Why Having Regular Inspections of Your Rental Property is So Important
If you are a landlord, you may be wondering how often you should be conducting a thorough inspection of your rental property. You may also be wondering whether having regular property inspections are really necessary…
While the answer to the question of whether regular property inspections are really necessary is undoubtedly a resounding, “YES!”, the answer of how often you should have your rental property inspected is bit more tenuous. First and foremost, you have a legal obligation to abide by any/all local laws. Your tenants are entitled to AT LEAST 24 hours’ notice, and the length, purpose and timing of the inspection must be reasonable. And although some law enforcement agencies have advocated for performing property inspections as frequently every four to six weeks, the general consensus is that (in addition to the “Move-In” and “Move-Out” inspections) you should have your rental property inspected every three to six months.
What Are Some of the Reasons to Schedule Regular Property Inspections?
The main reason that you, as a landlord, would require that your rental property be subject to a quarterly or bi-annual inspection is to protect your investment. Although we would all like to think that a tenant will treat your property with the same level of respect as you would, the sad truth of the matter is that this is very rarely the case. When you have regularly scheduled home inspections it allows you to identify potentially troublesome tenants before it is too late, hopefully giving you the opportunity to take appropriate action and minimize any damage that may be done to your property.
Additionally, by thoroughly inspecting the inside of your property, inspections can help shed some light on your tenants’ behavior. Many times, issues such as hoarding, or trouble with drugs or other illegal activity simply are not visible from the exterior of the property. By having an inspection, you will be able to discover any such issues and take action to correct them before they cause serious damage to your property and/or issues within the neighborhood.
On the flip side, regularly scheduled property inspections also help to encourage open communication between yourself (the landlord) and your tenants, thus helping to ensure that you and your property are also living up to their expectations as well.
Reed Property Management will handle all the aforementioned details so that your real estate investment is working for you and not vice versa. Freeing you up to do what you really want to do, like spending time with your family, enjoying our serene beaches or boating on the beautiful waters of the Gulf.
For more information on how Reed Property Management can help manage your rental property, please don’t hesitate to give us a call!
(239) 351-2880
kim@reedpropertymgmt.com
