Inspection Tips During a Rental Property Walk Through in Alpharetta GA

During the course of a lease, owners expect that we will walk through the property once or twice a year, and sometimes every quarter. This is an opportunity to inspect the property and provide a condition report while the tenant is in the property. Typically, we will notify the tenants 24 hours before we enter the property and let them know we’ll be walking through with an inspection checklist, and making a video to document the condition of the property.

Property Management Alpharetta: Exterior Inspection

We start on the outside of the house. Check the roof condition, and look for any obvious damage to shingles or the rubber boots that come up out of the roof. Inspect the pipes and check the trim for damage and wood rot. Take a look at the windows and screens and look for any other obvious maintenance needs that stick out. You’ll also want to look at the landscaping. Make sure the tenant is doing what’s required in the lease, whether that’s mowing and edging or picking up dog waste and trimming the hedges. The owner will be responsible for trees and limbs, so see how those look and determine whether any new mulch is needed in the flower beds.

Property Management Alpharetta: Interior Inspection

Inside the house, make sure the tenants are keeping it clean and picked up. There shouldn’t be any major stains on the carpet or safety hazards. If a tenant shouldn’t have pets, make sure there’s no evidence of pets. Look at the smoke detectors and make sure the batteries are in place and working. Check the HVAC filters and be sure the tenant is changing those on a regular basis if it’s their responsibility. We always look at the batteries in the thermostat because we don’t want to make a service call just for batteries. Finally, check the main plumbing areas like laundry rooms, tubs, sinks, and bathrooms. You don’t want to see any evidence of leaks or drips. Look for mold in those areas so you can catch these things before they become bigger problems.

Documenting the Walk Through

Take a video of all this. We share the videos with our owners, and it gives us an excuse to chat and develop our relationship. Once our inspection is over, we thank the tenant and put together our report. If we see obvious maintenance needs, we’ll be proactive and gather estimates so we can present those to the owner with the video. All the owner will have to do is make a decision on completing the work. It makes the whole process easy and efficient.

Everyone is happy with our rental property walk-through process. The owner can be sure that the property is in good shape, and the tenants can be sure we’re taking care of any needed repairs. The frequency depends on your market and your tenants.

If you have any questions about conducting a rental property walk-through or anything pertaining to Atlanta property management, please contact us at Key Locations Property Management.

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