09/21/2021
Seven Reasons To Inspect a Rental While Occupied. 🧐
So often a rental property goes uninspected by the landlord because of a lack of time, attention, priority, you name it. We hear of different situations all the time. But they are so important. I'm going to share with you seven reasons why.
Accountability
When we inspect the property and they know that we’re going to inspect it, something interesting happens. They will take better care of the property simply because they know that at some point the landlord, the property manager, is going to be visiting to check on it.
Relationship
It’s a way to gain trust and to retain tenants when you can go in there and you can get to know them a little bit more, see how they're doing. Sometimes they're not present when you do an inspection, that’s okay, but when they are, make it a relationship-building opportunity.
Yard and Landscaping
Make sure that things are being taken care of. Provide training to the tenant if it’s not and set some expectations. It can be costly to replace landscaping.
Exterior Condition
Exterior condition, beyond the landscaping, checking the roof, downspouts, the gutters, the extensions from the spouts, checking the window wills, the foundation, the fencing, making sure that things are taken care of and that you have don't have any deferred maintenance that needs to be taken care of with the siding, cracks in the driveway, those sort of things.
Interior Condition
Are there issues with the toilets, with water lines on the ceiling from maybe a roof leak?
Lease Violations
We tell tenants that we do inspections to make sure that the property’s taking care of them, which is what I went over already, and that they're taking care of the property. We want to make sure there’s no smoking going on if there’s not supposed to be, unauthorized occupants and pets, other issues that are outlined in the lease agreement.
Routine Maintenance
What a great opportunity for you to go to the house as the landlord, as the property manager, to change filters, change smoke detector batteries, some of those routine things that are just nice to do because you're already there. It’s a great opportunity.