How often to inspect rental properties??

[James Gilpin]

Hi All! I am interested to know how often in a 12 month lease either owners or PMs inspect their properties? On average how long does an inspection take? Is it a nightmare? And if you were going to pay a company to do it, what is a standard fee? Thanks!

[Nathan Gesner]

I inspect once a year as long as there are no problems. I try to inspect in the latter half, typically around the nine month point before I decide to renew their lease.

If they have problems like late rent, failure to maintain the lawn, noise violations, or other issues, then I will inspect more often. With 230 units and only inspecting once a year, I rarely have a problem.

I do ask my plumbers, electricians and other vendors to alert me if they see/smell anything strange in a rental. I've caught some problems that way but it's pretty rare.