Mid-term Inspections of your BTL are Essential
As a landlord you have many things on your plate, but one of the most important is an inventory report which is the inspection report at the point when a new tenant moves in. Many landlords also couple it with a check-in report. The inventory report is usually carried out a few days ahead of the moving in date. The check-in report builds on the inventory to make up any differences that may have emerged in the intervening days. For example, the meter readings may have moved on a bit. Both or one on itself should detail the condition of everything at the point the tenant arrives. It would be ideal if the inventory is carried out, if possible, with the tenant present but this is not always possible and less so in the current circumstances.
Given that it may not be possible to carry out the inventory report with the tenant present, then they must be given a copy of the report when moving in and allowed a few days – usually a week – to agree with the report and sign it. If the tenant does not agree with the inventory, they are also entitled to add any notes. So, for example, there may be a scratch on the paintwork on a door which has been missed when you carried out the inventory and which the tenant is entitled to point out so that it cannot be attributed to them later on.
Of course, the initial inventory + check-in report is not the beginning and the end of things. You also need to carry out mid-term inspections of your property, and while these will be an overhead, they are nonetheless essential. They allow you, as a landlord, to identify maintenance issues, and they also allow you to check on the progress of the tenancy as per the agreement.
How often should you carry out mid-term inspections? Well, there is no strict rule, and it varies from one landlord, or letting agent, to another. Some people say every quarter, others every six months, while some landlords haven’t carried out mid-term inspections for over a year because of the pandemic. The most important thing is to get the frequency right. Perhaps, you can start with the first after three months spreading out to six-monthly intervals.
The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 s11 gives the landlord the right to enter the premises to view the “condition and state of repair”. The main points of this are that the inspection must be carried out at reasonable times of the day and the landlord or letting agent must give 24 hours’ notice in writing to the tenant. It is also permissible for someone other than the landlord or agent to carry out the inspection, and in this case that individual must be authorised in writing.
First and foremost, a regular interim inspection gives you the chance to spot any minor issues before they become major ones. Unfortunately, your tenants won’t always notify you about something small that has occurred. Sometimes this is because they don’t want to seem a nuisance, even though not reporting something could lead to an expensive issue. Furthermore, it may well be that your tenant simply doesn’t notice something, and therefore is unable to report it.
An interim or mid-term inspection also lives you the chance to assess the way that your tenant lives, and this may affect what you wish to do when the fixed term of the tenancy comes to an end.
On top of that, by having a regular meeting with your tenant it enables you to develop a line of communication with them and this has to be a good thing.
Of course, all of these inspections, whether at check-in or mid-term, need to be recorded accurately, and the simplest way to do that today is to use the free app that we provide at Reports2Go. You download it from Google Play or The App Store to your mobile or tablet, and instead of making written notes you can simply enter your comments as you go through your property. It is so much easier than making handwritten notes, and the app also prompts you with reminders as you go, so that you don’t miss anything.
Panos, 04 June 2021
Post Titles
- Career Spotlight: Be a Property Inventory Clerk
- What tenants can expect from a Mid-Tenancy Report
- What are Periodic Inspections and what do they entail?
- Landlords - What to Do at the End of Tenancy
- What is a Check-In report?
- How inventory clerk software can help your business
- Property Inventory App? What can I expect for my money?
- The advantages of using Voice Technology for Property Reports
- What goes into a Condition Report?
- Things to consider when compiling a Property Inventory
- Do I Need a Property Inventory?
- The Importance of Check-In and Check-Out Reports
- Our App makes creating a Schedule of Condition so much faster and more Accurate
- Our Dictation Software makes creating Inventory Reports so much faster
- Why you need to carry out Interim Inspections of your BTL
- Creating an Inventory is a critical task for a Managing Agent
- An Inventory Guide for Tenants
- Some tips for Landlords carrying out Property Inspections
- Creating an Inventory is one of the most Important Tasks for a Managing Agent
- What should you check for when Inspecting your Rental Property?
- How to Hire an Inventory Clerk
- Is an Inventory Report needed for Unfurnished Properties?
- The Reasons why you should carry out a Mid-Tenancy Inspection
- The Perfect Inventory App for Landlords
- Check-In and Check-Out reports: What you need to know as a Tenant
- Carrying out Mid-Tenancy checks: What you Need to Know
- You’re not still living in the 20th Century, are you?
