What to do if you've visited your tenants for the first time in ages and the property is not good.
A tenant inspection is one of the main things that a landlord will skip in the management of their property. But, if curiosity, or perhaps worry, has gotten the better of you and you've just done the first inspection for maybe years, what should you do if you are unhappy with what you found?
Property inspections are a little strange. It's your property, but it's the tenants' home, so there is a weird dynamic when you visit. Add to that the 'inspection' side of things - the tenant will feel as if you're judging them, and on some level, you are. It can feel icky and awkward, so to save the awkwardness, many landlords will simply miss the inspections altogether, assuming that if there are no reports of maintenance issues and the rent is paid, all must be fine.
But what if it isn't fine? What if you go and visit for some reason, and when you get there, things are far from perfect? All of a sudden, you have major concerns and sleepless nights worrying about the state of your property. Will you have to find the money to refurbish it when the tenant moves out? Should you ask the tenant to leave? Do you even know how to process an eviction?
If you've just done your first inspection at the property for a while and all is well, your tenants are happy, and the property is in good order, confirm this with the tenant. Write to them with your findings, that you are delighted with how they are living in the property and are glad that they're happy. An inspection out of the blue will likely have made them feel uneasy, so it is best to settle their fears.
But if you're not happy with the state of the property, you need to follow this process:
- Confirm in writing any issues you are responsible for repairing and give a timeline for when these will be dealt with.
- In writing, clearly itemise the issues you've found and why they are unacceptable. Detail the clauses from your tenancy agreement that cover the problems to show the tenant that it is their responsibility to handle the issue.
- Arrange a follow-up visit to check that the issues have been rectified. For example, if the garden is very overgrown, perhaps give a two-week window to allow the tenants to cut it all back and schedule a revisit to check on the progress.
- If all is well after the revisit, confirm that you are satisfied with the progress in writing, setting a date for the next visit in a few months.
- If you are unhappy with the progress, you must decide on an action plan to tackle the problem. The first reaction shouldn't be to serve an eviction notice but to work with the tenants to get the property back in good condition.
Left unattended, a property can deteriorate quickly. Fairly routine maintenance tasks, like clearing guttering, can soon cause significant damage if water leaks into the property, leading to dampness. You can be left with major remedial work from a minor issue that has been left or perhaps overlooked. Because of this, we recommend multiple inspections each year so that you can nip any minor issues in the bud before they become a significant problem.
If you are struggling with your property management and would like guidance on how best to navigate issues with your tenants, get in touch with our team of property management experts.