Before you leave the office, make sure;

• you have all keys for all properties. Best practice is to get these ready 1-2 days prior so if the key is out with a trade, there is an opportunity to follow up with them or call the tenant to check if they will be home. (reception will generally get the keys ready the Friday before the next week)

• the inspections are listed under your name in Inspection Manager. If they aren't, you won't be able to access the pending inspection on the app.

The code to access key number for the property on the Inspection Manager app is:    5067

  What should you be aware of:

• Unless you have permission from the tenant, do not take photos of personal belongings.

• if the tenant refuses you entry or says they weren't aware of the inspection, you can't force your way in. You'll need to reschedule another time.

• An inspection should take between 15 & 30 minutes, but this would depend on the size of the property.   The larger the property, the longer it should take or a small one bedroom apartment may only take a few minutes.

• If, at any time, you feel unsafe in a property, leave immediately.

• If there are any unrestrained pets in the yard, you are not expected to go outside if you feel it isn’t safe to do so.   Make sure you have made comment of this on your report.

• Keys don’t work.   Don't ignore this. Call the tenant from the property - they may be home and not heard you knock. If you can't access the property, let the Property Manager know immediately and make note of the reason you were unable to gain access.

• You see an emergency situation (ie burst pipe, leaking hot water service or smell gas) and the tenant isn't home, call the Property Manager immediately to action.

• Make sure that, if you report a maintenance issue, a photo is also taken.

• If there is a maintenance issue which has transferred across from the previous report, check to see if it has been repaired and if so, remove the comment.   If you are unable to tell if the issue has been repaired, add a comment next to the reported issue – PM to check.

• Make sure you add comments for each room instead of just taking photos, even if it is to say “clean & tidy” or “no concerns noted”.

• Ensure the photos you are taking are close to the item e.g. sinks & wet areas as it is difficult to see anything clearly from a photo taken too far away.

• Take a photo of the inspection card you leave at the property and add this to the report so the PM can see what feedback has been given to the tenants.

• If you have sent out a TAI, follow it up with the tenant if it has not been returned within 48 hours.   If it is not returned within 72 hours, schedule a date for the inspection to be done in person.

Completing your report

The report should be reviewed before moving onto the next inspection.

Check:

1.       There are no spelling or grammatical errors

2.        All text boxes on page 1 have been filled in – no box is to be left blank.

3.        Any maintenance to be carried out by the landlord is noted under “urgent maintenance” and also in the comments section, supported by a photo/video of the issue

4. Recommended maintenance is for things like painting required end of tenancy or carpets are looking due for replacement etc.

5.        Any maintenance from the previous report which has been completed, is removed from the comments box

6.        All condition & action icons are highlighted correctly

7.      There has been a comment made for each area of the report, not left blank.  Even if just clean & tidy.

8.      All photos are taken in portrait

9. Sync the report once completed.

Editing the report

If you need to wait until you are back at the office to edit a particular report, this can be done from Inspection Manager CMS.

Step 1: Log onto Inspection Manager and search the property address.

Step 2: Click on "View Report" on the right hand side of the property details.

Step 3: While the inspection report is open, click on "Edit" at the top of the screen.

Step 4: Make any changes you need to the report.   You can also use the highlight option (blue pencil symbol at top of the report) if you want the Property Manager or Owner alerted to any particular comment/issue

Step 5: Click on "Done" (green symbol at the top of the report) to finalise.