Tips for your next rental inspection 

Preparing for a rental inspection should not be stressful.

A routine inspection is not a housework inspection; the property manager or landlord inspecting the property appreciate that people are living there, so if your bed isn't made or your breakfast dishes are still in the sink, they won't be too concerned.

The main aim of a rental inspection is to ensure the property is well cared for and to check if there is any routine maintenance that needs to be attended to, or if there are any health and safety issues.

What’s important

• General tidiness and cleanliness of the property, with the understanding that this is your home and you are living there. It doesn’t have to look like a show home!
• Gardens should be tidy, edged, weeded and rubbish free.
• Evidence of any breach of the lease agreement. For example, any extra people or pets residing at the property without consent, or evidence of any illegal activity at the property.
• Identifying any maintenance issues or any damage to the property.
• Any deterioration of the property that may become a potential hazard, such as cracking walls or ceilings, trip hazards, loose balcony railings, overgrown trees, state of gutters and downpipes that the owner may be required to attend to.

Inspections can be a great catalyst for having a good tidy to stay on top of the bigger cleaning jobs. This also makes it more manageable when it comes to your end-of-tenancy clean.

The condition of the property should be as close as possible to what it was when you moved in, allowing for some wear and tear. 

But the main point is – don't stress. Good tenants who take care of a property should not have any issues from their rental inspections.