Rental apartment Inspection

[Margharita Silva]

Hi everyone, 

I own a condo in NJ. Landlord for 3 years. I have been renting it to a tenant since last year and he wants to renew his lease for another year. He is a good tenant, paying always on time. I never had any complaints about him from the building management or any neighbors. He is always good with emails & texts and replies promptly and respectfully. I agree to renew his lease but i want to inspect the apartment to just make sure everything is ok. However, I don't know how to do this without giving him the impression that I might be suspecting of him of not treating the place right. I just want to be aware of the current state of the apartment. There isn't anything that needs fixing in the apartment as to my knowledge so how best is it to communicate or ask for an inspection? 

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Margharita Silva:

First, you have a right to inspect the property. It's literally written into the law, and you should have it written in your lease that you have the right to enter for inspections, maintenance, and showing to potential buyers or renters. The law does not require tenant's permission; it only requires that you give proper notice, which is 24 hours or "reasonable notice" in most states.

Second, many Landlords think their tenant is "good" because they pay on time and don't cause any problems. Then they go to inspect for the first time - sometimes after years - and discover the Tenant has trashed the property. Some Tenants are quiet and pay rent on time because they don't want you to see how they are living.

Inspect at least once a year, every year, on every tenant.