Time for Full Rental Home Inspection
Full Rental Home Inspection
Before any real estate investor purchases a building, house, apartment or property of any kind, a thorough inspection from a qualified inspector is an absolute must.
For rental property owners, the rental home or apartment must be kept safe. It’s better for you the investor to know what hazards are present before you take ownership.
Whatever you find during an inspection can also help you in negotiations with sellers. While inspections were waved by many buyers in the last few years, the wisdom now is to inspect and be certain before you lay down hundreds of thousands to purchase, and face unseen liabilities.
An Inspection is an Investment Too
Your rental house, townhouse or condo property is extremely valuable and damage can be very expensive if you don’t discover problems right away.
It’s important to ensure an inspection of some kind, and dig in to find suspected issues, and record them for future inspection, and hire a good home contractor to fix them.
And you can perform your property and maintenance inspection using ManageCasa on your mobile device. While you’re doing your mobile inspections on your properties, you can review previous reports and add new condition details, take photos and video, for live updates to property data.
See more on spring maintenance procedures required after you have your rental property inspected.
Inspection of Rental Property
Many issues with the home are hard to find, hidden out of site in hard to reach spots, or behind walls. Fortunately, your property manager may be trained or is experienced in checking those elements where trouble normally occurs.
If you’re a hands off landlord, you can also hire a certified home inspector to check your properties. A property manager has inspection reports designed and usable in the property management software they use. They can be conducted via a mobile device and can be printed out or viewed by you and your contractor later.
A typical home inspection report covers windows, roofing, HVAC, exterior siding, basements, walls, attics, and issues with plumbing and electrical.
The inspector will prepare a written report of the findings from the home inspection. This report is used to inform the tech maintenance person, Realtor and owner about what repairs are needed. If you’re about to buy a rental property, let’s take a quick look at what the a rental property inspection covers.
What a Home Inspection Covers:
- Structural components of the home (foundation, framing)
- Exterior features (siding, porches, balconies, walkways, railings and driveways)
- Roof systems
- Electrical system (service panels, breakers, fuses)
- Plumbing systems (pipes, drains, water heating equipment)
- Heating system (HVAC equipment, venting)
- Cooling system (HVAC energy sources, distribution equipment)
- Interior features (walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, stairs, railings)
- Insulation and ventilation throughout the property
- Fireplaces (chimneys, vents)
Essentials To-Dos:
- Get multiple recommendations. You’re buying agent Realtor may have pointed you to a home inspector already, but many potential buyers will also do their own research, ask around, and compare the reputation of several home inspectors to make sure the inspector will do the inspection justice. Although sometimes licensed as an inspector, there may still not be recourse if they miss something. The onus is on you.
- Attend the inspection. Being in person at your rental units during the inspection is helpful for the potential buyer to better understand a property and to ensure that an inspection is conducted thoroughly. Allow the inspector take you through the full inspection and take notes or pictures if it helps to remember inspector comments or to learn the in’s and out’s of the property.
- Ask Questions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! A good inspector should be able to walk through an inspection with you and answer any questions you may have about the property. Don’t let it slide and don’t be intimidated to sound unknowledgeable – that’s what the inspector is there for!
- Turning on and testing utilities. One thing people miss during an inspection is not actually using the systems in the property despite a walk through. Check plumbing fixtures, pipes, and appliances. Running a cycle of the washer-dryer, the dishwasher, and turning the HVAC system up and down, for example, may uncover unrealized problems or questionable areas to pay attention to.
Cost Guide:
At the time of writing, the average cost of an inspection was around $320, as reported by HomeAdvisor.com. This varies by square footage, condition of the home, and other factors.
Cost of home inspection. Screenshot courtesy of Homeadvisor.com
You might get a break from the inspector or the property management company you’re thinking of hiring to manage your rentals.
You can also read up on home inspections so you’re confident you’ve covered all the necessities before you invest in a property or commit to a big repair expense. See the book, The Complete Guide to Home Inspection by
Take a test drive of ManageCasa the best property management solution for landlords, property investors and property management companies. You’ll understand why a simple, online, cloud-based property software solution is the way to go.
More Blogs: Learn, Review, Rate Trial Software | Landlord App | Property Management Apps | California Housing Market | Property Inspections | Real Estate Accounting Software | Spring Maintenance | Rental Houses | Texas Real Estate | Best Appliances for Rental Houses | Property Management Startup | Software for Property Managers
