Every six months, we spend an entire day at our six-plex doing inspections and routine maintenance. However, when checking on our single-family rental homes, it only takes 1-2 hours at most. Inspections may seem like an invasion on the tenant, but it is standard procedure for most business-minded landlords. Keep reading to understand why landlord inspections are an essential element to operating your rental property successfully.
We do our inspections and routine maintenance every six months, regardless of when the tenant entered the rental unit. But, of course, if it’s only been a few weeks, we do pass on that unit.
We like to structure the inspections to be completed in the fall and spring months, usually November and April, respectively. Working in these gentler weather months allows us to prep for the most impactful winter and summer seasons. For efficiency, we inspect all units in the building on the same day.
When we say routine maintenance, we are referring to items within the units themselves. We do not perform exterior maintenance these days, which occurs more often and does not impede on the tenants or their units.
Behind the Scenes
Before we discuss the actual tasks performed, it is important to note two items.
- Make sure it is written in your lease that you are allowed to do periodic inspections. Do not say quarterly or semi-annual. Use the word periodic. Why? Leave yourself open to do checks more often if you suspect the tenant is violating lease terms. This terminology is not a hall pass to enter the unit weekly. That is harassment. It also allows you some grace if you cannot perform the inspections as often as you’d like. Life happens. Build yourself some leeway in case you need it.
- YOU MUST GIVE AMPLE NOTICE to the tenant before the inspection. For most states, at minimum, you must give 24-hour notice. However, we opt for at least 48-hours, usually more. Ample warning allows the tenant time to tidy up the unit (hopefully) and be ready for you to spend an hour or so working in there.
Notice can be via email or text. Our advice is to make sure it is in writing, as all correspondence with tenants should be. Explain in the notice precisely what you will be doing during that inspection and maintenance visit. Ask the tenant to let you know if there are any issues they have noticed that need to be addressed. This is a perfect opportunity for your tenant to let you know that the window won’t close all the way or if the toilet is running. Now you can have parts ready to repair the issue or schedule the appliance repair person to fix the screeching noise on the washing machine.
If you give them more than 48 hours’ notice, send a reminder email the day before, letting them know the approximate time you will be in the unit. We usually will give a 2-hour window. If they want to be present, they can make arrangements to be home when you are there. Conversely, if they prefer to be out or need to change the window time due to a remote meeting, you can work around them.
Still with us? Keep reading to see why inspections are so essential to a landlord’s success.
The Inspection: Use Your Team Members
When we schedule the inspection date, we also hire our contractor to join us that day and assist us with it. We pay him his hourly wage, and he will take part of the list and check the items he can repair right there on the spot. Most common repairs will be a running toilet, leaky faucet, loose handles on cabinets or drawers, closet doors that have come off the track, and loose door handles.
It is also why we ask our tenants in advance about any issues they are noticing. Then, we can make sure our contractor has all the necessary parts to repair those issues right there on the spot. If necessary, we can plan for a specific repair person to be present if needed as well. Often, we will need to have our appliance repairman out during that day to check on a refrigerator or a washing machine.
Our contractor inspects the unit before the tenant moves in, so he is acutely aware of the level of wear and tear and how easy or rough a tenant may be treating the unit as he does this semi-annual inspection along with us.