It’s easy to let landlord inspections slip, particularly if you haven’t had an issue with your property or tenants. It’s a to-do that can easily descend into a do-not, purely because it falls down the priority list of things to do.
However, mid-term inspections are important for several reasons. They help identify potential issues or maintenance problems, hopefully before they escalate into more serious and more expensive repairs. They ensure that your rental property continues to meet legal and safety obligations and they help build an ongoing dialogue and relationship with the tenant, proving that you are a proactive landlord rather than a reactive manager.
Building tenant relationships
Most importantly, perhaps, inspections allow you or your managing agent to check that your property is being looked after as you expect, and to address any issues with tenants if it’s not. This becomes even more important with the imminent changes within the Renters’ Rights Act.
This is because from May 1, there will be no mid-term as tenancies will no longer be fixed term. Instead, they will automatically transfer into periodic tenancies with no prescribed end until a tenant decides they want to leave or you serve a relevant possession ground, along with its associated notice, to regain your property.
The abolition of Section 21 no-fault evictions, which will come into force at the same time, means that tenants will have additional rights to stay in your property and your grounds for possession must be valid and evidenced.
This isn’t a problem if you need to evict because tenants are breaking tenancy terms, but it is if you simply want to end the tenancy because you and the tenant haven’t gelled or they aren’t taking care of the property in the way you would like.
Scheduling an inspection before the May 1 changes will also allow you to answer any questions that your tenants might have about the implications of the Renters’ Rights Act. Opening communication channels could also help you learn sooner if a tenant is considering leaving your property for somewhere new after the more relaxed changes come into force.
Identifying areas of improvement
Equally, a mid-term property inspection before the May 1 enforcement could also help you to identify potential areas of improvement, whether they are strictly required or not, that could help persuade tenants to stay longer. This could include upgrading white goods as a reward for looking after the property, or child or pet-proofing your rental property in anticipation of the anti-discriminatory measures that are also part of the Renters’ Rights Act.
Once the inspection is complete, remember to book the next inspection, bearing in mind that once periodic tenancies come into force it could be even easier to let inspection schedules slip.
We Can Help
At Progressive Lets, we are experts in the rental market in the Peterborough area and help landlords find and manage properties within a 50-mile radius. Get in touch to find out more.
