In 2022, Americans spent an average of $6,000 on home maintenance. Fast forward to 2023, and those expenses nearly doubled to $10,000.
As a landlord in Jacksonville, FL, you could spend more than that on your rental properties if you don't update yourself on their condition. That's a good enough reason to conduct regular rental property inspections.
How often should you inspect your rentals, then? This guide provides practical insights, so read on.
Before Every New Tenant Moves In
Conduct a tenant move-in inspection before your new renters move into your property. That way, you can spot and fix issues with your property's structure and systems and ensure it's move-in ready. Failure to do so can result in your new tenants experiencing problems right off the bat, making them unhappy right away.
Unhappy tenants are unlikely to agree to and sign a lease renewal. Worse, they can file complaints against you if the problems with your property are so severe they can put your renters' health and safety at risk.
One example is a faulty electrical system, which may cause shock and burn injuries and trigger fires. Another is a leaking plumbing system, which can cause water damage and encourage harmful mold growth.
Monthly Drive-by Inspections
Do a monthly drive-by inspection of your properties. It can help you determine if there are rental property maintenance tasks you need to do to maintain curb appeal.
Some examples of what your investment property inspection checklist should include are:
- Removing weeds and mowing the lawn
- Trimming shrubs and tree branches
- Power washing the exterior
If you have tenants, drive-by inspections allow you to spot signs of rental lease breaches. That may include unauthorized pets that don't meet the conditions of your pet-friendly rental policies. For example, you agreed to allow your tenants to have two dogs, but then you see three or more on your property.
Quarterly or Semi-Annual Inspections
Florida's salty, humid air and warm temperatures can speed up the degradation of many building components. Compared to other places in the country, many materials and appliances in Florida homes have shorter lifespans.
That's why you should ideally inspect your Jacksonville, FL, properties at least once in the spring and another in the fall. Consider doing them quarterly if you allow pets and have many tenants in a single property.
These thorough assessments can help you identify problems more likely to occur or worsen the following season. For instance, a spring HVAC inspection and maintenance lets you determine if the AC is malfunctioning. If so, you can have a professional fix it before the harsher summer days arrive.
Invest in Professional Rental Property Inspections
Now that you know how often to conduct rental property inspections, your next best move is to consider outsourcing them. That way, you can rest easy knowing your properties are well cared for without you having to do the heavy work.
At Green River Property Management, we provide full-service real estate asset management solutions. We're confident in the quality of our services, as we've been doing this for over 15 years. We're also proud of our many five-star reviews from clients throughout Greater Jacksonville, FL.
So, if you'd like to make property management more manageable, speak with us today. We'll happily even provide you with a free rental analysis!
