Why Landlord Inspections are Essential

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.

What To Inspect:

• Check to make sure the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are present and working. We find them on the shelf in the closet more often than you think!  Also, make sure the small kitchen fire extinguisher is there and in working order.
• Look for mold behind clothing in closets, behind dressers, and headboards as well. Mold likes outside walls where it is warm inside and cold outside.  Mold is also common in showers and around windows that are not adequately ventilated.
• Check all sinks, toilets, windows, and the washing machine for water leaks.
• We check our second-story units to ensure the fire escape ladder is easily accessible in case of a fire that may block the primary exit.
• Check the hinges on the cabinet doors, appliance doors and how the sinks are draining as well.
• Inspect receptacles (plugs) for cords with exposed wires or overloaded with too many items plugged in.
• Check around the heater and water heaters that there are no flammable items or chemicals that can cause an explosion.
• Make sure bikes, strollers, etc., are not blocking exits. Or anything that would make it difficult to exit during a fire in the dark.
• Wood or charcoal grills on wood decking can be a fire hazard. Make sure they are only using propane (if any).
• If you provide a washer/dryer, take a moment to check the lint filter on the dryer. It can be an easily avoidable fire hazard if not cleaned regularly.  If you find it full, remind the tenant that they are responsible if their negligence causes a fire.
• Lastly, we check all door locks to make sure they are secure and functioning correctly.

Doing this inspection allows us the opportunity to be proactive with maintenance issues. For example, we can resolve the issue before dry rot sets in if we find a water leak.   It also gives us a pretty good idea of how the tenant treats the unit and what we can expect with cleaning and damage repairs should we not renew the lease.

We also use this time to check for lease violations.  Often, we find evidence of unauthorized roommates or pets.  Why is this a big deal?  Pets are lovely, but for us, we do not prefer to deal with the unmistakable odor, chewed-up moldings, and urine on the floors and walls.  Also, when you rent to one person, you will expect to get the wear and tear of one person.  The more people there are living in a unit, the more chance of damage and repairs needed.

Do you understand why landlord inspections are so essential?

Take a look at our 6-Page Periodic Inspection Checklist.  Created for single family homes up to four bedroom/four bath and includes all interior areas including appliances, smoke/carbon detectors, fire extinguishers, air filters, HVAC, basement, exterior, etc.

Our single family home inspection checklist is very thorough and includes space for notations if an area is satisfactory, needs attention, or is damaged.  Purchase once ($5.00) and use over and over again!

What To Do With the Issues Found During the Inspection

The whole reason for the inspection is to make sure the rental unit is being maintained and safe as per the lease or rental agreement.  When you find issues that are the tenant’s responsibility (overloaded plugs, full lint filter, etc.), these issues need to be brought to the tenant’s attention and asked to be remedied by a specific date.  To ensure the items have been taken care of, YOU MUST FOLLOW UP.

Put these notices into their tenant file.  This inspection is your saving grace should there be any significant issues when the tenant moves out.  If you can prove misuse or neglect and need to pay to repair something, you have positioned yourself to withhold from the security deposit.  Should they argue, you have the proof in their file to show the small claims court judge that you inspected, notified, and checked again.  If a fire starts from that frayed wire you asked them to replace, only to find they removed it for the second inspection and then put it back, the insurance company will need to know this information.

Take photos of every issue you find.  This evidence will close the gap on “he said”/”she said” problems that often arise.  If you have hard evidence and proof, you will put yourself in a better position should the issue take you to small claims court.  Provide these photos to the tenant with the list of the problems you want them to remedy. For example, show them how their bike blocks the back door and poses a fire hazard, the frayed wire, or the full lint trap.

Routine Maintenance

Replace the air filter to ensure proper airflow.  Our lease does state this is the tenant’s responsibility, but we find that timely replacements of clean filters will help the heater and air conditioner function better.

We also take the time to check the function and change the batteries in the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.  Yes, we have the 10-year battery life smoke detectors, but they have a 9v battery backup. Unfortunately, we have had multiple instances where the 10-year battery smoke and carbon detectors fail after just a few years. So please be diligent about checking these.

Lastly, we change the batteries in the thermostat.  The last thing you want is a late-night phone call when the heater is not working during a storm. Instead, you show up only to find out the thermostat batteries have gone out, and it was an easily avoidable $5, three-minute fix.

We have learned all of these items through trial and error. So, for example, we read a lot and network with other landlords to find methods that may work well for our rental property business.  These are the reasons why we started Your Landlord Resource!  So we can teach why landlord inspections are essential to their business.

Check out our other blogs to guide you on your self-management journey as a landlord:

10 Tips for DIY Landlords

The Who, What, When, and Why of Residential Vacancy Insurance 

Offering Tenants Incentives Upon Lease Renewal

Make It a Family Affair: How Landlords Can Employ Children for Tax Breaks 

Marketing Your Rental Property, Get to Know the Neighborhood

Tips for Taking Great Rental Property Photos 

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