This is a question which has just been asked of me by one of my Landlord Law members.
As I am a solicitor rather than a practical landord, this is not something I do myself. So I thought I would ask you what YOU do?
My Landord Law member wondered if she should have the inventory with her for example, and/or a checklist which she could complete and then use as a record to show that the inspection has taken place.
Do you do this? All suggestions gratefully recieved!
Property inspections are a valuable way of finding out how your tenants are treating your property. I personally recommend a landlord/managing agent carries out 4 inspections per year.
Not always on the same day or time although they should be carried out during daylight hours.
If you have an inventory it is handy to bring it along with you in your inspection so you can refer to it. I would recommend that you take photographs of any obvious changes ones you can see without having to move furniture out of the way.
You should always discuss any concerns on your visit with your tenant and if they have caused damage give them the chance to remedy it and arrange a re-visit to check (give them a realistic timescale) they have carried out the work adequately.
I would highly recommend that you record the changes in writing and ask them to sign the record if you can.
This will aid you as evidence at the end of the tenancy when trying to make a claim against a deposit.
If in doubt you can ask a professional inventory clerk to carry routine inspections on your behalf and they will normally charge around £40 per visit.
Recording agreements, actions changes to the terms etc and communicating them in writing or via email is good practice and something you may rely on in the future. Even agreeing to have a Sky dish installed, for instance you may agree to having one installed on the basis “that it is removed at the end of the tenancy and any damage is made good”
Thanks Kevin, thats really helpful
Hi there.
I totally agree with Kevin. Property inspections are extremely valuable.
During our DASH landlord accreditation training we ask landlords how often they visit their rental properties and it is really interesting to see the range of answers that we receive – from every fortnight to well … almost Never.
It’s also interesting to hear landlords expectations of their agents to carry of property visits for them – some assume that the agents are doing the visits on their behalf but never check to confirm that they have & what was the outcome.
A useful tips that came from our members was that landlords need to consider ‘managing’ the relationship they have with their letting agent and having some sort of periodic ‘quality check’ to ensure both parties are sticking to the agreement.
Hello,
I thought I’d chime in with a few additions which hopefully would be useful to your readers!
Inspections carried out every three to four months are useful to establish two things – firstly that the terms of the agreement are being adhered to, and also to monitor any remedial maintenance work that may be necessary. In most cases, it isn’t a good idea to rely solely on your tenants informing you of any issues.
It’s useful to walk into each inspection with a report sheet so you can be sure not to forget to check everything!
On our inspections we give a star rating of 1 to 5 based on the general standard of housekeeping, condition of the interior of the property and the condition of the exterior of the property.
You should take the opportunity to check any previous work that may have been carried out looking to see that the issue have been resolved and is to a good standard. The most common breaches of tenancy agreements to look out for are any unauthorised decoration, any unauthorised occupants and any unauthorised pets. If this is the case, a face-to-face conversation at this point is often very useful.
Importantly check for any evidence of mould or condensation and inform the tenant immediately if any has been found, and what they can do to minimise the issue. Finally it’s important to check for any potential fire risks as part of your annual fire risk assessment. Things to look out for are testing smoke alarms, tea towels draped over gas hobs, broken electrical sockets etc.
When reporting on maintenance issues, I find its very helpful to take a photograph of the issue as this can not only supplement the works order to the contractor, but gives the landlord a clearer picture of what needs to be carried out if the property is managed by a precessional agent.
Ultimately a periodic inspection can never be as detailed as a Check-In / Check-Out Inventory Report for practical reasons, but nevertheless what is outlined above can be extremely useful to successfully managing your property.
Hope that helps!