Some things you need to know about Mid-term inspections as a Landlord
If you are a landlord or letting agent, you need to carry out routine checks on the property or properties that you own or manage with the object of checking on their condition and the condition of everything within them. This is divided into an inventory report, check-in and check-out reports, and interim inspections. Quite obviously, if a property is let furnished, or partly furnished, the inspection will take a lot longer than if it is let empty.
The purpose of such inspections is that you can see if there is any deterioration in fittings above and beyond normal wear and tear. There is a secondary issue here and that is that it enables you to check on the condition of things that the tenant may either not have noticed or simply not bothered to report. This gives you as landlord or agent the chance to carry out repairs or fix a problem before it becomes worse and costs a lot more to repair.
In addition, carrying out interim inspections enables you to see where fair wear and tear has occurred, which is useful from the tenant’s point of view. For instance, carpets do wear out over time and need replacing, and that is not the responsibility of the tenant. There are, of course, some rogue landlords who might try to blame the tenant for that, but if you are an agent and can demonstrate the gradual deterioration over time, the landlord is less likely to argue.
Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s11, the landlord has the right to enter the premises in order to check the condition. The exact terms of the Act are as follows:
“In a lease in which the lessor’s repairing covenant is implied there is also implied a covenant by the lessee that the lessor, or any person authorised by him in writing, may at reasonable times of the day and on giving 24 hours’ notice in writing to the occupier, enter the premises comprised in the lease for the purpose of viewing their condition and state of repair.”
In other words, the tenant must be given 24 hours’ notice in writing and the inspection must be carried out at “reasonable” hours. If someone other than the landlord or agent is going to carry out the inspection, that person must be authorised in writing.
How often should you carry out inspections? This can vary, but quite a number of people do so quarterly, and this can be reduced to six-monthly if the tenant is keeping the property in good order. You shouldn’t carry out inspections more frequently than quarterly because that could be considered to be harassment, unless there is a genuine reason concerning repairs or maintenance.
A side note here is that just because the tenant is a good payer does not always mean that they are good tenants.
Furthermore, meeting with the tenant on a regular basis allows you to build up a relationship with them which can be a good thing, because if the tenant is happy with the landlord or agent, it is less likely that they will pack up and move, and everyone wants good, long-term tenants.
When you carry out an inspection, it is a good idea to use the free inventory app that we provide at Reports2Go. This can be downloaded from Google Play or the App Store to any mobile or tablet, and you can use it to speed up the process of taking inventory. Our software allows you to use dictation software by simply talking into your mobile with your comments and notes as you go from room to room, and when you have finished the inspection, you can upload it to your portal on our server. It will then be ready for you to download and type up later.
Dictation software is entirely free to use provided you have internet coverage at the inventory site. It makes sense to look over the text once completed as errors can creep into automatically transcribed text.
Dan, 10 September 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