How Important Are Property Visits

Well documented property visits are vital.  Managing a property is not just about collecting the rent and arranging repairs.  It is about helping and educating tenants on how to look after the property and reacting quickly when repairs are needed.  Documenting issues and the advice given during the visit is also needed.

Why is this so important?  When a tenant leaves and the check-out report shows that they haven't returned it up to the same standard that it was handed over to them the property visit report will document how the property has been kept during their tenancy.  This can mean the difference between a landlord winning a deposit dispute and not winning.

I recently helped a self-managing landlord win the full deposit back as they had evidence of good communication between the landlord and the tenants, there was a detailed and signed independent inventory, a checkout report and property visit report showing that the tenants had been given advice and opportunities to sort issues during their tenancy and chose not to.

Agents using good software and having a proactive approach is vital.  Tenants like having help to make sure they receive their deposit back in full.