How Many Routine Inspections Should You Perform a Year?
Find out how often you should be performing routine inspections on your property to ensure its being well maintained.
We'll help you determine how frequently you should perform routine inspections on your property to keep things running smoothly without wasting time on unnecessary inspections.
To maintain your property at its best and confirm it’s being looked after by your tenants, you’ll need to perform routine inspections from time to time. This will help to ensure that everything is working properly and prevent any problems from popping up in the future.
Some property management companies try to do too many inspections every year, wasting both their own time and the owners’ money so the question is, how many routine inspections should you do per year?
How many times a year should you perform routine inspections on your property?
Depending on what metric you use, the answer can be different. There are rules about how many inspections you can conduct throughout the year and what you can and cannot do when entering a property, but the rules vary from state to state.
As far as law is concerned, you must adhere to the following rules set out by the governing bodies in each state.
NSW
You can inspect the property 4 times a year and at least 7 days’ written notice is required.
Find more information about the inspections and notice periods here.
VIC
You can inspect the property every 6 months (but not within the first 3 months of the lease) and 7 days’ written notice is required.
Find more information about inspections and notice periods here.
QLD
You can inspect the property every 3 months unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Find more information about inspections and notice periods here.
SA
You can inspect the property no more than once every 4 weeks with 7-14 days’ written notice.
Find more information about inspections and notice periods here.
WA
You can inspect the property up to 4 times per year with 7-14 days written notice.
Find more information about inspections and notice periods here.
TAS
You can inspect the property once every 3 months (as well as an initial inspection during the first month) with 24 hours notice given to the tenant.
Find more information about inspections and notice periods here.
ACT
You can inspect the property twice a year as well as an inspection during the first and last month of the tenancy and 1 weeks' written notice is required.
Find more information about inspections and notice periods here.
NT
You can inspect the property once every 3 months unless otherwise specified in the tenancy agreement and at least 7 days notice is required.
Find more information about inspections and notice periods here.
Inspecting more often is better, right?
In reality, just because you can do an inspection once a month doesn’t mean that you should. There’s a fine balance between ensuring your property is being looked after and disrupting the life of your tenant.
Tenants have the right to reasonable peace, comfort and privacy when renting a property so how many times is optimal or enough to ensure things are maintained?
Generally, we recommend that routine inspections be performed twice a year in order to maintain the property, ensure it is well cared for and keep the balance and relationship right with your tenant.
Keeping your property in tip-top shape is a natural instinct, but it's important to avoid becoming an 'overbearing parent', so if you follow a two-yearly schedule, you'll ensure a good standard of living for your tenants and keep your property in good condition.
Accessing and Inspecting the Property
You should always adhere to the laws around notice periods and get acknowledgement from your tenant before you enter the property. As long as you have given the required amount of notice, tenants cannot deny or hinder your entry.
It is also not necessary for them to be present for you to enter the property, but they may stay if they wish and it may help avoid any disputes. It is in the best interests of the tenant and landlord to cooperate as much as possible when organising and carrying out the inspection.
The person inspecting the property should be aware that people live there; a routine inspection should not be treated like a housework inspection.
Inspecting for these specific things will help you identify problems:
- Check for any water leaks, evidence of pests, damage or deterioration to the property
- Ensure any inclusions and property fixtures are working
- Look at any future maintenance items that may need to be addressed
See our full guide to Routine Property Inspections here.
The inspection is also a chance to speak to the tenant about any issues they have or ways to improve the property. Sometimes tenants are afraid to ask their landlord for repairs for fear of having their rent increased or being evicted from the property. The inspection is a good opportunity to have these open conversations.
Book your Routine Inspections on RentBetter.
Don’t have time to do the inspections yourself? Not located near your property? No worries! You can book a professional to complete the inspections for you on RentBetter.
For just $159, RentBetter will send a qualified inspector to carry out the inspection of your property.
This is a great option as our experts are experienced in carrying out inspections and know exactly what to look for, especially when it comes to spotting maintenance issues that can be easily missed.
Stay on top of things by having your property inspected twice a year by a professional. Find out how you can book your Routine Inspections on RentBetter below.
