Property Management in Ontario
Landlords have the right under Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act to inspect their rental units with 24 hours' written notice. Regular inspections protect the property, support tenant relations, and identify maintenance issues early.
Annual comprehensive inspection is the minimum frequency for most landlords. A full inspection covers all rooms, mechanical systems visible to the landlord, exterior condition, and appliances. Document with photographs and a standardized form.
Key Responsibilities and Best Practices
Semi-annual inspection adds a mid-year check, typically in spring and fall. These seasonal inspections are aligned with seasonal maintenance triggers: spring checks post-winter damage; fall checks pre-winter preparation.
Seasonal exterior inspections check roof visible from ground, eavestroughs, windows, doors, foundation, and walkways. These can be done without tenant access, providing additional condition information between interior inspections.
How D&D Property Management Helps
Inspection documentation matters for multiple purposes: identifying maintenance needs, tracking property condition over time, and creating records that support any future dispute about property condition.
Tenant relationship management during inspections affects the quality of information you receive. Approaching inspections as a cooperative process — ensuring maintenance requests are being addressed — produces more forthcoming tenant communication than an adversarial dynamic.
Inspection cadence can be adjusted based on risk. A new tenant in their first year may warrant more frequent check-ins. A long-term, reliable tenant with excellent payment history and no maintenance complaints warrants less frequent formal inspection.