Spring is in the air and it’s time to open up your windows and clear away the winter cobwebs.
This time of year is an excellent opportunity to schedule a mid-tenancy inspection of your rental property. You should be looking out for essential springtime maintenance work, any damage leftover from the winter months, and not forgetting the external areas of the property.
Property inspections should be detailed within the tenancy agreement. Typically, they are every six months to yearly occurrences. However, you may want to inspect the property more often at the start of a new tenancy to assist tenants with questions that may arise, such as how to use appliances. In this case, it’s best to agree on this with your tenants at the beginning of the tenancy. Prolonged frequent visits could become an inconvenience to your tenant – after all, they have the ‘right to ‘quiet enjoyment’, and no one likes to keep being disturbed at home.
Your tenant will need at least 24-hours notice before you enter the property, preferably through email or a letter delivered to their postal address. Ideally, you should give them at least a week’s notice so they can arrange for time off work if necessary. This also concerns allowing external suppliers to enter the property, for example, a professional check of the gas or electrical appliances.
If your tenant refuses you access, try to keep communications open and find out why. Aim to be flexible and work around their schedule. It helps to remind the tenant that the inspection is for their benefit, explain you need to ensure the property remains safe and habitable for them, and get ahead of any potential issues that could build up, such as mould.
However, if the tenant is not responding and you are increasingly concerned, TDS offers a free mid-tenancy reconciliation service, should you need support.
As a helpful outline, your inspection checklist should cover these essential areas:
Completing a detailed inventory and check-in at the beginning of tenancy is a great way to capture changes during the mid-tenancy inspection, and remind yourselves of the condition of each area at the start of the tenancy.
TDS Academy runs two expert-led courses in partnership with Inventory Hive, covering all things inventory, check-in, check-out, and mid-tenancy inspections.
For more advice and tips for landlords, agents or tenants, visit our TDS Information lounge
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