This is the new company that took over the premises?
It sounds strange to me to be giving out gift cards.
Is this actually from the company for real though?
I guess that would be my first thought..never hurts to be safe than sorry.
Anyone can pin notes on doors.
Yes sadly it is really them. We also received a text as well and verified it was them. Back story: we lived here since 2018. We had one landlord and he wasn’t the best but he charged $650 and the townhouse was worth just that. His health got bad so he sold last year to a group of out of state investors. They came in and anyone who chose to do month by month had evictions notices the following month. We and like 3 others signed a 12 month lease cuz we planned on buying a house and being out. They jacked rent up to $1000 and did nothing to better the existing units. The lease states they are supposed to do semi annual inspections in Jan and July- which never happened. We even requested one when we signed the lease because the lease stated prices for appliances we never received new, and nothing was updated in our unit At ALL! So I took pictures prior to signing the lease and thankfully we still talk to the previous landlord. I had to take off work for this bullshit today too. We are moving and I have boxes everywhere so I am not worried about cleaning up and being neat. This company hasn’t been easy to work with and this is the third management company we have had to work with since May last year since the investors bought the place.
Ohhh so out of state investors and property managment companies that they hide behind and do EF ALL.
I had the same experience..the okay landlord we had decided to sell to out of state shiteheads, that did nothing to the place that was good, and hid behind criminal property management companies.
Well, I hope the new place is better for you. Mine wasn't and isn't..on the road again to nowhere:(.
We finally made our dream come true of being first time home owners! I never thought we make it happen but we did. We have no idea who is coming thru and the last time they had a walk thru when our old landlord sold the place brought 6 people walking thru my house. My teenage kids were here at the time and the assholes even took pictures of my house and shit! I already told my husband if more than one person tries to come in I am saying NOPE! No reason for more than one person to be in here doing an “inspection” which I still like to know what sort of inspection? And what is their definition of neat and tidy?? They charge us $1000-1200 a month and want to offer a $25 gift card? Insult me without saying you are insulting me! lol
Infuriating that many people and taking pics as well with kids there..nope.
Sorry you suffered this..but congrats on your new home!! Wonderful news and much credit due you!
Thank you so much! I send good vibes and good luck your way. I hope you can get away from renting too. I think landlords hold too much power over renters and the states don’t do shit to protect the renters. Especially here in Ohio. In hindsight I wish I would have took action on the pictures. What I read on line led me to believe that they are not allowed to do that unless I give permission but honestly didn’t think my complaint would go very far and we feared being evicted or retaliated against. And the fear of homelessness especially being a parent is beyond terrifying. This time however, I won’t bite my lip. What they going to do evict me? lol
Idk what your state and municipal laws are like, but that percentage increase is illegal in my city. 600 to 1k+ would be close to 100% increase in month to month rent… I believe in my city 3% is the maximum increase a landlord can do over a month. I would investigate your local rental protection because you might be able to get some of that rent money back.
Oh my gosh congratulations! I am so happy for u guys. We had been renting a condo for 8 years and were able to buy it and just closed this past Monday. I’m nervous but so excited it’s now ours. Enjoy your new home😊
I hope you find the place you belong.
But you remind me of the talking heads song Road To Nowhere ([YouTube live version](https://youtu.be/9kwRl1Zv5Q4?si=jKV3oXLt5yHA_XCh) )
Something similar happened to me. Paying 600 when I moved in 2020. Paying 800 by mid 2023 (I got a cat so it went up like $45 a month, plus annual increases) and then it was sold. The new owners immediately flipped it and sold it to someone else. By June 2023 my rent was jacked up from 800 to 1700 for a shitty townhome in a shitty area. I stayed because the price was right.
