I own a rental in Wisconsin and I'm driving up this weekend to inspect.  I've let my tenant know that I'll be stopping by late morning or early afternoon to inspect.  My inherited tenant doesn't like me and has told me that according to Wisconsin law I need to give her 12 hours notice of a specific time.  I've never had any landlord give me a specific time for an inspection? Is this a thing or does a time window work? I've got a lot of other things going on that morning and don't know how long certain things will take so it's tough for me to say "I'll be there at 11"

@Alexandra Wenzel state law requires a minimum of 12 hours, but it's really your lease that stipulates details. A one hour window is certainly customary.

I think you should respect your tenants and their time just as much as your own, because just like you: they have a lot of other things going on.

@Alexandra Wenzel

Give them a time.  If your tied up in the morning just to be on the safe side tell them 2:00. Stick to the 2:00 time.  When you have difficult tenants it’s best to be specific and direct.  I understand this might cause you to have to wait, but it’s best to follow the state rules as they seem to know them.  

Thank you! I've rented so many times in the state of Wisconsin during undergraduate and after finishing school and have never had a landlord tell me anything so specific so I wasn't sure. Much appreciated!

Originally posted by @Alexandra Wenzel :

Thank you! I've rented so many times in the state of Wisconsin during undergraduate and after finishing school and have never had a landlord tell me anything so specific so I wasn't sure. Much appreciated!

It is terrible how many bad landlords there are and I can totally see how you had that kind of experience. But that is of course not how it should be... The more professional you conduct yourself, the more respect your tenants will have for you and the easier everything will be. Try to have the mindset of a hotel manager at a luxury hotel or a top airline; very friendly and polite, but the rules are the rules.

We have to re-trail our new tenants often, because they come with some "bad behaviors" from a previous bad landlord. For example, the former landlord may have gotten angry every time they called with a service request. I stress very much that we appreciate every repair request, take a picture, text it over, we want to see if you have a problem and fix it, before it causes more damage. 

After I mention it the third time, they will say still with a little disbelief: okay so you really want us to notify you right away if something is leaking??? Yes, please!!