Most Australians will rent a home at some point in their lives and, if you do, it’s inevitable that you’re going to experience a rental inspection … or several.
Rental inspections can cause tenants a lot of unnecessary stress simply because many people don’t know what to expect or what’s expected of them.
Here are a few easy ways to prepare for your rental inspection, so you pass with flying colours and score another year on your lease.
1. Start preparing early
Landlords and agents are required by law to provide at least 24 hours notice before an inspection but most will give you at least a weeks notice.
As soon as you know when your rental inspection is booked in, start to do little things to prepare for it. Clean the shower one day, sweep the front porch another.
It’s much easier to clean incrementally, rather than spend an entire evening exhausting yourself scrubbing the place from top to bottom.
2.Hide your pets
Rental inspections can be very stressful for pets, especially if you’re not present while the landlord or agent is there.
Arrange for your pets to visit a friend or family member for the day and save them the stress of having strangers trampling around inside their house.
3. List issues to discuss
Rental inspections aren’t only for the benefit of the landlord, they’re also an excellent opportunity for you to let them know about any ongoing maintenance problems that you have that are not your responsibility.
For example, if the toilet keeps blocking or if there’s a dodgy light fitting that keeps blowing light bulbs – these are structural problems that need be taken care of by the landlord and as a tenant it’s your responsibility to inform of them of these issue.
However if you smash a window because you were playing indoor football, that’s your responsibility.
4. Clean properly
If you like where you live, you’re happy with the rent and the landlords are practically non-existent (dream renter’s scenario) then you should be doing everything within your power to stay there – which means doing a brilliant cleaning job on the property you’re renting.
This means scrubbing in the corners of the shower screen, giving all the windows a good clean, spot cleaning the carpets and maintaining the garden.
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