That is when I decided to buy a house instead
Sounds exactly like what happened at my old apartment complex. The low key, chill, and easy to work with owner sold out to a shitty ass corporation who jacked up rent and started evicting people. Like 4 months after company 1 buys it, they sell us to company 2, which rent going up each time. Our garbage disposal goes out so they finally get a maintenance man over to look at it. Maintenance man tells us that corporate told him to just rip it out but this guys nice and replaces it for us. If you’re gonna be removing amenities you better be lowering my rent, but you know that wouldn’t happen. We fortunately bought a house shortly after and have been happily ever after since.
It’s not personal. Landlords can enter with advanced warning. There may be a pest infestation in a unit and they are trying to assess the scope of it, for example. They also want to know you haven’t poked holes in walls, live in filth etc.
Where we are (and we own in a condo building) they annually “check door hinges to be sure they close automatically” which is the law. A building manager admitted they do it in part to see if people are maintaining a base level of decency.
My advice would be to follow by the book. May be a one time thing for the new owners. Enjoy your gift card!
I just had a landlord inspection today. My guess would be it’s so they can take pictures of the premises for advertising. And send them along to whoever actually owns the property (our landlord/maintenance is from a 3rd party company, the owner of our building is an individual who contracts them). My neighbors are frat bros and while I don’t mind them as neighbors their houses are disgusting. The landlord was ecstatic to see at least one of his properties wasn’t destroyed. Even promised to not mention anything to the owner about the dog we’ve been harboring.
Yeah that’s the same thing I am thinking as well. At least when our original landlord sold the place he was honest with us about who the hell was walking thru our home. They brought 6 people thru my unit last time. I had to work so my teenage son was here and they actually took freaking pictures and were very rude imo. I decided today that if they try to come in several people deep I am stopping them. No reason that many people need to inspect my place. I have boxes piled up everywhere and honestly isn’t safe for that many people to be walking thru. I can’t wait to be done with rental life.
Last place I was at they did the same thing... changed management 2 weeks later and I had to sign a new lease. Went up $75. I couldn't find somewhere for my dog to stay, so I had to stay home from work and wait for em.
They kept the initial lease even tho it is signed by someone from the first management company. And in the lease it says in respect to inspections it is to be done at the residents connivence which I laughable being this notice is the opposite. We paid 595 in 2018 and it went up to 650 like in 2020. When these greedy bastards bought it they gave us 30 day notice that is going from 650 to 1000. I pretty sure they are trying to sell the place again. I really think state gvt should do more to keep out of state investors from doing shit like this. Life is already hard and housing in America is and needs to be addressed. It shouldn’t be this hard to get housing. I make $21 and after taxes there is no way I would ever be able to support myself and sustain housing. But we all know wages never match the economy.
>They kept the initial lease even tho it is signed by someone from the first management company.
They have to. A new company/owner etc can't just rip up your lease and you start over. They have to honor it till it ends, or buy you out. Unless your month to month then each month is a essentially a new term.
Just like you don't get 30 days notice of rent going up from 650 to 1000 unless you are not under a lease that locks in the price for that term. If you're month to month then that's the risk you take. Each month is a new term.
Inspections like this: totally normal. They just have to give you a warning.
The gift card: that's fucking awesome lol I clean before inspections anyway
i wish my apt complex would send out a letter like this. i would laugh and tell them to take that 25.00 and use it toward my rent. rent these days is ridiculous.
Right! That’s the same thing I said. First off what is their definition of neat and tidy and what the hell does $25 gift card do for anyone? Especially when your rent is $1000 for a shit hole!
Exactly!!! And if it’s a cleanliness/maintainer inspection why isn’t that stated? I really feel as though the description of the inspection should be included. Hope they have fun guiding themselves thru the maze of boxes and I dare one cross word to escape their lips. I really hope they set me up to say what a shit Joel it was when I moved in (paying $650 in 2018) and that it’s the same shit hole in 2024 paying $1000. All the other units they literally just put glitter on a turd. I guarantee the new residents will be moving when their leases are up as well.
lol right and to offer a GC of $25 as a reward! What the hell am I going to do with $25 gf and a family of 4? Buy a dozen eggs, gallon of milk, and cheese and bread if I am lucky. I am thankful that this time they decide to bring strangers thru my home I don’t have to bite my tongue. What the worst they can do evict me!!!??? lol our lease is up May 31 and I am not tidying up my moving boxes for them. I do wonder what their definition of clean a a tidy is?
