Rental Property Inspections Save Time and Money!

So much to do, so little time…

Home maintenance is a task that affects most all of us, from weekend warriors who struggle up and down ladders to check gutters, to the rental property owners and managers who must maintain multiple properties.

Some property managers may manage hundreds of rental properties, which is a Herculean task.  I can only imagine what the “Honey-do” list looks like for a property manager, when your “Honey” consists of hundreds of tenants and property owners, with miles of gutters stretching out before you!

The renter mentality

According to the Department of Numbers rental statistics for Colorado, in 2017, rentals accounted for 34.8% of all Colorado households!  That huge number of rental properties requires a lot of attention.

Things are breaking down and falling apart in these properties at least at the same rate as they are in owner-occupied homes.  Most tenants will not perform these repairs on their own, and many are not very pro-active in even reporting issues or problems to the property owner or manager.

As a result, furnace filters may go unchanged for years at a time; gutters may remain clogged with so many layers of leaves and twigs that a whole ecosystem is forming; or a bucket may be placed under that roof leak that has been dripping through the ceiling into the living room for months!

It can be very difficult to protect your investment when someone else is living in it.

Costs can add up

Annual costs to maintain a rental property can be around 1% of the property value, according to this post on Zillow.  This means that with a home worth $200,000, you can expect to pay an average of $2000 a year on upkeep and maintenance alone.

And, it can be difficult to prioritize what to repair vs. replace vs. monitor.  You may know a lot about homes, but you may also rely heavily on contractors for opinions.

At the recommendation of a contractor, sometimes costly items such as a furnace may be replaced too early, when you could have been able to simply keep a close eye on it.  Alternatively, replacing water heaters before they fail can save you from having to pay for potential water damage to your unit or the unit below.

Health and safety is key

At Scott Home Inspection, it is our mission to provide integrity-based home inspections, energy assessment services, and rental inspections to help Colorado families live in safe, healthy and comfortable homes.

We strive to apply this mission not just to home buyers, but also to property owners and property managers and their tenants as well.  We understand that we share this goal with most property owners and property management companies.

However, many may not be equipped with the time, expertise, or the man-power to stay on top of these tasks, let alone document and keep all of the required information in an organized manner.

Who can help?

With our Rental Property inspections, we can help ensure that safe living conditions are the norm.  We can provide an honest and unbiased opinion on the state of your rental property. We’re not providing repairs, just recommendations, so you can trust our information.

You may not always receive an unbiased opinion if you send in a contractor, whose main drive may be to find work to beef up the bid.  Scott Home Inspection offers 3 different rental inspection tiers to help you protect your investment:

• Move in/Move out rental inspections, to help document the condition of a property and provide a repair list prior to changing occupants.
• Full-Periodic rental inspections, to help you check in on a property’s condition from time to time, and keep on top of any issues, large or small.
• Lite-Periodic rental inspections, as a quick check up to look for any significant issues that may need immediate attention.

Call today!

Our ASHI Home Inspectors are highly trained to assess homes and identify defects.  We will provide an accurate overview of your rental property, summarized with a list of recommendations and repairs, including lots of photos showing general property conditions.

All of this is delivered in a great looking and easy-to-read report, where you can also create a list of specific repair items to share with your maintenance team or contractor.  So don’t delay, contact us today!

We’re confident that we can save you so much time, you’ll finally have time to tackle your own “Honey-do” list.  Or just kick back for the weekend, whatever you’d prefer.