We cannot stress enough the importance of carrying out periodic (planned) visits throughout each tenancy to assess your property is in the expected condition internally and externally and to ensure that the tenants are abiding by the terms of the agreement.

If not we fully recommend you do….a visit is an ideal opportunity for:

Reactive/pre-emptive maintenance

Spotting maintenance issues early can often reduce costs of repair, it is not always the case that you can rely on the tenant to raise maintenance issues. Therefore time should be spent assessing the property externally and internally and to know what to look out for. For example, the gutters: there may not be any water ingress internally, however, should plant growth be noticed in the gutters, this should be removed in order to prevent the possibility of rainwater overflowing and causing an internal leak.

Planned maintenance

A visit is a great opportunity to identify any potential improvements (tax deductible) that will enhance the property. This not only keeps the property to a high standard but also provides an opportunity to increase the rent in the future and the overall value of the property as a fixed asset.

Set the scene early on:

In our Rosewood managed properties we may carry out visits in the early stages of the tenancy to nip in the bud any early concerns that may be noticeable and then plan a future visit in another 6-7 months in line with whatever we have agreed with the landlord at the start.  After each visit we prepare a full report (including photographs) for both the landlord and tenant. This is also a great opportunity to identify early on if there might be an issue with deposit return at the end, no surprises.