I have a rental unit that is rented in a complex and have received from the Property Manager a brochure re a Company offering a 'safety inspection' of the unit to identify existing or potential problems, thereby reducing possible tenant issues re compensation should they be injured in some way. Part of the brochure details "there is an increasing number of tenants bringing action against owners" and to my mind inferring with a 'no win no fee' situation any landlord could be up for some serious money should a tenant chose to make a fictitious claim. Personally I see no real threat of injuries at this stage from the premises, and the tenant or agent have not raised any issues. I am wondering if any members more experienced than I could suggest if this type of inspection (around $300.00) would be a desirable and practical so I may have peace of mind on this. Thank You and Warm Regards to everyone.
I have Landlord Insurance for cases when my tenant, their guest(s) or tradesperson injure themselves.
I have a feeling I know the 3rd party company you're referring to. If it's the one I'm thinking of it's not really worth the cash. The PM should be able to identify any visible issues that could potentially lead to a claim, whilst a PM isn't a building inspector they should be able to look for things and offer recommendations to fix said things if they're potentially a safety issue. The company I'm thinking of doesn't indemnify you should they miss something, or if they're wrong about a recommendation. It's also not a building inspection, and purely a visual inspection without doing a whole lot more than a PM would (should?) do at a routine inspection. I'd keep your money, but take recommendations for repairs that could be a safety issue seriously when notified.
Thank you everyone for your prompt replies and the comments - much appreciated I will not go any further on this matter
Seeing this more and more in larger complexes. As part of their insurance, a company comes in at great cost to "identify" potential risks area's Really, someone could climb up on the railing and fall WOW, then how do we make everything IDIOT PROOF
Reminds me of another plot... I forgot the details but basically to pay for some money in case we get audited.... That aside, The whole WH&S in this country is getting crazy. Managing Tenants is also becoming too hard for some Owners to the point that they are selling.......Sigh!
I think some agents are pushing this agenda. Where is the ingoing inspection report? I think the purpose of the Inspection report is to highlight any issues, or am I missing something? I hope this helps
I wouldn't do it as you should be able to or your PM should be identify any potential issues. For the safety inspection they might look at the absolute worst case situation and if they identify an issue which you don't fix then where does that leave you if the event happens? One of the steps on one of our IP is slightly higher then it is meant to be, possible solutions could be anything from replacing the whole set of stairs, to putting another step in, painting the step but from the building inspection and building codes reports it doesn't need to be addressed as it is just a residential house. If it was an apartment building we would only need to highlight the bottom step to make it visible.
As a Property Manager, these safety inspections are a fantastic way to reduce liability on our businesses by having a qualified professional inspect the condition of the property. We are not tradespeople but we are expected to identify safety issues that may be outside our scope of knowledge. There has been talk for some time of legislating it as well. That being said, there is currently no expectation that these inspections are to be carried out and it's already expensive enough to be a property owner. It is my opinion that a dedicated and experienced Property Manager should be able to pick up 90% of safety issues and adequately indemnify their agency and client against these risks through best practice. The remainder should be covered by the agent and landlords insurances. I don't recommend these inspections to any of my clients.
Tom, if these inspections are a fantastic way to reduce liability on your business, what percentage of the the inspection bill are you covering to assist the owner or the owners corporation?
I just watched Utopia... safety inspection episode and thought of this thread... Sort of OTT, but not really compared to some of the safety advice you see or read about.
Valid point, but keep in mind reduced liability for us is reduced liability for you. Also, if we were to have to pay for these inspections, the cost would inevitably be passed onto the client in one way or another.
And the percentage of the bill reducing the liability to your business passed on to the owner or the owners corporation would be? A round about amount will do.
