Annual Rental Property Inspection

Pull the lease and floor plan to verify how many bedrooms the unit actually has — den or bonus rooms used as bedrooms by the tenant should be inspected as bedrooms. The selection here drives which bedroom sections the checklist shows.

Mark Yes for any private garage, deck, patio, yard, or driveway the tenant maintains. Shared common areas in a multifamily building are inspected separately and are not in scope here.

Most state landlord-tenant acts require 24 to 48 hours of advance written notice before entering an occupied unit for a non-emergency inspection. Send via the lease's notice-of-record method (email, text, or posted notice per the lease) and save a copy in the tenant file. Skipping this step is the most common reason an annual inspection becomes a habitability dispute.

Look for water staining on the ceiling (roof or upstairs unit leaks), nail pops and drywall damage on walls, and carpet wear or hard-floor damage that exceeds normal wear and tear. Photograph anything that may need to be charged at move-out.

Operate every window — sashes should open, lock, and stay open without props. Confirm the deadbolt and any secondary locks function. A non-locking entry door is a habitability issue and should be ticketed for same-week repair.

Press the test button until the alarm sounds. Replace the 9V battery regardless of remaining charge — annual replacement is the standard. Detectors older than 10 years (check the manufacture date on the back) must be replaced entirely; sealed 10-year units are now required at turnover in many states.

Pull anything stored under the sink and look for active drips, water staining on the cabinet base, or warped particleboard. Slow drips at the P-trap or supply lines are the single most common kitchen finding and are cheap to fix before they become a base-cabinet replacement.

Light each burner, turn the oven to 350°F, and run the hood fan and light. A non-functioning hood that vents into the unit (rather than outside) is common in older buildings — note it as a ventilation deficiency.

Kitchens with gas appliances or attached garages require a working CO detector within 10 feet of any sleeping area in most state codes. Test both alarm types, replace batteries, and log the test in the tenant file.

Bedroom windows are egress windows in most jurisdictions — they must open fully without tools. A painted-shut or stuck bedroom window is a fire-code violation, not a cosmetic issue.

State codes require a working smoke detector inside every sleeping room. A missing or disabled bedroom detector is the most-cited finding in HUD HQS and Section 8 inspections.

Look closely at the ceiling for staining (sign of a leak from above) and at corners and behind the toilet for active mold. Visible mold in a bathroom is a habitability defense in most states and needs to be ticketed for remediation, not painted over.

Run hot and cold at every fixture for at least 30 seconds. Confirm hot water arrives within a reasonable time and that the shower diverter holds. Check under the sink for active drips while water runs.

The exhaust fan should pull a tissue against the grille. Failed grout and caulking at the tub-wall joint are the most common moisture-intrusion finding — re-caulk before water gets behind the surround and rots the framing.

Efflorescence (white mineral staining on the foundation), darkened drywall along the bottom plate, or a musty smell all point to chronic water intrusion. Note the suspected source — grading, gutters, or a foundation crack — so the work order goes to the right vendor.

Pour a bucket of water into the sump pit until the float trips and the pump runs. Confirm the discharge runs outside, not back into the foundation. Pour water down floor drains to verify the trap holds and isn't dry (dry traps let sewer gas into the unit).

Note the water heater's manufacture date — units over 10 years should be on the capex replacement list. Check the T&P relief valve discharge pipe is correctly routed and look for corrosion or active drips at supply unions.

Place a 2x4 flat on the floor in the door's path and close the door — federal UL 325 standards require the door to reverse on contact. A failed auto-reverse is a personal-injury liability and needs same-week service.

Probe deck boards and railings for soft spots and confirm railings don't move when pushed. Deck-collapse claims are common and largely preventable with annual inspection of the ledger board and post connections.

Multifamily common-area extinguishers need an annual licensed inspection tag (NFPA 10). Check the gauge is in the green and the inspection sticker is current; expired tags fail fire-marshal walkthroughs.

Attic check is for roof-leak staining on the underside of the decking, daylight visible at the eaves, and rodent activity. Stairs must have a continuous handrail and uniform riser height — a missing handrail is a slip-and-fall liability.

Save the signed report and all photos to the tenant file in AppFolio, Buildium, or Yardi. Open work orders for any habitability findings the same day — under most state warranty-of-habitability rules, the clock on the landlord's repair obligation starts when the manager has notice, including notice from their own inspection.