Once they have found a suitable tenant, most landlords tend to undertake irregular property inspections during the time of the lease and some landlords do not even undertake a property inspection.

Property inspections of a rental property is one of the most overlooked areas by private landlords because many do not have the time to undertake a thorough property inspection or just trust the tenant to look after the property.

A thorough property inspection every three months ensures that the property is maintained to the same standard as when the property was first leased to the tenant.

The inspection report will also give the landlord a better insight into how the tenant is looking after the rental property.

Regular property inspections ensure that the tenant knows that they have to maintain the property in a good condition and advise the owner of any maintenance issues that need addressed.

For example, a leaking tap in a kitchen can cause major damage to cupboards if the issue is not corrected at any early stage. Alternatively, a broken paving stone that is not promptly repaired could cause someone to slip and result in personal injury to the tenant which may have legal ramifications for the landlord.

Another example is gardens. If the leasing contract stipulates that the maintenance of the gardens are the responsibility of the tenant then a regular property inspection report will help ensure that this important area of the property is properly maintained.

By ensuring that their investment property is maintained in a good condition on a regular basis eventually results in bigger savings for the landlord over the longer term.

Landlords who do not maintain their property on a regular basis often find that it is more difficult to find a new tenant once the existing tenant leaves. This can prove very expensive for the landlord because their property can be vacant for several weeks and they often have to reduce the rent to find another tenant because the property is in poor condition.

In addition, these landlords may achieve a much lower market price for their investment property if they have to sell the property. Alternatively, landlords who fail to maintain their property on a regular basis have to spend many thousands of dollars to bring the property back to an acceptable condition if they wish to achieve a pleasing selling price. Private landlords should consider using the services of a professional property management company to undertake regular property inspections. This service is tax deductible.