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By Daniela Nelson
I’m pretty sure no tenant ever gets excited about a rent inspection but the following advice will help make it fun (OK, maybe not fun but a little less painful at least). Whether you are new to renting through a real estate agent or are a long-term tenant, you’ll benefit from following these steps for a good, stress-free rental inspection.
"Cleaning and organising, is a practice not a project" Meagan Francis - Author of the Happiest Home
1. Start Preparing Early
We all leave the cleaning to the last minute — it’s not the quickest or easiest thing to do, especially when the whole property has to be presented in a clean and tidy condition. But by starting the big cleaning jobs, such as garage floors, window and door tracks and removing cobwebs, as soon as you get your inspection notice, you’ll reduce stress and help create a timeframe for getting them done.
Make cleaning a family activity on the weekend to help reduce the amount that one person is doing, and create a fun and exciting game for the kids, especially when there is water involved!
2. Know Why You Have Inspections
Inspections are a great way for property managers to check and see if the property needs maintenance. We believe in preventive maintenance, so even if something isn’t broken we can often recognise a future issue before it happens. When you are living in a property you can get caught up in everyday life and inspections are a great way for you to spend some time seeing if there is anything that needs attention (either maintenance/repair or a good clean).
Owners also love seeing inspection reports — they have entrusted you with a property that is important to them and the reports allow them to see how well you are taking care of the property.
3. List of Maintenance Issues
If you won’t be home for your inspection and you have maintenance issues to report, either write them down on a piece of paper and leave it on your kitchen bench for us to collect or send us an email beforehand. Your property manager will then be able to check these issues at the inspection and seek approval to organise maintenance to be carried out. This also makes sure that all maintenance is recorded.
Try emailing your property manager the moment you notice any issues to ensure they are fixed and that no further damage will be done. This will prevent any extra costs to both the owner and yourself.
4. Do Minor Repairs
Conduct minor repairs such as replacing blown light globes, removing any new stains on floors and tightening that loose cupboard door handle.
5. Gardens and Lawns
Make sure that you have mowed the lawn, watered it on your correct watering days (see your local council website for details), swept up all the leaves, pulled out the weeds and replaced any damaged or dead plants.
6. Clean The Property Fully
If you started on the above steps as soon as you got the notice of your inspection (which is a minimum of seven days) the rest is easy. You should now sweep/vacuum the house, wipe over the shower screens as well as the bath, sink, mirror and vanity, clean any grease or burnt food in the kitchen and do a quick once over of all the above items.
By following these steps, and including the whole family or your roommates, the cleaning will be done in no time and you will have a great inspection.
7. Doors & Locks
Important Tip! Please remember that for security purposes, your Property Manager will secure your property when they are leaving after your rental property inspection, which means they will lock all doors, even those you have left unlocked. It's important to ensure that you have keys for all locks/doors with you if you won't be home for your inspection.
About the author
With nearly a decade of experience in real estate, Daniela Nelson is part of the superhero Property Management Department at Empire Estate Agents in Victoria Park. As a senior property manager, Daniela works closely with landlords, tenants and clients on a daily basis. Her friendly professionalism combined with her excellent time management and organisational skills means that she is able to give clients a level of service second to none.
Need more information on this topic? Or can we help you with other property management questions? Feel free to call and speak to us at Empire Estate Agents on (08) 9262 0400 or email reception@empireestateagents.com.