Seeing as over one-third of all households live in rented properties, it is no surprise that inspections are a normal part of many people's lives. Although, not all landlords know how to do them, why they should do them, or when to do them. Are you one of them?
Below we have listed the different kinds of common rental property inspections. By the end of the article, you should understand the power that a landlord has to investigate their properties. So, get reading and use this information to help you with your own rented locations.
Move-In Inspections
This is one of the more common rental inspections. Lucky for you, you do not need to do it all yourself.
You should provide your tenant with a move-in inspection sheet. This will have everything about the property and its content written down in simple language, including any renter or tenant-specific laws in the state of South Carolina. The tenant can then check off that everything in the property is as expected and ready for them.
If there is anything that is not up to scratch, you can sign off on it in the inspection sheet, and then resolve it. The tenant should also sign the inspection sheet. This will allow you to have written confirmation of the state of the property when they moved in.
Routine Property Inspections
The rules of these are usually laid out in the terms of the lease. They allow you to visit the property on a semi-regular basis to ensure that the location is still clean and safe for habitation.
You should do this once every quarter-to-half year, especially at the start of a lease. You will often have to abide by a reasonable warning period, such as 24 hours. During this time the tenant has an opportunity to resolve minor issues in the property and give it a quick tidy.
Move Out Inspections
When the tenant moves out, you should do the opposite of the move-in inspection. With the inspection sheet in hand, you should go over the whole house and document everything that does not match what is expected.
This inspection usually leads to money taken out of the deposit if anything is missing, dirty, or broken. So it is usual for a tenant to also be there during this inspection.
Casual Inspections
These are not a full inspection. At any time, you have the right to pass by the house and check the publicly-viewable areas of the house. You can do this to check for pets, obvious damage, or other issues.
This can make you aware of issues in the home before they become harder to resolve.
More About Rental Property Inspections
Now that you understand more about rental property inspections, you should know how to take such action on your own properties. Still, you should not always have to be the one to do such things. There may be times when you want someone else to take that step, and that is where property managers come in.
We have specialists ready to talk to you about what we can offer for landlords of rental properties in the area of Sumter, South Carolina. All you need to do is get in contact. So, give us a call and see what we can do for you.
