You’re an SE1 landlord, new to renting out property in London Bridge, Bermondsey or Borough. Your tenants have moved in and everything seems fine but you’re wondering ‘what happens now?’. Should you be checking in on them? Should you be worried about how well they’re looking after the place? What if something has gone wrong and you don’t find out until it’s too late and costly damage has occurred?
The answer to your concerns is regular visits to the property armed with your UK landlord property inspection checklist. Property inspections are a necessary part of being a landlord – and you must take a methodical approach. But they can also be tricky, as you balance your tenants’ legally-enshrined right to ‘quiet enjoyment’ of the property against your responsibility to properly maintain it.
We delve into landlord inspections to explain when you can carry one out – and when you can’t – and what should be on your all-important landlord property inspection checklist.
Being a landlord in London can be confusing. There are over 170 Acts & Regulations to consider, so, how do you know if you are compliant?
As a landlord, one of the most significant risks of renting your property out is that your tenants cause damage. Direct Line report that 28% of landlords have experienced it, while 29% have had tenants who do not report a maintenance problem.
While you should expect certain levels of wear and tear, regular inspections will help you uncover more serious damage, and identify issues before they gradually become worse and more expensive to repair. You can also check how the tenants are treating the property, and look for signs of smoking or pets in the property.
Regular inspections also enable you to build a rapport with your tenants, making you more approachable if they do have any property issues to report.
There are other benefits of regular property inspections too – not least, meeting your responsibilities. Your buy-to-let mortgage and insurance company likely stipulate that you must carry out regular inspections to check on the property. Inspections also help you stay compliant with regulations, ensuring that the living conditions you provide meet the required standards in the Fitness for Human Habitation Act 2018 – and avoiding fines of up to £30,000.
There are no legal rules for how often a UK landlord can inspect a property. You can’t visit too often, as it could be seen as harassment. But leave it too long between visits, and you could miss a potential issue with the home.
Once your tenants have moved in, the National Residential Landlords Association suggests you schedule a visit a month later to check that everything is going well and there are no problems.
After that, quarterly visits are about right. Anything more frequent, such as monthly inspections, could be seen as intrusive. If your tenants stay in the property long term, without any problems, you could adjust how often you inspect and drop this to every six months. The visits aren’t just about checking on the place. They are also about building a good relationship with your tenants, which is vital if you want them to stay on.
The notice should be given in writing – email or text message is fine. The key thing is that you give your tenants at least 24 hours’ written notice before entering the property – and they should give permission. The visit should be at a reasonable time of day and you should never just turn up on the off-chance. You certainly shouldn’t be sneaking in when they’ve gone out.
Ideally, give more notice: While 24 hours is the minimum, giving more notice is the best practice as it allows your tenants time to make arrangements – if they need to change their working pattern, for example. Another option is to set out a schedule of visits when your tenants move in as part of their tenancy agreement.
Remember, tenants can refuse access: Your tenants have the right to refuse access to the property unless there is an emergency such as a fire, smell of gas or structural problem that affects their safety. In these cases, you can enter the property without permission.
But what happens if you can’t enter the property?: If your tenant says the visit is inconvenient, try to be as flexible as possible about rearranging. Ultimately, if the tenant refuses to agree to let you access the property, there isn’t much you can do. However, you may wish to consider asking them to leave the property after the fixed period of their tenancy is over, using a Section 21 eviction notice – but keep an eye on changes in the law that may affect this.
Want to be a more informed landlord? Inspections are a good time to check smoke alarms and confirm whether PAT testing is a legal requirement for your property.
Landlords are not allowed to do random inspections without permission – under The Housing Act 1988, it is illegal for a landlord to inspect their rental property without providing at least 24 hours’ notice unless it is an emergency. However, landlords can inspect the property without the tenant present. As long as the correct process has been followed, the landlord and tenant can make arrangements for the landlord to inspect the property while the tenant is out if that suits both parties.
On the day, work through your landlord inspection checklist. You can take photos during the inspection as a visual record, and in fact it’s wise to do so. In this way it is complementary to your landlord inventory. If you’re wondering what exactly should be on your landlord property inspection checklist UK, the areas to focus on include:
There are numerous compliance and health and safety checks that you should cover when you do your inspections on your rental property.
Keep records ready for when you eventually serve notice to end a tenancy and need to resolve deposit protection at the end.
As part of our complete property management services, we conduct regular checks on your property and ensure that any maintenance issues are dealt with promptly to protect the value of your asset. Find out more about our property management service., and contact us for more advice about how to be a landlord in SE London.
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Lee Whitelock
Director
Being a landlord in London can be confusing. How do you make sure you are compliant?