Periodic inspections of units for maint/damage - How often?

[J. Martin]

How often are you performing inspections of your units to ensure nothing is damaged, no leaks, etc.. Any formal schedule? Or just here and there when you are already there? 

I don't have a formal inspection policy or process right now, but have my handyman look around and report back to me when he goes in to fix anything. I want the tenants to feel like the house/apt is their home, and try to not to go inside their unit when not necessary. But have been considering more formal periodic inspections. I'd like to find the balance of not bothering people too much, and keeping up on what is going on with the condition of the unit.

Having been a renter for my whole life, and knowing a LOT of people who rent, I've never experienced, and never heard of a landlord doing frequent, regular inspections. I'm going to ask around, but I really think it would making living there a PITA if it were too frequent. So I'm thinking quarterly would be viewed as generally acceptable in my area, even though it is not a common practice in my experience.

I'm probably going to phrase the inspections as geared towards identifying any potential leaks (pipes, windows), moisture issues, etc, to protect the tenant's home, and ensure it stays safe and healthy for them and their family. Rather than making sure they haven't damaged anything.. Maybe quarterly.

"I'm looking over your shoulder, but only because I got your back" lol

Thoughts?

This came up in another thread , where @Joel Owens jumped in about performing regular inspections, but I didn't want to hijack the thread..  I searched the forums and couldn't find anything. (But maybe wasn't searching correctly.)

@Marcia Maynard , @Elizabeth Colegrove , I won't even ask! lol