Moving into a new home is exciting and what many residents never stop to think about is the boring property inspection. Many never give a passing thought to the property inspection after moving in, but if a nasty surprise is uncovered, they regret not having had a thorough and professional inspection done.
A lot can go wrong if a home is not properly inspected, especially if the home is old or is a bad-quality build. The most serious and tragic consequence is definitely when tenant safety is threatened. Should a fire occur and a fire exit be blocked, this could have dire or even fatal outcomes.
Property managers sometimes do not have effective inspection systems in place, or do not make use of property inspection software, causing them to miss other potential hazards, such as damaged roofs, faulty furnaces, mold or asbestos, which are all potential health and safety threats.
A sad reality is that when properties are not thoroughly inspected, managers miss problems which could easily and cheaply be fixed. Unfortunately, these problems later escalate into extremely costly problems resulting in the property decreasing in value. It is essential that property managers realize that just because something was in perfect condition at the previous year’s inspection, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be in the same condition the next year. Things are made to break and decay. Wood rots, paint chips and termites move in.
Simply making use of an easy to use property inspection app could prevent this from happening as it leaves the property manager with more time for focusing on the matter at hand, not bogging him down with reams of paperwork to complete.
The sad reality is that when properties are not properly inspected, in extreme cases, it is the tenant who ultimately suffers as sometimes landlords allow homes to deteriorate to dreadful states without doing anything, and if neither party has any proof, it is very difficult for the law to takes its course. Of course, this is a violation of the tenant’s basic legal rights and they may end up having the government involved. Thankfully, these are extreme cases but they sadly do still occur.
The key here is not to let it get to this point.
A thorough property inspection is always the best way forward. With so many excellent property inspection applications available these days, not having a home properly inspected should no longer be an issue. Tenants should also be aware that it is both their and the property manager’s responsibility to ensure that the inspection is carried out properly. This is for the tenant’s own health, safety and wellbeing.