Renters’ Rights Act inspections warning for landlords

Landlords preparing for the Renters’ Rights Act may need to rethink how they keep track of property condition once fixed-term tenancies disappear, research reveals.

The findings from Inventory Base suggest many landlords plan only limited inspections after the shift to indefinite periodic tenancies.

The survey of 800 landlords indicates that 46% expect to inspect their properties no more than once a year when the legislation takes effect on 1 May.

Among those landlords, 26% say they will carry out annual inspections while 3% intend to inspect less than once per year.

Another 18% say they will only visit the property when tenants report a problem.

Regular checks needed

The firm’s operations director, Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, said: “As the Renters’ Rights Act reshapes the private rental sector, landlords and agents will need to move beyond treating inspections as isolated reports and start building a continuous understanding of how their properties perform over time.

“With indefinite periodic tenancies replacing fixed terms, many properties may remain occupied for much longer without the traditional reset point that previously came with a new tenancy.

“That means property management can no longer rely on occasional snapshots of condition.”

She added: “What landlords and agents will increasingly need is property intelligence — the continuous insight gained from HHSRS assessments, inspections, inventories and habitability checks throughout the life of a tenancy.”

Capture property condition

The end of fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies also means the end of renewal points that prompted landlords to check the property’s condition.

Inventory and check-out reports captured the condition of a property at defined moments, allowing comparisons when a tenancy ended.

Alongside those records, interim inspections have long been part of routine management.

It has been common practice to inspect around three months after move-in and then every three to six months.

Rely on record keeping

Without fixed-term milestones, monitoring property condition will rely more on records gathered throughout the life of the tenancy.

Regulators, adjudicators and local authorities may examine those records when disputes or complaints arise.

Inspection notes, maintenance actions and documented decisions can all form part of the evidence.

Inventory Base is now promoting what it describes as a lifecycle evidence approach to property management.

Lifecycle evidence approach

The idea centres on continuous records documenting property condition, management decisions and maintenance activity throughout the tenancy.

Inspections form part of that record, rather than standing alone as individual reports.

The firm says that a structured tenancy lifecycle allows landlords to demonstrate that a property was safe at the start.

Also, risks were monitored during occupation, hazards were addressed and the property was restored to the required standard before it is let again.