Property inspection

You should check the condition of the property with your tenant when they start renting the property from you, in order to avoid problems later.

The residential tenancy agreement includes a property inspection report form where you can record the condition of various areas of the property and list any furniture or chattels. When the tenancy finishes, you can use the completed form to check the property has not been damaged. If damage is written down on an inspection form when a tenancy starts, then a tenant cannot be blamed for it at the tenancy’s end, and any new deliberate or careless damage is easily identified.

Both landlord and tenant should sign, date and keep a copy of this form.

Having a properly filled-in property inspection form as part of a written tenancy agreement can be very useful evidence if problems or disputes arise later on, or if a Tenancy Tribunal decision is asked for.

A note about P labs

Unfortunately, in a few cases, the property may have been used for illegal drug manufacture by previous tenants. Download our information sheet Rental properties used in the manufacture of methamphetamine (P), which explains what action landlords and tenants should take if they suspect a property has been used a P lab.