Periodic Inspections and why they are good idea

The bane of all tenancies is the submission, management and return of the deposit. We now have a well-established with good agents and landlords revolving around creating an inventory, doing a check-in and completing a checkout.

If properly created, these documents are invaluable in terms of destressing the entire tenancy and handover process. Each entity can see what is in the property and its state. Usually, a reputable agent/landlord will allow a week or so for the tenant to make corrections to the report. We are all human and errors can creep in.

One oft missed report is the mid-term tenancy or mid-term inspection report. This is usually undertaken after the first three months and then every six months or so. It is a progress report. And it works both ways – to assure the landlord that the tenant is adhering to the terms of the tenancy e.g. no smoking indoors and allows the tenant to feedback to the landlord any issues or repairs that may need to be done. At all times, the landlord is responsible for the fabric of the buildings. External drains, roof tiles etc. are the landlord’s responsibility.

Periodic inspections need to be quick so as to not inconvenience the tenant and they need to be arranged with at least 24 hours’ notice. The tenant has to be there. A landlord or their agent can’t just access a property without the tenant’s consent and presence. A report should take note of the tenant’s comments over any area that there may be some issue and photographs are a great way to get to the essence of any observation.

Many letting agents now use the Reports2Go app which is periodic inspection software for use on a mobile or tablet. It is based primarily on surveys and so is quick to complete. You can add photos and include tenant comments.

Dan, 20 November 2019

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