- What to check for when doing an Inventory Report
- Use Speech Recognition tools to reduce time doing Reports
- Our Dictation App saves you a Huge Amount of Time
- Mid-Tenancy Reports are Critical when Letting a Property
- There may be Errors in the Inventory Report
- Reports2Go: the 21st Century way of creating Property Reports
- How to do a Condition Report for your BTL
- The work of an Inventory Clerk can be exceedingly varied
- What should you check for when inspecting your Lettings Property?
- Some things you need to know about Mid-term inspections as a Landlord
- The Reports2Go App makes Property Reports simple
- Why you should carry out Interim Inspections as a Landlord
- Why Check-In and Check-Out Reports are important for Tenants
- Some things to consider if you are thinking of buying a BTL
- The clever way for Letting Agents to create Property Reports
- Our FREE app makes Inventory Reports so much easier
- What to do if your Tenant has Damaged your Property?
- Inventory Reports and Check-Ins – are both really necessary?
- Who should pay for Property Cleaning - Tenants or Landlords?
- Is a Check-in Report Really Necessary?
- New plans and improved resolution for images
- Overheads of being a Landlord
- It is Critical that Inventory Reports are Accurate
- Mid-term Inspections of your BTL are Essential
- Minimising risks with proper tenant checks
- Making a Claim on a Tenant’s Deposit: What you need to consider
- The Importance of an Inventory for Tenants
- Things to note when conducting Check-In/Check-Out reports
- Our App saves a huge amount of time carrying out Inventories
- 5 Handy Screening Topics for New Tenants
- Busting Property Management Myths
- Six Money-Saving Tips for Landlords
- Rules for Tenants and Pets in 2021 - What are the Changes?
- As a Landlord you need to carry out Interim inspections
- Giving your Feedback on an Inventory as a Tenant
- Inventories made easy with Reports2Go
- New to Letting? What you should know about Property Reports
- Three Pillars of Good Property Management
- How can PropTech reduce your Property Inventory burden?
- Choosing the right Rental Management Strategy
- Some Tips for Promoting your Letting Agency Business
- The Importance of an Inventory to you as a Tenant
- Some Ideas to Consider in Order to Reduce your Overheads
- Legislation Concerning Landlords and Tenants is Constantly Changing
- What’s your Property Management approach?
- How to maintain a Positive Relationship with your Tenant
- How important is a Condition Report?
- Tools for New Landlords and Property Managers
- The Check-in Process in the Reports Cycle
- Doing an Inventory: Part 5 - Enhancing the Report
- Doing an Inventory: Part 4 - Finishing Up
- Doing an Inventory: Part 3 - Describing Items
- Doing an Inventory: Part 2 - At the Property
- How to do an Inventory: Part 1 - Preparation
- All you need to know about Property Reports as a Tenant
- Use the FREE Reports2Go App to Speed-up Inventories
- Using on-board Dictation Software for Reports
- A guide to Inventory, Check-In, and Check-Out reports
- Reasons for Landlords to carry out Mid-term Inspections
- How to Carry out an Inventory Quickly, Accurately, and Easily
- What does an Inventory Clerk do, and should I hire one?
- Inventory – A Guide for Tenants
- Things to keep in mind when conducting a Check-in Report
- Free Schedule of Condition - Why You Need it
- End-of-Tenancy clean? All you need to know
- Reports During Covid - 19 Restrictions
- Mid-term inspections as a Landlord
- How to avoid Deposit Angst with the Reports2Go app
- The Importance of the Reports2Go App for Inventories
- All about the Reports2Go App
- The Importance of an Inventory for a Tenant
- Dictation makes for a much faster and more Accurate Inventory
- How the Reports2Go app works
- Free Property App
- Completely Free App
- Tenant Fees Act and Inventories
- When you have a lot of Inventories, Reports2Go will save you time
- Periodic Inspections and why they are good idea
- Inventory meets the 21st century with Reports2Go
- Our App saves you a lot of time on Mid-Term inspections
- What is an inventory and why have one?
- Text Mode
- Audio Mode
- Our Inventory App
- Inventory Associations
- The life cycle of a Report