Rental inspections are crucial
No matter how responsible you are, inspections are an inescapable – and important – part of the rental experience.
If you’re renting a property, either as a tenant or a landlord, you should be quite familiar with the concept of incoming and outgoing inspections.
They are, after all, a legal requirement of the Rental Housing Act.
Despite this, many people consider inspections to be a formality at most. Jacqui Savage, the Rawson Property Group’s National Rentals development manager explained that this could be a very dangerous stance.
“The incoming inspection with a new tenant forms the foundation of the relationship between the landlord, tenant and agent,” she said. “It’s not just about making sure everyone knows which skirtings are dented and where that cracked tile is, it is also about laying down rules and expectations for the rental period and establishing a level of trust.”
Tenants must be present for the incoming inspection or they can legally forfeit their right to contest repair costs deducted from their deposit when they move out, said Savage.
“It is equally important for the landlord or their appointed representative to show up because they also forfeit their right to claim for future repairs if they fail to appear.”
The reason behind this rule is logical: if a tenant doesn’t attend the inspection, they can not prove they didn’t cause the damage in question.
If a landlord or rental agent doesn’t attend, they cannot prove that the damage wasn’t already there when the tenant moved in.
Meticulously recorded incoming and outgoing inspections put an end to disagreements such as these, but they need to be thorough to be effective.
While some tenants may not find the prospect of additional inspections appealing, they can actually be quite useful, particularly towards the end of a lease.
“Interim inspections can highlight issues that will crop up in the outgoing inspection, giving tenants the chance to attend to things themselves rather than have the cost deducted from their deposit later on,” said Savage.
No matter how responsible you are, inspections are an inescapable, and important, part of the rental experience.
They are also the best way to protect tenant and landlord interests, and ensure fair treatment for everyone at the end of the day.
Become a member of our WhatsApp community by sending your name and surname to 079 439 5345.
