Tenant assisted routine inspections

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What is a tenant assisted routine inspection? 
A tenant assisted routine inspection is a virtual method of Property Excellence carrying out a routine inspection.  A link is sent by Property Excellence to the tenant via email and SMS, which the tenant then clicks the link and carries out their routine inspection, including taking photographs.  Once completed by the tenant, the routine inspection is finalised by Property Excellence and a copy of the inspection is forwarded to the landlord.  The routine inspection will be accessible for landlord’s via their PropertyMe Landlord Portal, much the same as what they always have been.

Why is Property Excellence utilising tenant assisted routine inspections? 
With the uncertainty, ever changing risks as well as ever changing restrictions, lockdowns and stay at home orders surrounding the current COVID-19 pandemic, tenant assisted routine inspections allow:

• The ability for routine inspections of the properties we manage to be carried out, whilst assisting us in ensuring the health and safety of our team and our tenant’s;
• The flexibility for our tenant’s to carry out their routine inspection at a time that suits them and their work/life schedule, as opposed to being restricted to a video call inspection during the business hours of Property Excellence;
• The ability for Property Excellence to provide our landlord’s with routine inspections that include photographs showing the condition of their property, as the video inspection method unfortunately does not sufficiently allow for this.

Why are routine inspections carried out? 
A routine inspection is an inspection carried out by the Property Manager throughout the period of the tenancy.  These inspections are carried out for a number of reasons.  A basic rundown of some of these are outlined below:

• To ensure the property is being cared for in accordance with the Residential Tenancy Agreement, for example, that the property is being kept clean and tidy and free from any damages
• To ensure the property complies with the requirements under the Acts and Regulations
• To ensure the installed smoke alarm/s have not been removed or tampered with
• To inspect completed maintenance recently carried out
• To provide recommendations to the landlord of any upgrades or maintenance that may be required in the future, for example, carpet becoming worn, paint starting to peel, etc.

As a tenant, how can you best prepare for a tenant assisted routine inspection?
Preparing for a tenant assisted routine inspection is much the same as preparing for an in person routine inspection.

Ensure the property is clean and tidy.  We don’t expect you to scrub walls and wash windows the week leading up to your inspection, so don’t stress… we just expect (and hope) to see that you are caring for the property, keeping it reasonably clean and tidy and not causing any damages.

How often can a routine inspection be carried out? 
Under the current legislation, the Landlord or Landlord’s Agent can carry out 4 inspections per 12 month period for the purpose of a “routine inspection”.  A minimum of 7 days notice is required to be given to the tenant for the purpose of a routine inspection to be carried out.

There are other reasons that inspections can be carried out during the tenancy in addition to routine inspections including but not limited to:

• To assess the need for repairs and maintenance
• To show a potential tenant through the property during the last 14 days of the tenancy
• To show a potential purchaser through the property if it is listed for sale
• To carry out a valuation of the property

The required notice period and frequency of these vary to that of a routine inspection.  For more information on these, feel free to get in contact with us as we are always more than happy to answer any questions you have.

As a tenant, how can you submit repairs & maintenance requests
Here at Property Excellence, we require all maintenance requests, including urgent repairs, to be submitted in writing using one of the below methods:

• Via the tenant portal;
• By completing our online maintenance request form, available in the forms section on our website;
• Downloading the PDF version of our maintenance request form from our website, completing and emailing to pm@prex.com.au

A reminder, please do not wait until a routine inspection to advise us of any maintenance required or concerns.  Depending on the frequency that your routine inspections are carried out, minor maintenance or concerns could become major or urgent if you wait until your next routine inspection, which is why it’s imperative to submit your maintenance requests as soon as reasonably practicable in order for us to action accordingly.