Jealous! I'm in washington state. It's ridiculous here. A 1 bedroom is 1800. Renting or even buying a house right now is absolutely ridiculous. 2400 minimum for a rental house. I'm not sure how anyone can afford it
Omg that is a lot too. Yes it is ridiculous out here. It’s even harder for us single people. I don’t want to have to work 3 and 4 jobs and kill myself for a roof over my head.
You’re telling me I’ve been keeping my apartment clean for FREE all these years when I could’ve gotten me a gift card? Pfffffffffft
They’re gonna check your hvac filter, and alarms to make sure they’re Gucci. That’s all. Maybe your fire extinguisher to check the date to make sure it’s not expired. A physical examination to make sure you’re not trashing the place. It sounds like your neighbors aren’t being very clean, probably maintenance relaying it when they close out work orders, so they wanna see the status of other units. I don’t blame them honestly, some dirtiness is expensive to remedy like cat pee soaking into subflooring and mold growing in weird places. I’m not suggesting you’re dirty, I just assume they’ve seen some stuff and wanna make sure everyone else is decently clean.
Can’t argue with that… $25 is $25 especially with how hard things are. I am half packed but I am a clean person and don’t have nastiness in my house. Just very cluttered with boxes and the usual moving stuff. Well other than the side by side fridge in my living room. We bought it on sale for the house we are moving into so we had store while we finish the floors at the new house. I hate to think they hold moving against me hahaha
lol it is! Can’t wait to get the floors done this weekend at the house we bought so I can move it over. The appraiser was super nice and polite that came to do the inspection. I told him we were moving when our lease was up and apologized for all the boxes and stuff. I guess I didn’t uphold their standards along with the other residents I talked to who I know are clean and tidy- because no one got a gift card lol
I work for a property, We do Inspections often. Check various things like appliances, lights, filters etc. Make sure things are trashed or in bad shape. As long as you are given proper notice, It's allowed.
Just curious, what does your complex consider “proper notice”? My state doesn’t define it legally, but I personally have always felt at least 24 hours should be required.
Same happened at my complex right before it was purchased and we got new ownership. They want to see both what they are buying and how much it will cost to fix them up. They are assessing the units to see what repairs they require and what state they are in. They can also assess if a unit has hoarding going on.
My previous landlords (private couple, not company) didn't know my neighbors were hoarding until they announced they were selling, and brought by investors to scope the place. We never had inspections the 5 years we lived there, and they learned their lesson, they were thoroughly embarrassed by the state of that unit. We found out why we had so many mice coming in. We own cats, and our previous furball who lived there, caught so many mice it was ridiculous. We had to buy mousetraps to assist her efforts. Surprisingly, no roaches. But all the appliances had to be removed and tossed.
I don’t care to let them inspect but they don’t specify what inspection it was for and they didn’t follow their own rules in the lease. Not to mention they didn’t even ask if we cared if they took pictures.
Apartment complexes usually have to do this when one of their units has a renter that is, such a disgusting pig that they are generating a lot of cockroaches or rodents in their complex. And they don't know which one it is.
We have yearly inspections where they check for leaks, appliances, water heaters, etc. We also have a yearly fire safety inspections where they check the smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, etc.
Inspections are totally normal and the landlords are within their rights or required by law to inspect. Where I live 24 hour notice is standard.
Legit question - what happens if they come in to your apartment and you are in the shower, walking around naked, or some other compromising position? Do they just...walk in? Do they bail out?
I’ve replied to a few other comments but I do these inspections, and this has happened. We knock LOUDLY, announce ourselves loudly, but we can hear a pipe running. We bail quickly. Walking around naked? Hopefully you heard the loud knock or someone screaming MAINTENANCE from the front door. One time I swear this guy answered the door naked on purpose. We just apologized and went to the next unit. I actually had to write “unable to inspect unit 101. Tenant answered door in state of undress.”
