Why do annual inspections

Why do annual home inspections? Share your thoughts in the comments.

It's quiet surprising how many private landlords and property managers either DON'T or poorly do annual home inspections. Reasons being they don't want to bother tenants or don't want to find something unsettling or they're just too lazy.

Here's 5 reasons Prestige Management does them annually

1) Tenant relationship: it's nice getting to see a tenant and building the relationship. This is especially important with management companies who naturally lose some of the human touch due to number of properties managed. A quick smile and "how's life" goes a long way. Appreciated tenants are better tenants.

2) Safety: make sure items that keep tenants safe are present and still work. We make sure each required area has a working smoke detector and CO detector. Check railings and wood stairs to basement or outside to make sure everything is nice and tight. Are combustible items being stored too close to a furnace or water heater?

3) Tenant appreciation: tenants often mention paying rent and paying rent and never getting anything back. That's fair because that's often the case we notice when taking over properties from other companies. Tighten up the door knobs and cabinet hinges. Maybe update a light fixture or something easy. Do something so you're not just a slum lord. If they've been there a couple years and ask for a ceiling fan in the bedroom because there's no AC - get them a fan.

4) Preventative maintenance: catch stuff early. Did the p-trap just start leaking? Fix it before you're replacing a vanity or the entire bathroom. Is there a small mulberry growing out of the crack between the foundation and sidewalk? Cut it down before it's a large expensive tree to remove. Are tree limbs getting close to the house? Trim them so animals can't access the attic or branches wont destroy the house in the next storm.

5) History: We like to see the progression of the condition of the property over time and attack issues like cleanliness early. We do inspections about 60-90 days out of a lease renewal so it gives us proper info when deciding if we want to renew a tenant. Usually the answer is yes but we've had a few where we made the renewal conditional on cleaning up or something.

We do them IN PERSON. Some management companies ask them to send in photos or use an app. This is lazy as can be and only checks a box to say they did one as part of the management duties. The tenants will miss stuff (due to now knowing what to look for) or intentionally omit stuff they don't want you to see. Go take 15-20 mins and do it in person.

We take 1-2 photos of bedrooms to protect their privacy. In all other rooms, we get all 4 walls, floors, ceilings, and doors. We photo appliances and mechanicals and under sinks. On the exterior, we photo all sides and the full front and back yard.

Again, do the difficult things now to prevent harder things later.

Need help- visit www.rentals219.com/owner-FAQ for more info on how we can help.