Photos instead of inspection

Hi all,

Has this happened to you before? I have a property manager who when the time came for the inspection was told by the tenants that they forgot about it. So she changed the date. The next date came and they were at work. As they have a dog they advised her not to go in when they weren't there. She told them she'll accept photos instead of an inspection!

I'm still waiting to hear back from her as I told her to make a convenient time for both of them as I won't just accept photos. This is my first tenant. Is this normal with pets?

 

Thanks, it's actually in ACT.

 

I would not accept photos taken by the tenants.
They can choose what to show, and what to avoid.

 

ditto to the above.

In fact I would be more suspicious if a tenant suggested this instead of physical inspection.

 

Simple. Two options. Move out when we evict or we inspect. If they want the right to not have inspection they should have purchased the place. Not negotiable.

 

PMs do this too. This explains the unexpected disappointment one experiences when you see the state of your IPs lawn and garden when tenants vacate and you're faced with yet another makeover. After a few times the disappointment is still there but at least it's expected.

 

It's pretty poor, Tenants can omit stuff, photos can be very sneaky and miss things, you'd never know unless you were there in person (despite how comprehensive they might seem), that's why, IMPO, the whole notion about getting a Tenant to do their own inspection is a crock.

 

Like your style, Paul. Well said.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the PM wouldn't attend if there was a dog, probably a workplace policy if anything these days.

I've been asked to send photos by a PM before but I equally wondered why. If I was trying to hide anything I would.
The tenants might just be used to sending thier own photos to other PMs over the last couple of years and figured it was a new convenient norm rather than anything sinister.

One last thing is that some PMs dont offer anything more than to say they will be arriving on x day between 9am and 4pm.
Of course nobody is going to take an entire day off work to faciliate a five minite inspection, and if the dog is a problem for the PM then here you are.

 

One of mine just sent me an inspection report with photos taken by the tenant - they claimed they are doing this way because of covid. Covid is the excuse for most things these days.

 

Tenants are expected to secure or remove the Dog to allow access for inspections, and can be breached for unreasonably failing to provide access.

Many agents allowed self inspects under certain conditions (e.g. COVID) but it's really a last resort, and shouldn't be used if there's any suspicion of issues- I'd be very suspicious of this tenant based on what you've said about them rescheduling?

 

Speaking of dogs at inspections, what really ****** me off is when I arrive at a property for an inspection and there is a dog. The tenant says "Oh he's friendly and won't bite" while the thing is jumping on my pants. At that point I say "I'm allergic to dogs" and the tenant gets the message and takes the dog away.

I don't want dog hair on my pants. I don't want fleas on my pants or socks. I have a dog-free home and don't want to import hair or fleas into my home. I would like my clothes to be as clean as possible without having an inconsiderate pet owner let their dog jump on me.

Fortunately the above applies to a minority of tenants. Most tenants take their dogs and secure them either in the garage, a shed or the back yard.

 

They are actually doing mostly photo inspections in QLD at the moment. I think it was part of some REIQ guideline.

The agency I use had 3 employees (out 7) isolating last week due to Covid which makes it very hard to do on-site inspections.

 

FWIW I've just been contacted by the PM of the property I rent (NSW) asking me to provide photos and a report for the routine inspection via a website link I haven't looked at yet.
Somewhat of 'new norm' creeping in?

 

haha, send them an invoice first, if they pay, then do their job for them,

 

Tempting, but to be fair I'll oblige as this is a particularly good PM who has been exemplary throughout the tenancy so far so I'm happy to help out.

 

I am surprised at the amount of tenant blaming. It seems the agent is the one at fault. The agent is responsible for giving the correct notice, and carrying out the inspection. If the agent chose to accept the tenant's reasons then thats on the agent. If the agent told the tenant photos were fine, then that's on the agent. It seems the conflict is between the landlord, and the agent. As for photos, sure things can be hidden, just like when the property is advertised and not as it appears in the photos. It's a two way street. If the landlord insists on a physical routine inspection, then they should convey that to the agent. It sounds like it was the agent that said photos were acceptable. I certainly agree it was wrong for the tenants to not allow access the 2nd time, with the dog being there. But there has to be consequences for not complying, if correct notice was served. Sounds like the agent is the issue, and offered/accepted photos. IF the LL has an issue with that, take it up with the agent!