Keeping an eye on the condition of your investment property can save time and money down the track. Regular inspections paired with a healthy relationship with tenants give property owners peace of mind knowing that their investment is being taken care of. 

Not only are inspections a good opportunity to have your property manager ensure that the tenants are taking care of your investment and keeping an eye on any pre-existing conditions, but it also gives tenants a chance to talk through any grievances with the property. If you want to keep happy, long-term tenants, you and your property manager must stay on top of these issues.

A rental property inspection report can be used in a variety of ways, you can use them during and onboarding of a new tenant or during their end of lease cleaning to make sure your investment property is well taken care of. The report will consist of basic information from the tenant's name and contact details to more specific information such as the condition of the flooring, kitchen, bathroom, laundry area to name a few. Here are some things to keep in mind when using a rental property inspection report;

• Think about the time when the report will make the most sense to be used, is it at the start of a tenancy or the end?
• How to break down the information you wish to see, maybe you have recently renovated your kitchen and want to keep a better eye on the condition of it
• Use the help of a great property manager to make sure the rental property inspection report is well documented and no issues crop up in the future.

The legislation on the frequency of property inspection differs from state to state. However, it’s common practice for a property manager to conduct an annual inspection on behalf of the landlord. We are happy to accommodate more depending on the landlord’s wishes.

When inspecting, we don’t just walk through and take some photos. Instead, we actively compare the condition with the last report, using our proprietary inspection process.

Here is how often you can conduct a rental inspection in different states;

• NSW - up to 4 times in a 12 month period
• VIC - only once in 6 months
• QLD - only once in 3 months
• SA - only once in 4 weeks
• WA - up to 4 times in a 12 month period
• NT - only once in 3 months
• TAS - only once in 3 months
• CAN - up to two times in a 12 month period

Detailed photos/videos and a written description should be provided to you as part of the condition report. Images can then be compared to previous inspections and changes can be tracked. 

If any serious or costly issues arise, often the landlord will request to inspect those areas personally. Property managers are able to request a further inspection ahead of works with the tenant. 

If the tenant has caused more than the normal wear and tear damage, your property manager may need to issue them with a notice/warning. If no changes happen, the matter may need to be taken to the tribunal and you might find yourself needing to evict a tenant.

Any urgent repairs or property maintenance, such as broken windows or a defunct hot water system, identified during an inspection should be fixed as soon as possible. These are basic amenities that the tenant can expect.

Any minor or not urgent repairs can be planned and budgeted for. The property manager should be sourcing a minimum of three quotes for any work over a predetermined value. This amount will differ from agency to agency. Here at :Different this minimum amount will be agreed upon with the landlord and will be quoted and presented to the property owner before any commitment to tradespeople is made.

Overall, the property inspection report should give the landlord a clear and accurate view of the state of their investment property, the condition in which the tenants are keeping it and advice on any immediate repairs and also on things the property manager predicts to become an issue down the track.

Your inspection reports along with any maintenance requests and historical data can be accessed directly via the online owner portal. You can access this info 24/7 without having to pick up a phone or send an email, we want to make it as easy as possible for everyone.

Did you know? We have a tenant app! Tenants can use it:

• To check when their lease expires
• If they want to report a repair or maintenance issue, there’s a repairs tab where you can make the report and take photos/videos of the problem.
• To view their last rental inspection went, there’s a documents tab where you can see your last inspection.
• If they want to know where their rent is paid up to, there’s a payments tab where they can view their full history of payments.

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