Should I go visit my rental unit?

[Tony H.]

Hi BP, Its been a while since I posted here. I have been learning a lot from all of you. :) Here is what bothers me now. I bought a duplex in Sacramento 6 months ago. Since we put a new tenant in on the unit (the other was a inherited tenant), I never had to go there and ‘check’ if everything is okay. There were a couple calls in the last 6 months, one for fence repair which was done by my other tenant who is pretty handy, and the other was plugged sewer which I had a plumber took care of it. I didnt go there for these two events since I figured I wouldnt be able to do anything anyway. Other than that, no calls. All peace and quiet. Its been 6 months since I visited the units. I understand tenants want privacy. I drove past by the duplex few days ago, everything look Christmasy with the decorations. What is a good “excuse” for me to tell them so I can visit and look the inside? They are good people, i dont believe they would trash the place. But who knows?! People change. Thanks BP!

[Thomas S.]

You are the owner, you do not need a excuse to take care of your property. You should be inspecting every 3 months and every time you have a reason/call from tenants for repair issues. 

Change filters, test smoke alarms, check for any type of small water leak. You make it clear when interviewing applicants that you are a pro active owner and will be inspecting for these issues on a regular bases to insure your tenant has no hidden problems.

There is no reason for a investor to neglect their investment due to respecting a tenants privacy. Tenants have no right to expect uninterrupted privacy when renting someone else's property. That is illogical thinking. Privacy comes with home ownership.