Managing a rental home doesn’t mean that you can hand over everything to the tenants. You will need to pay attention to timely property maintenance inspections. This will assist you with protecting your rental home in the long run. Continue to read and we will share more details on how timely property maintenance inspections can help protect your rental home.
How Regular Property Maintenance Inspections Can Benefit You?
Keeping an eye on your rental home can help you save money in the long term whether you work with property management or do it yourself. This is so that frequent inspections can determine whether or not your renters are maintaining your property’s cleanliness and order. Instead, these checks provide you the opportunity to see any possible maintenance concerns before they become costly difficulties.
Consider the following scenario: Suppose that during a normal check, you come across a leaking tap in the bathroom. Early detection of this issue may allow you to schedule a plumber for a speedy resolution (a basic repair may just cost $60). However, if you didn’t discover this problem during an examination, you can be faced with a massive repair charge.
Our maintenance manager, Mandy, explains why this is the case:
- You will be able to save money in the long run
Regular property inspections might also help you save money in other ways. Illegal tenant behavior might cost you a lot of money in damage repair and many hours of missed productivity. However, by doing regular inspections, you may quickly spot any indications of criminal activity in the rental home and take preventive steps to safeguard your investment property.
- You can maintain clear communications with renters
Additionally, regular inspections help you maintain open lines of contact with your renters, which will keep them satisfied and increase their likelihood of relocating permanently. You may identify any possibilities for preventative maintenance during these visits.
How Often Should Regular Property Inspections Be Performed?
In addition to being vigilant about property inspections, you must also protect the privacy of your tenants. That entails reviewing your rights and obligations as a renter, including how often you may enter your home and why. Here is everything you need to know about inspections and repairs:
A minimum of seven days written notice is required from your renters before you conduct regular inspections, which are limited to four times annually. You may enter your property as needed for non-urgent repairs, but you must give your renters at least two days’ notice. Make sure that you do property inspections at least two times a year. This is more than enough to identify the potential problems that can take place in the property and address them in a timely manner.
Importance of Having Property Maintenance Records
From the time you accept a tenant’s application, you should keep accurate records on the state of your property. This first condition report serves as a shared record of the state of your property at the beginning of the lease between you and your renter. However, you must also be documenting any repairs or maintenance concerns that arise throughout each rental. You or the property manager must record any maintenance concerns that need addressing as well as the general state of the property during each regular inspection. Practically speaking, that means:
- Taking thorough pictures of your rental property to demonstrate any required repairs and obvious wear and tear.
- Keeping meticulous records of any problems or requests for repairs that surface throughout these inspections.
- Maintaining accurate records of the progress of repairs and upkeep tasks as well as any maintenance issues and making sure you have easy access to this data at all times.
- The top property managers will send owners a thorough digital inspection report after each standard inspection, so you have complete transparency on the state of your rental.
Additionally, your property manager should be proactive in notifying you of any required repairs and providing you with up-to-date information on the progress and price of any maintenance tasks in your home.
- Maintaining open communication with the renters
Open communication is the foundation of the strongest landlord-tenant relationships. Tenants are more likely to report possible maintenance issues promptly and effectively the more accessible you are to them.
Communication is essential to upkeep, not simply between property management and an owner or an owner and their property manager. However, if renters and property managers are in regular contact, any maintenance issues may be resolved right away rather than waiting till the end of the lease, when it would be too late.
Tenants are more likely to get in touch with you or the property manager when maintenance concerns first arise if you provide them with an easy means to do so. Additionally, by responding to your renters promptly, you’ll provide them with the assurance that their issues are being addressed.
Your renters will be happy the faster you address damages. Building trusting connections with your renters can help you keep your property in good condition and may even improve the likelihood that your tenants may extend their leases.
Final Words
Timely regular inspections are what help you save money on repairs and upkeep when it comes to your property. You’ll be sure to spot little concerns before they turn into expensive ones by arriving prepared with a vital maintenance checklist, dealing with a skilled property manager, and arranging frequent inspections. The less you have to spend overtime on maintenance, the more aggressive you can be about it.
If you don’t have time to work on routine property inspections on your own, the best thing that you can do is to get in touch with a property manager. Once you hand over the task of managing your property to a property manager, you can make sure that all inspections happen according to the plan, and maintenance activities are carried out accordingly.
For Property Maintenance services in Melbourne, Sydney & Darwin – SBS Australia Property Maintenance.
