Maintenance Inspections for Low Income Properties

We will be doing a maintenance inspection next weekend. Our philosophy on inspections:

Frequency: We don’t have a cut and dried schedule for inspections. At move in we let the tenants know we will do them “periodically”. I keep a spreadsheet of tenant information and one column notes the last date we were in the property. We try to not let year go by without being inside. If there is another reason to go inside the unit (unscheduled maintenance, normally), we try to see as much of the house as we can and update the date in the spreadsheet if we feel good about how much we saw. The biggest issue with inspections is not how long it takes; it is how long it takes to schedule them. It is not unusual for our tenants to be non-responsive to our requests. I don’t think they are trying to hide anything, I just don’t think they are very proactive.

Scheduling: We start by sending a letter stating that we’d like to do a maintenance inspection. We note that we will be looking at the property for maintenance needs, and checking the smoke detectors. We provide about four dates and times that fit our schedule for one to two weeks out, and tell them to contact us. If we don’t hear back, we e-mail or text a reminder or knock on the door, and if that doesn’t work we post a notice of intent to enter (following tenant landlord law) with a date and time, and tell them they can contact us to change it.

What to look for: On the exterior, we look at landscaping, gutters, and any areas of concern. In each room, we examine the smoke detectors (they are almost always missing batteries, we bring batteries), the heat source, doors for damage or security concerns, windows, any signs of mold, ceilings for any sign of water. If it is a bathroom or kitchen, we look below and around the fixtures for any signs of leaking water. These are the things that can cost money if left unmaintained. We do keep our eyes open for other things – quality of unit/flooring/walls, signs of unauthorized pets or people, signs of smoking indoors, how much money time and money it would take to get the unit back to move in ready. And before each inspection I review the signs of a meth lab, since I’m not sure I would recognize the everyday items being used that way.

Tenant relations: In the letter we try to keep the tone light, that we are inspecting the property not their housekeeping. While we are there we work our way down a checklist, and chit chat with the tenants about whether they’ve noticed anything maintenance related, how they like the neighbors, what they like and don’t like about living there (can give clues how to retain them and how to market the unit in the future), and what they would like for upgrades if you are considering a few different options.