Property inspections are notoriously hard going for property managers. Carried out throughout the tenancy as well as at the very end of the tenancy, the purpose of the inspections is plain and simple: to make sure the property is still in the same state that it was in when the tenancy was signed. Although this sounds straight forward, there are all sorts of nightmares that can await a property manager when they open the door to a property, not to mention the fact that tenants have been known to hide problems with the home in order to avoid fees. The long and short of it is that property managers need to thoroughly inspect their clients real estate in order to make sure problem is taken care of at the earliest opportunity and the client’s investment is being kept safe.
Nothing Without a Report
The whole point of an inspection is to let the client know the current condition of their property. In order to do this, a comprehensive report has to be found. This is not the time to forget things. Every detail needs to be seen and recorded. Having a customized checklist is a huge helping hand in this respect.
No matter how thorough a property manager is during the inspection though, it really won’t matter if the report isn’t just as thorough. If you see that there is a dripping pipe in the basement but fail to report it and it goes on to flood the basement causing thousands in damages, you are definitely not doing your job as a property manager. You are the eyes, ears, nose and hands of your client. Everything that they know about their investment comes from your experiences so it’s imperative that you record all your findings in detail.
What Should You Report?
Everything. You should report everything. Don’t leave anything to chance. If the window is fine, don’t just say nothing about the window, note that it is fine. This could seem like overkill but clients will prefer to have considerably more detail than they might need rather than having to chase their property manager all the time to find out about their property.
Produce Reports Quickly
Producing detailed reports can take a large amount of time. First there is the laborious job of writing out the information, making notes etc. Then you have to put all the information in some sort of order that is easy to understand. After that, you will need to transfer your scribbles on the back of your notepad to a laptop or computer in order to convert it into the professional report that your client will be expecting.
Property inspection software helps property managers to produce professional, comprehensive reports from customized check lists and share them with their clients via email. All of this can be done at the touch of a button from a mobile device, further reducing the time and cost of producing the essential report. Property managers no longer need to be their clients’ eyes either with the right property inspection app, as they can take photos and videos that can be attached to the report and sent off instantly. The result is a detailed, accurate report which adheres to state and national legislation in a timely manner.
