Home Inspection Guidelines for Self-Managers in St. Louis

There are several different types of inspections you will have to do when you manage ...

There are several different types of inspections you will have to do when you manage your own St. Louis rental property. Today, we’re explaining what those are and how to prepare for them.

First, determine whether your municipality requires an occupancy inspection. If so, that needs to be ordered as soon as possible because it can sometimes take up to six weeks to get an inspector out to your St. Louis house. All of the required repairs will need to be completed before a tenant can move in.

When you have a St. Louis tenant ready to move in, you need to get together for a move-in inspection. At this point, it’s good to walk through the home and take photos that will document the condition of everything. Go through a move-in inspection checklist with the tenants. When the inspection is over, it’s important that you sign that inspection report and have your tenants sign it as well. Record the photos so you have documentation. Then at the end of the tenancy, you’ll need to go into the property and do a move-out inspection.

After that inspection, you’ll need to compare the difference in the property condition at move-in and move-out. This will help you determine how much you’ll deduct from the security deposit that you collected from the tenant. In most cases, you have 30 days after the completion of the lease to return that deposit.