During Tenancy: Property Inspections
LANDLORD ACADEMY
Property Inspections – what to look out for
Peace of mind that your property is being well looked after is paramount when renting out your property. Periodic inspections show the tenants that you are interested in its upkeep and presentation.
Welcome to Connect UK’s ‘Landlord Academy’ – here to answer all your property questions.
Not only do property inspections allow you or your managing agent to keep an eye on the condition of the property, they also identify any issues and rectify them before any escalation or further damage is caused.
Maintenance
It is always helpful for the tenants to be present at inspections in case they need to explain certain problems that has risen which needs attending to.
By taking each room in turn we can report both in written and photographic form to create a bank of evidence as time goes on. This will make it easier to identify any deteriorations as well as keeping track and looking back on the property when the need arises.
Kitchen and Bathrooms
Whilst we must record the overall condition of each room, we must check with the tenants that all white goods, if supplied by you as the landlord, are working as they should. Common functionalities to require small repairs in homes are; taps that have loosened, sealants that have perished and hinges that may need replacing. These are all repairs that wear over time but resolving them quickly prevents any further damage and larger financial outlays.
A perished bath seal can lead to water leaking through the bath edges onto the bathroom floor. The flooring under a bath is generally contained so cannot be dried, meaning the water will soak into the floor boards. Left unnoticed for a longer period of time can cause the ceiling below to bow and eventually give way. All from a perished bath seal. What was a small repair has led to a much larger one.
Inspections aren’t a legal requirement but are seen, by most, as a necessity.
Gardens
Let’s not forget that tenants are also generally responsible for the upkeep of the property exterior. Whether a front garden, back garden or both, tenants must maintain the outside. Overgrown hedges, for example, can impose on neighbours’ gardens, public ground or pathways and becoming an eye sore.