A couple of questions for PMs regarding inspections

[xanh]

I'm interested in knowing what PMs do in relation to inspections:

1. Ingoing/Outgoing inspections
Do you make sure there is power connected? If not, how do you treat/inspect electrical appliances (oven, air con, powered garage door etc.)?

2. 6 monthly inspections
What do inspect? Do you make sure everything is in line with the incoming/entry inspection? Do you only look at things the tenant has highlighted?

OK, maybe thats more than a couple questions. I have a few concerns but want to know if my grievances are justified.

 

[Salvatore1]

I'm interested in knowing what PMs do in relation to inspections:

1. Ingoing/Outgoing inspections
Do you make sure there is power connected? If not, how do you treat/inspect electrical appliances (oven, air con, powered garage door etc.)?


If no power on we presume that all appliances are working and mark accordingly unless advised differently from the owner. If there is a fault it would be the owners responsibility to fix. As would be the case if we found it faulty when the power is on.


2. 6 monthly inspections
What do inspect? Do you make sure everything is in line with the incoming/entry inspection? Do you only look at things the tenant has highlighted?

We check to ensure that the property is clean and nothing broken. Ingoing inspection only comes into play when the tenant vacates. We also look for items for the owner to fix to help protect and maintain his investment.

OK, maybe thats more than a couple questions. I have a few concerns but want to know if my grievances are justified.

 

[D.T.]

1. Everything. These ones have to be very thorough, detailed and with plenty of photos because these are the ones that are used to prove/dispute bond releases. This is also a good opportunity for PM to test that things work

2. 6 monthly is too long, prefer 3-4 per year to keep on top of things. Its not things that tenant highlights, as you put it, but rather to ensure they're keeping the place properly. This is a good opportunity to highlight back to the owner things that warrant maintenance, repair or upgrade to bolster returns and/or keep everyone happy.

 

[Lil Skater]

Ingoing/Outgoing - ideally there is power. I ask tenants to leave power on for a couple of days when they leave so everything can be checked off as working, and power is handy if the tenant needs to go back/tradespeople attend.

Ingoing will depend on the situation, for instance I have a tenant moving in on Friday. This property was recently purchased and power was turned off prior to final inspection/settlement.

Routines - contrary to Mr DT above me, the state the property is in will decide how many inspections you can do per year. In Vic you can do an initial inspection after 3 months, then six monthly thereafter.

Basically we're making sure the tenants haven't damaged anything, and there's no maintenance required. We can't really compare to the ingoing due to furniture being in the property, but if I see something that looks out of place (stain on the carpet as an example) then I can refer back to the ingoing inspection.

If there's maintenance required and it's not blantly obvious, I ask the tenant to show me.

 

[Xenia IM]

As above
Ingoing/outgoing - average is around 300 photos very thorough. Includes insides of all cupboards, draws - everything.

Routine - around 30 to 80 photos depending on size of house. We normally do not check cupboards and draws and closets - unless we suspect something.
More visual inspections- to avoid privacy issues.

Look for maintenance issues and ensure house is being looked after, gardens are maintained, no smoking or pets inside, etc..,
Tenant is followed up with letter of requested items to rectify if things not ok.

Water meters are read at both inspections!

 

[justjudy]

Just going through this at the moment. Keys were handed in on Monday ,Tuesday attended final inspection and PM was not happy as the power had been disconnected .She rang me today and said she has requested the former tenant reconnect the power ,so all up I am pretty pleased she is so thorough.

 

[elsLan]

Legally in Victoria the tenant does not have to reconnect the power. They have vacated, lease has ended so they are not responsible for any further utility costs.

 

[xanh]

If there is a fault it would be the owners responsibility to fix.

That's probably not an assumption I'd like my PMs to make.

 

[Salvatore1]

Unless there is physical evidence that a tenant damaged and electrical item through neglect how else can it be checked without an electrcian or qualified tradesman? Would you not trust your PM to make this decision.

 

[xanh]

Unless there is physical evidence that a tenant damaged and electrical item through neglect how else can it be checked without an electrcian or qualified tradesman? Would you not trust your PM to make this decision.

Fair enough, but your previous statement implies that there would be no checking for damage first - its the LL's responsibility straight away.

I'm sure you wouldn't do that but some PMs seem to think that way.

 

[Salvatore1]

Also would it not be more cost efficient to have the tradesman fix the problem while at the property if easy fix and cheap fix better than paying for 2 call out fees? I have an agreement with my tradesman that they need to call me if it cost more that $250 for authorisation. Regardless of who broke it it needs to be repaired. If it was a tenants fault then we can send them the inv to pay or take from their bond. I find in 99.9% of the time it is a maintenance issue need to be paid by the owner.