Todd Ortscheid of Revolution Rental Management, formerly known as GTL Real Estate, talks about landlord inspections that are done with tenants already in place and in the middle of their lease.
While you may be the owner of the property and thus, feel like you should be able to come and go as you please, and to do inspections as often as you’d like, we actually advise against it. There are actually three reasons why you should let a third-party go out there and do the inspections for you:
The first is confrontations with the tenant. This is a very common scenario, often due to disagreements with the tenant concerning late fees, rent increases, or repairs that didn’t get done quickly enough for them. It is best to send in a neutral person or home inspector as there are less chances for confrontations.
In line with this, it is best not to conduct the inspections yourself because situations other than heated confrontations could arise, where you find yourself saying things that are against Fair Housing or landlord-tenant laws. This could lead to legal issues that you certainly don’t need.
And last, but not the least, to avoid allegations of stealing. If you do an inspection without the tenant present and they come back to find something missing, you could find yourself in a big mess, especially when the tenant decides to bring the police in. It is best to have a company like us or an inspection company who are insured and have attorneys to take care of situations like this.
These are the three things you should keep in mind, in case you are tempted to conduct a home inspection on your own. If you require further assistance, please don’t hesitate to call or email us. Thank you for watching!
