Some tips for Landlords carrying out Property Inspections
If you are a landlord with several properties, one of the jobs that you have to do – among all the others – is to carry out property inspections, or inventories as they are also known. This is to check if everything is in working order and a reasonable state both inside and out. It also gives you the chance to check that your tenants are taking care of things.
Obviously, you will need to carry out an initial inspection when the tenant moves in, and ideally this should be on the same day and with the tenant present. You will need to record everything in the property and its condition so that you can compare it later when the tenant moves out. If the tenant is present, it is good because you can both agree on everything. If the tenant cannot be present at the check-in inspection, you must give them a copy of your report and allow a few days – normally a week – for them to make any comments and record any disagreement.
You may also need to carry out interim inspections for the duration of the tenancy, and these may be quarterly to begin with but reduced to half yearly if you have a tenant who is following the terms of the tenancy.
You have the right to carry out these inspections under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. The inspection must be completed at reasonable times of day, and you must give the tenant notice in writing at least 24 hours beforehand. If you are having someone else carry out the inspection, that person must be authorised in writing.
Carrying out mid-term inspections makes sense because it gives you the chance to spot anything which may need attention before it becomes a major issue. Unfortunately, many tenants will fail to report it because they simply don’t notice it. Certainly, most tenants will report a major issue, but a fresh pair of eyes can spot a minor problem and deal with it before it becomes an expensive repair job.
Interim inspections also enable you to assess the tenants’ living conditions, and if they are not taking reasonable care, you may not have immediate grounds to evict, but you may well want to consider whether you want to renew the tenancy at the end of the fixed term. You will also be able to see if a tenant is conducting any l activities outside the terms of the tenancy.
One thing that is often not spotted by tenants is damp and mould. Or if they do notice it, they just live with it because they don’t realise how dangerous it can be. So, you need to check around sinks, basins, baths, and showers. It is also a good idea to run all the taps and check pipework under the sink. In addition, you should check that the drains are not blocked and are flowing properly. Of course, you need to check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If you have provided furnishings, you will also want to make notes of all those too.
Taking all your notes can be time-consuming, so if you have several properties, you can use our free inventory report software which we provide at Reports2Go. You download it free from the App Store or Google Play Store to your phone and you can type up your notes as you go. Our free inventory report software will also give you prompts as you go through the property so that you don’t miss anything out.
When you have completed your inspection, you just upload it to your portal on our server and it will be ready to download a few minutes later. If you prefer, you can use the app in audio mode and dictate your notes instead. Then you upload to your portal, and you can download and type it up later.
Gary, 11 February 2022
Post Titles
- Property Inventory App? What can I expect for my money?
- How inventory clerk software can help your business
- 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 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
- Our App makes creating a Schedule of Condition so much faster and more Accurate
- 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
