Do You Offer an Apartment Inspection?

The majority of a home inspector’s work is for residential buyers or owners. But a rental apartment inspection could be the profitable niche that helps build your business.

Renters have the same health and safety needs as buyers, even if the financial investment isn’t long term. And because a general home inspection isn’t invasive, there’s no reason why the landlord should have a problem with it.

A Rental Apartment Inspection Protects the Tenant

As with any real estate inspection, an apartment inspection benefits your customer. In this case, it’s the tenant who gets information about material defects in the property. But where a pre-sale inspection gives customers the information they need to make a buying decision, an apartment inspection could also help protect tenants against liability in the long run.

Every renter should do a walk-through with a checklist, taking photos throughout the apartment. That way, carpet stains or marks on the walls that were there at move-in won’t be held against them when it’s time to move out.

With an apartment inspection performed by a home inspector, renters get more protection against potentially bigger landlord claims. If the HVAC system is on its last legs, there’s plumbing leak, a window is cracked or any of the major appliances don’t work properly, the inspection report will give the renter a better shot at avoiding claims against the rental deposit or a small claims lawsuit.

Real Estate Agents Say Pre-Rental Inspections are Growing

Apartment inspections are already a thing, according to several real estate professionals at Zillow. Especially in major cities where most of the population lives in a multi-unit building, inspectors have plenty of work to keep them busy. But unit inspections aren’t just for city dwellers.

FHA inspector, Will Handley, reminds that landlords may try to hold tenants responsible for damage that was actually there at move in. Agent Jim Trueblood agrees that for tenants, “It is a great idea, especially if you plan on staying there for a longer term.”

Some agents disagree, saying that if there’s a problem, the landlord would fix it. But that defeats the purpose of proving the unit’s habitability before moving in. It also puts the tenant at risk of liability for damage that was already there.

You’ll Need Landlord Permission

Unlike a pre-sale home inspection, which is expected, you’ll probably need permission from the landlord before taking the job. You could inspect the unit after the renter moves in, but committing the property defects to a report before the tenant takes possession is part of what protects them.

Once a lease is signed, it’s not easy to cancel. In some cases, the tenant might have to battle the landlord in court to vacate the lease without liability. With an apartment inspection report in hand, customers can make the decision to rent or not on the front end instead of deciding whether or not to move out once the contract is signed.

You might meet with some landlord resistance. But that’s an opportunity to sell the benefits of your service. Think about creating a marketing package just for apartment inspections. And don’t forget to blog about it, add informational landing pages on your website and talk about it on social media.

An apartment inspection boils down to the same thing as a home inspection: protecting the customer. Too many tenants get burned every year when they move into a unit that’s unhealthy or unsafe. And far too many are held responsible for defects that they didn’t cause. An inspection can’t prevent those things from happening. But it can help your customers make better-informed decisions.

The more your inspection business grows, the more you’ll need efficient, easy-to-use home inspection reporting software. Fortunately, that’s exactly what you get with Report Form Pro.

Our mobile app lets you log inspection results on the fly using your mobile device and send the report from anywhere you have a signal. Get yours at the Apple App Store or download the app for Android.