How often do you inspect/visit your rental properties?

[Richard Wetherby]

HI all, I'm new to Bigger Pockets and real estate investing and I love the site and have been a sponge for knowledge. I had my first general question and wanted to see the communities thoughts? My partner and I have one double unit house with the goal of buying more. My role beyond the financial investment is property management. I'm handy by trade, have worked for and been a general contractor and have all the tools for the job, whether it's my actual tools or connections for bigger projects or repairs. My question is, how often do you visit and inspect your properties personally, or have your property managers visit/inspect? I don't want to be intrusive but want to make sure our properties don't get run down or have a problem linger that maybe the tenant doesn't think is a big deal but I will want to address right away. This is my first forum post so I'm looking forward to the feedback! Thanks!

[Anthony Wick]

I do a drive by every couple of weeks. I live pretty close by so it's easy to drive by coming home from work. I put in my lease that I will be replacing the furnace filter, batteries for smoke detector/CO detector, and inspecting the unit every 6 months. Good excuse to enter the unit without seeming intrusive.