When can a landlord enter a property

[Andrew Junquet]

Just took over being landlord of a single property I rent out. I've had the same tenant for 4+ years and had to let the PM go because he kept doing things like losing her rent check. I called her today to introduce my self. I asked if there were any current issues and she brought up that the light/fan in the living room doesn't work at all. My question is how do I go about entering the property to take a look at it? Can I just call and give her a 24 hour notice or does it need to be a written notice? 

Thanks!

[Marcia Maynard]

The tenant can give you permission to enter their dwelling at any time and you can do so. Or you can serve legal notice to enter in accordance with the landlord-tenant laws for your jurisdiction and enter at a time of your choosing.

We rarely need to serve a notice to enter, because our tenants generally want us to do maintenance and repair as necessary and invite us in. I'd just ask your tenant... "When would be a good time for me to check out the light/fan in the living room?" Agree upon a time that works for both of you. Could be in an hour, could be next week.