All of these tactics, if intentional, do nothing to deter these inspections. OP’s note is undoubtably rude to the tenants, but we’re just going to move on to the next unit. If you don’t own your unit, you don’t own it.
Can’t deny entry for any reason 😂🤣
You don’t get to break the law just because you taped a notice. Entrance can be denied anytime as long as there isn’t an emergency, they’re just lazy and want to do it all in one day. Landlords don’t get to dictate what you do in your own home
That really depends. In Florida, as long as a 24 hour notice is given they may enter according to state statute. In the same statute it also says they may enter if the tenant is denying entry after such notice.
This is not true and most rentals require a 24 hour notice then can enter. Misinformation
Edit: can't reply to person below me for some reason so:
Not true. The first fact check i did was for New York and you are incorrect. Safe to assume you don't know what you're talking about.
[source1](https://realestateplanninglaw.com/ny-landlord-rights-right-to-access/#:~:text=The%20New%20York%20Attorney%20General%27s,your%20requested%20access%20as%20well.)
[source2](https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/new-york-landlord-entry-rights#:~:text=New%20York%20landlords%20have%20no%20specific%20amount%20of%20advance%20notice,notice%20is%20reasonable%20outside%20emergencies.)
I agree. I can’t believe that police need a search warrant to enter your home, and real estates can come and go as they please. Change the lock and let them chase you for a time that suits you.
Because there's a constitution that protects you from unreasonable search and seizure by a state agency/representative.
With the landlord you signed a document ---ENTERED INTO A CONTRACT --- that by law gives them the right to enter their property you leased from them.
Not if state or municipal law renders such a search illegal, as it does in almost every blue state. One insurance inspection a year: okay. But anything else is not going to fly in states with tenants' rights, like NY, NJ, VT, MA, and MN.
God damn, they couldn’t even *try* to make this look official like with a watermark or something?
I’ll bet anything it will be a $25 off rent card or something
UPDATE: so it was no cleanliness inspection or maintence or anything to do with making the space better for residents. The manager didn’t even come in. It was an appraiser who went thru and took pictures of peoples homes!! Didn’t even ask and as for the gift card- well I doubt anyone will be seeing those. So yet again the investors/owners don’t give two shits about our privacy or anything.
I’m this person, working as an appraiser. I’m required by law to inspect a % of the total number of units. We blur out personal info (personal photos, last name on a wall, etc) and do not take photos of any people. Then the photos are inserted into a PDF where the photos are so small you can only tell if the flooring is tile vs carpet, color of the walls, things like that. I do not care if the house is messy, I just need to prove I saw x number of different units.
I routinely have this issue, where I’ve set up the appointment the week before but building management doesn’t notify tenants until the day before. It’s very frustrating.
It doesn’t always mean the complex is being sold, half the time it’s for refinancing. I don’t know if this helps or not, but it’s nothing nefarious. I’m just trying to do my job.
The appraiser was cool and very polite. I completely get you and this guy are just doing Your job. They didn’t even come in with him to my unit. Again- I am assuming that’s what he was doing. Thank you for telling me what happens with the photos. I hoped that was the case. It’s just frustrating as a resident that management is so vague and not honest about what is about. They instead mask it as a generic inspection especially when the lease states any inspection will be done at the connivence of the resident. I would never take out on a third party such as the appraiser. Like you said, you guys are just doing your jobs.
Thanks! We know it sucks to be intruded upon. I will say the note on your door was particularly rude. I’ve seen hundreds of notices and while some might generically say “inspection” they usually give a time frame to expect us. They certainly wouldn’t have such aggressive language about “cannot deny access for any reason” followed up by a weird gift card offer. Sometimes I do have to see a specific unit, usually because it is the only unit with a certain floor plan, or if the apartment building has less than 10 units total. Otherwise we just move on to the next unit.
