When you rent out a property in Bozeman, you need to be thorough about conducting move-in and move-out property inspections. These inspections document the condition of your rental home and help you decide how to handle the return of the entire – or partial – security deposit.

Both of those inspections are essential, but you should also conduct an annual inspection while your tenants are occupying the property. These inspections come with three important benefits, which we’re discussing today.

Bozeman Rental Property Inspections Maintain Your Home

Maintaining the condition of your asset is an important part of earning money on it. You need to be responsive to any maintenance requests that come in, and preventative maintenance will help you anticipate problems and take care of small issues before they become large, expensive emergencies.

Conducting an annual inspection will allow you to check the property for any needed maintenance. Your tenants might not think it’s important to let you know that a sink is leaking or a handrail is loose. There may be some unreported maintenance issues in the home which do require attention.

Go through the property during this inspection and look for any small issues that the tenants may not have noticed or thought were important. Check under sinks and faucets for leaks. Look at the caulking around tubs and toilets. Make sure there isn’t damage to the roof or the gutters from tree branches or leaves. Check the HVAC system. Make sure filters have been changed regularly and check for rust or deterioration around coils and vents.

Bozeman Rental Property Inspections Help with Lease Enforcement

During this inspection, you’ll also want to make sure your tenants are following the terms of your lease agreement. This doesn’t mean you don’t trust your tenants; it simply means you are verifying that they are performing the way they agreed to perform.

There’s no need to show up with an air of suspicion. Instead, you can assume everything will be in order. If you happen to notice pets running around when you never approved pets, discuss this with your tenants. If you notice full ashtrays in the kitchen when this is a non-smoking property, that’s another conversation you’ll have to have. This inspection isn’t intended to catch tenants in the act – you just want to make sure they are respecting the rental contract.

Bozeman Rental Property Inspections Provide Service to Your Tenants

Finally, the benefit of an annual inspection is that it gives you some face-time with your residents. It’s a good opportunity to check in and see if they’re happy and feeling good about living at the property. Ask if there’s anything that they need or would appreciate. You want to develop and maintain a positive and respectful relationship with your tenants. It cuts down on disputes and dramatics. So, have a conversation about how things are going and see what you can do to provide any extra value to your tenants, who are paying customers.

If you have any questions about how to conduct a rental property inspection or you need some help with Bozeman property management, please contact us at Peak Property Management.