early on.

If you are new to conducting routine rental property inspections, keep reading for what to know before you add it to your list of responsibilities as a landlord or property manager.

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Understanding the purpose of a rental inspection

Rental inspections should be done with purpose – you are completing them as a checkup on the units that are currently occupied to see that they are maintained as agreed upon in the lease agreement.

Move-in inspections are done to verify the condition of the unit prior to the tenant’s occupancy. Move-out inspections are done to evaluate the condition of the unit and see what maintenance is to be done before the unit is turned over to a new tenant.

Similarly, routine rental inspections during a tenant’s occupancy will help identify any maintenance needs as they pop up, not just at the end of the lease.

To put it simply, if the tenant were to remove all their belongings and move out today, what maintenance is needed to get the unit move-in ready for the tenants?

Build a routine property inspection checklist

As part of the leasing process, you likely already have paperwork drafted for the move-in inspection and the move-out inspection, and this usually includes a checklist used to evaluate the unit’s condition at the time of the inspection. You can either use the same checklist for routine inspections or modify it to make routine inspections a little more simple.

Things to keep in mind when reviewing your checklist include:

• Smoke detectors

• Appliances

• Signs of mold, water damage, pest infestation

• Condition of walls, floors, and windows

• Visible signs of lease violations such as smoking or pets not disclosed in the lease

Has the tenant made any alterations that weren’t disclosed to you? This can be anything from a new coat of paint to switching out lighting fixtures without your permission.

Keep the frequency of inspections in mind

Unexpected guests can put a damper on someone’s day, and your tenant is no different. Frequent and unexpected property inspections can cause frustration on the tenant’s part, especially if it’s not a process disclosed in the lease. Move-in and move-out inspections are to be expected, but you should communicate any and all expectations around routine property inspections. A middle ground can be a routine inspection scheduled during their mid-lease mark just for you to evaluate the state of the unit during the tenant’s lease.

Another option is to conduct an inspection when the tenant has provided their notice to terminate their lease and before their move out. This way, you can evaluate the unit’s condition and see what maintenance and repairs are needed after the tenants move out.

If your tenant has a long-term lease that has been renewing their original lease, you may consider scheduling a rental inspection with each renewal out of caution. Any unit with a long-term tenant is going to have some wear and tear, regardless of how good of a tenant you have. Having routine inspections established for long-term tenants can benefit everyone with the upkeep of the unit and avoid the risk of it being outdated or poorer quality than other units on the property that get more regular turnover maintenance.

If you are conducting routine property inspections, be sure to give your tenant ample notice of the inspection so you aren’t showing up unannounced. Be sure to check local laws to make sure your inspection process is adhering to them and that you are respecting tenant rights.

Tenants have a right to quiet enjoyment of the property, and frequently entering for routine inspections can be singled down as harassment and a violation of privacy. Be cautious of how often you are completing routine inspections — they are not the only way to ensure your rental property is being maintained.

Document your inspections

As previously mentioned, your move-in inspections and move-out inspections are likely well documented. Your routine inspections should be no different. Keep documentation of each routine, from when and who they were scheduled with, what was evaluated during the inspection, and so on.

If your inspection does find something of concern, such as a lease violation or maintenance request, be sure to document any work that was required, especially if it is something that needs to be paid for by the tenant.

Routine inspections can help the overall maintenance of your rental property and minimize the time and effort that unit turnovers can cost when done right. With this information in mind, you can incorporate them into your property management with ease.