John May from Real Property Management Select Fairfield takes a minute to talk about the importance of rental property inspections in Fairfield.
We rented out a nice one bedroom, one bathroom apartment in our in the local Fairfield neighborhood. Nice individual, great guy, well-qualified, he came in and everything was fine. Fast forward a few months… we start getting a few phone calls from the neighbors that there were more people coming and going and staying in the apartment. Parking was becoming an issue.
We conducted a periodic inspection, and come to find out they had eight people living on that property. Eight people in a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment. Now not to mention all the heavy usage of the appliances, the bathroom, the showers, the wear and tear on the carpet and whatnot. Obviously, that is an occupancy hazard and is not allowed. So with a simple periodic rental property inspection, we were able to catch and rectify that problem, preventing any future damage to the property.
Another of the many things we look at when conducting property inspections is HVAC and furnace filters. Are they free of debris? Is air flowing smoothly through the HVAC system? Maintaining a clean filter is going to reduce drag and workload on your HVAC system, and as you know, Fairfield is starting to heat up. Anything we can do to minimize the workload on the HVAC will help and will minimize future expense and help maintain positive cash flow for our owners.
Some of the other things we look for is smoke alarm batteries and carbon monoxide detectors. Are they installed correctly throughout the house? Now, these are very important items. Again, you’re helping to alleviate any liability for both you as the owner. The other thing we look for in your rental property is general disarray, neglected but necessary repairs, and obvious signs of lease violations. Did they turn the garage into an auto body shop? Are they holding a flea market in the backyard selling fruits, vegetables, car parts, whatever? Who knows…
The only way we can really properly manage a home effectively is if we can get eyes inside to see how are they preserving your asset. So by properly conducting move-in inspections, periodic rental property inspections, and move-out inspections, you are performing your due diligence in protecting the value of your asset.
For more information on how and why rental property inspections are crucial to the management cycle, contact us today.
(click here to see a sample of our periodic rental property inspection report)