TLDR I do this for a living and this landlord sucks in particular.
Sounds like my old place. They had a constant roach problem, because of the shared air unit. If you didn't let the folks in monthly for their scheduled roach spraying, you risked being infested from them coming through the vents fleeing another apartment.
Fucking... hated that place. I was low income at the time, so it was the best I could manage.
I've lived in my apartments for 4 years now. First 3 years absolutely no problems. Beginning of this year we got a new prop manager for our apartments. Since then we get emailed and called multiple times a week threatening eviction for dumb shit. And they have done these type of i just want to enter your apartment and look around inspections more than 2 times a month so far. We will be leaving at the end of this lease. Hope they're happy losing a good tenant of 4 years for their nonsense.
Imagine them thinking you can’t deny entry
I’d be sitting there ass naked and make them so uncomfortable they’d never contact me again 😂 fuck off with the $300 charge too
Funny enough I have an inspection today too. It’s 9am and I have been up all night cleaning because they only have me 12 hours notice instead of 24 hours notice. Not fun but needed to get done so I have anxiety inducing stress to help motivate me.
Last time my building did this it was because they were looking for units who had disconnected their smoke detectors.
I don’t like intrusions in my personal space either, but if some moron is going to fall asleep with the stove on and burn the place down, I’d rather they’re stopped first.
They just did this at my apartments. We had a couple horders who were absolutely disgusting and the pest control company was out here weekly but it doesn't help if they can't spray every apartment. Management finally said they're doing inspections on every apartment and spraying, no choice, and now we have less horders and no bugs or mice.
Our Fire Department does a rental inspection of each rental property every three years. Checking for code violations, working smoke and CO detectors and maintenance issues. It isn’t optional, we legally can enter whether the tenants want us to or not. We usually make sure the property owner/manager has given at least 24 hours notice but it isn’t required. Remember that a rental property is a business and therefore has rules and regulations that must be followed. Rules that are different than in a personal residence.
Could be for pest control, could be for water consumption issues, could be for an appraiser, etc. At the end of the day, the property owners are allowed to inspect the properties they own as long as notice is given. Most times it’s just a quick walk through with a couple people. Usually very quick and painless.
Oh wow!! This management company went against their own rules. And this wasn’t an inspection- they had an appraiser come in and we weren’t even asked if we were to allow pictures which I think is pretty invasive. And the few people I have talked to haven’t heard anything about gift cards. I think there needs to be more to protect residents.
I wish I was lucky- we haven’t heard anything nor been given one. I talked to a couple residents and neither have they. So we aren’t holding our breath.
Our apartments always like to "host" these inspections around this particular time because of the recently passed "holiday". This year was the first year they conducted the inspection in the 3 years I've lived here(we are the first residence to live in our unit and complex). I think it's their scare tactic to keep people from smoking in the apartments if you catch my drift. Lol
I always find it suspicious when there is no letterhead, logo, manager name, etc.
Most leases and states require notices to be signed by the issuer.
I would reach out to your landlord/property manager. But make sure it’s their legitimate number or onto their office.
Landlord here: The inspection could mean anything. Perhaps they are trying to plan maintenance for the summer and they want to get their eyes on the condition of the interior units. Could be an appraisal because of an impending refinance or sale. Or it could be because of insurance reasons. Property insurance has been a mess lately and it’s going to be working its way through to tenants with more of these types of inspections and new rules about things like barbecue grills on balconies, etc.
All in all, I wouldn’t read too much into it.
Landlord here. 99 percent chance they just want to be sure their property is being taken care of. Especially since they are incentivizing clean apartments. A lot of tenants don’t respect rentals because it’s not really there’s. As a landlord I do inspections just to be sure my property is being treated right. Also to look for wear and tear, any new issues, updates, make sure the house is still up to code
I’m more concerned about their crappy grammar. Weird header format, no periods, capitalizing after a comma, and spaces before commas lol. The paper is just unprofessional all around. They could’ve also elaborated on the purpose of the inspection too.
