If you’re a letting agent, you already know that you have a myriad of responsibilities to your tenants, from handling rental payments, tenancy agreements and any needed maintenance and repairs. In this blog post, we’re going to discuss the importance of an often-overlooked but essential aspect of property management: property inspection.
Prevent costly repairs
Regular property inspections, carried out as frequently as every few months to simply once or twice a year, allow letting agents to catch problems before they turn into expensive repairs. Unlike letting agents, tenants aren’t necessarily experts in property, and won’t always notice potential problems or know what to look for. During an inspection, the letting agent can thoroughly go over the property, ensure that everything is in working order and initiate repairs for any problems.
In some situations, it may be that the tenant is inadvertently causing a problem, for instance by using a potentially dangerous appliance incorrectly. In these cases, the inspection is a perfect opportunity to discover any issues and discuss how to rectify them with the tenant.
Develop positive relationships
Some tenants may not wish to have regular inspections, as they may feel they’re being watched or monitored, so many letting agencies don’t feel comfortable carrying them out. This is understandable, and this is why it’s important to make tenants feel comfortable with the process and help them understand that the property inspection is a useful and beneficial service that enhances their property by keeping in the best possible condition.
To this end, it’s essential that letting agencies develop good relationships with their clients from the very beginning. A relaxed and positive relationship will benefit every aspect of the tenancy and will go a long way toward making tenants feel comfortable with property inspections. Ensuring that inspections are carried out on a predictable basis and at a time that’s convenient for the tenants also promotes goodwill, and provides an environment where the tenant feels comfortable discussing potential problems instead of worrying unnecessarily that they’ll be blamed for them.
By carefully nurturing tenant relationships from the very beginning, letting agencies can create an atmosphere of trust and openness that will benefit everyone involved.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
One of the hidden – but perhaps the most important – benefits of regular property inspections is that they keep both property management and tenants involved in keeping the property in tip-top shape. Problems aren’t allowed to develop into costly repairs, the property is maintained at a high standard, and tenants are more likely to keep the property clean and in good order. Everyone – property owner, agency and tenant alike – can benefit from regular property inspections.
