Inspections By Property Managers During COVID-19

The coronavirus has caused havoc throughout the world and there is no doubt it will only get worse if people are not following the guidelines of caution.

Even though the virus pandemic is still going strong, the rental market still continues while property management services are trying their best. There are still tenants that are moving in and out of homes, and the landlords are ready to fill their homes fast before the new lockdown takes place.

Open for inspections are only for a private appointment

The open for inspections within large groups has been ceased for now. Across the country, there are agencies that are uploading virtual tours or are conducting inspections via the private appointment of one person only with great agent fees for property management to continue reaching the public.

The website realestate.com.au has a digital inspection tool where the agents can upload tours of the homes. There is a new option were you can book a private inspection for a home, and 70% of rental listings will now come with this option.
For the private inspections, the ones who are inspecting the property must not have any signs of the virus-like a cough, sore throat, shortness of breath and fever. All parties need to practise hand hygiene before they enter the property, such as sanitising their hands.

Agents need to have hand sanitiser on hand for the tenants who are visiting and make sure they are not touching any fitting or fixtures and make sure everyone is sticking to the distancing rule of 1.5m.

The occupants of the house must not be at the home while the inspections are taking place. The tenants are required to tell the property manager if they are feeling sick, so the inspection can be postponed.

It is also important that the agent writes down the details of those people who inspect the property such as the time, date, number, email, and name in case there is an outbreak.
The routine inspections that are carried out by the property manager or the landlord can legally still occur. Still, the majority of agencies have gone towards virtual inspections where the tenant sends in a video of the property. If there is a good reason for a physical inspection to take place, then caution is advised for the tenants and the inspectors that are visiting.
Both of the parties must not have any symptoms of the COVID-19, and again the tenant must not be in the house during the inspection.

Tenants must still get the normal notice of inspection to take place, and the agents will need to get in contact with the tenant before the inspection occurs to make sure it is safe to enter the property.

Repairs and maintenance

Tenants will need to continue reporting any maintenance and repair problems to their property manager as they occur.
Emergency maintenance and repairs will continue to proceed, but if something is not classed as important, it is advised to revisit the problem once the pandemic has claimed right down.
It is important that we limit the risk and spread of the tenants and tradespeople from becoming infected. If we all do the right thing, we can stop the spread of the virus and hopefully the rental industry and can get back to normal with rental inspections getting back to the way they were before making it easier on the tenant, the property manager and the landlord.