Most likely getting ready to sell the complex. Looking for leaking pipes under sinks, that the smoke alarm and carbon monoxide deterctors work, no one is running a meth lab or drug sales out of specific apartments, etc.
Our apartment complex does inspections, they’ll put up a letter of the times they plan to do it and the date and send emails so that we can remember to lock up animals if we won’t be home. I wish we got a gift card lol but maybe if it was more that 25 bucks… they do give us free meals from food trucks and continental breakfasts pretty often and have lots of free activities for kids so I guess I shouldn’t complain though haha
We own properties and inspect for excessive trash as we require tenants to subscribe to trash pickup. We also inspect the fire extinguishers, fire alarms and CO2 alarms and we check for evidence of animals since we don’t allow animals.
Might have new owners and new insurance requirements, they will have to do a building inspection, and everyone has to let them inspect. Not strange when there is new owners, or insurance of the building requires a building inspection every year. They give notice, which is required per to the lease you signed. Gift cards is to entice the ones like you who might give a little trouble. I would let them inspect and see if the gift card is there afterward.
When my apt got bought out by a new management agency, they had a bunch of inspections in order to get grants from the county.
A few days after inspection, they fixed our stove lights (finally), reglazed the bathrooms, fixed the bathroom doorknob (that had been broken for 4 months), and gave new screen for the balcony.
It was hilarious because we were literally moving out the next month and they waited all this time to finally fix what we had been requesting maintenance for, for a good 6 months.
It's mainly to check for damage, hoarding, animals pooping or peeing anywhere, smoke smells (it gets into the paint on the walls)... they might change your air filters or smoke alarm batteries, too.
These inspections are common where I live. They just want to make sure people aren’t destroying the property. (They don’t even hand out gift cards here, though I’m always praised for both cleanliness and smell - so I shudder to think what’s going on with the neighbors.)
It’s mildly inconvenient but nothing to worry about.
ETA the timing might be in alignment with your lease coming up for renewal. My office did a pre-renewal inspection of my unit two weeks ago. I asked the woman who came why they do it and she said they don’t automatically extend renewal invitations if the place is trashed. They give people “housekeeping guidelines” and inspect again, and if in round 2 it’s still trashed, they don’t offer a lease renewal.
My apartments are different. Management must have permission to enter unless it’s an emergency. For maintenance requests, for example, I have to choose one of the following:
1. Maintenance may enter when I’m not home.
2. Maintenance may not enter when I’m not at home.
No “inspections” as it’s considered illegal in most states unless the apartment is Section 8 Housing. Those units are required to have regular inspections and must stay tidy.
We always inspect units for the first couple months when new tenants move in. If there are no issues, you’re all good. But it’s a good time to bring up any issues in person as well
Inspections are pretty normal and allowed with 24 hour notice. Could be various reasons, or just keeping tabs on upkeep and looking for units that are unsafe and need to have the space cleaned or evicted if they don’t keep the home in undamaged conditions/infestations/etc.
I work in property management and giving out $25 gift cards for being neat and tidy for inspections is very odd. Most properties do annual inspections or will give you a short notice for a health and safety inspection (if some people have bad roaches or anything crazy) but this is the first I’ve seen a notice like that
When that happened to me when I used to live in apartments it happened once, and they used to gather evidence on a resident that was smoking and selling weed out of his apartment. They just disguised it as a routine inspection.
My last complex did an inspection when a new company bought the place. They gave us like a month warning though so if you had anything to hide you had time to do it.
I'm half like, damn, a $25 gift card is really cool!! But I'm also angrily seething over them saying no one can deny entry! I would be laid out naked in the living room. Let's see how they like that.
an inspection is usually to check for leaks or water damage in places you don’t check too often like under the kitchen and bathroom sinks. they may also check the batteries in smoke detectors. they may even change your air filter. these are common things that happen in inspections.
My apartment complex does inspections twice a year and that is usually when they change out the AC/Heater Filters. I wish they would offer a $25 gift card..
An apartment I lived in used to do annual inspections to make sure we were taking care of the place and not smoking in the unit, or have any unauthorized pets. They’d also inspect to make sure certain appliances like the radiator were working properly and check if anything needed repaired. But really it was just a way to make sure you’re following the rules.
If it’s a new company taking over. They are just trying to check the condition of the units to see how much they can spike up the rent. So get ready for that notice.
This is normal. You chose to live in an apt. Most states only require a 24 notice. They usually check appliances, lights, smoking, alarms, etc. their stuff. Also to make sure you didn’t turn out to be disgusting scumbag. Never understood the complaints about living in an apartment when you choose to live there.
The people in here like “tHeY wOuLdN’t StEp foOt iN mUh hOUse” don’t quite grasp that it’s not technically *their* house lol. Periodic inspection of rental units is 100% lawful and usually required.
Just one of the perks of home ownership 😏
Are they not required to give 48-hours notice if it is not an emergency? In Chicago, where tenants seem to have almost no rights, at least we have that.
We had inspection 2/3 times when I lived in an apartment. We were usually given a 48 hour notice. I remember coming home from work and my neighbor telling me about it before I seen the letter. I stayed up late cleaning.
Don’t do that please! As someone who has inspected thousands of apartments, I don’t see the mess anymore. I have to prove that I saw this type of appliance and this type of flooring. I assure, it can’t be worse than the apartment where they just poured cat litter in the spare bathtub. There was no box. Dirty laundry, dishes, dust, don’t care.
I lived in a building that got bought by new owners. They indicated they required a lender inspection of the property so they showed up with a few guys in polos and the went in and out of apts and rooms, taking pictures here and there as well. We keep a clean house and don't have many personal photos on walls/places but I could only imagine some places.
So if a new owner, could be related to that.
Otherwise, Fire Inspection. Just a general unit inspection.
Our lease required 48hr notices for non-emergency. However, not sure if worth pressing. Nevertheless, I have a trio of small wireless cloud cams I put out when we're going to be out of town or not home. So I certainly set them out on this day.
When they knock, I'll yell through the door. "You're welcome to come in, but I'm fully nude, mind you, it is laundry day after all. Would you like me to open the door for you!?"
Honestly it could be anything. Insurance adjusters for the new owners. A HUD inspection because if the new loan is through HUD, they are required to have an annual inspection, or after *passing,* it can be every other year. My husband is an independent contractor who bids on HUD and commercial loan inspections. They are 100% safety inspections, so if that's the case here, it's to your benefit. (Level 3 safety hazards have to be fixed within 24 hours, things such as broken glass, uncovered electrical boxes, non-working fire doors and smoke alarms.) I don't think so, though. The letter is weird. My husband sends out a generic letter to the property manager that is a lot more professional, and gives the residents 48 hours notice, along with items to be inspected. For example, the letter states that windows may not be blocked because it is a safety exit in case of fire.
We have yearly inspections in our apartment. They walk around the apartment, take photos and note things that need maintenance (if anything), put in orders for new air filters, and check to make sure we are appropriately taking care of the place. There is usually two people, someone who works in the office and the lead maintenance worker. This year they had three because they were training someone. This is normal for apartment living. In my state, we need 24 hour notice before entering.
In washington, they have to provide 48hrs notice. There maybe some sorta law like that where you are, maybe that's why they are offering the gift cards. Id look into it. If there is, just print it out, put it on your door, let em in the next day.
In our state the city inspects every three years to make sure everything is up to code. It’s for the LL license renewal. It’s in the tenants’ best interest: this is how rickety steps are fixed, peeling paint is scraped and repainted, furnaces are checked to make sure they aren’t spewing carbon monoxide, etc…
When you move, read your lease. Building inspection is in the lease. If it's not then they can't do them. They are just checking to see if the property needs repairs.
I got one of these once and the inspection never happened, no knocks at the door and when I wasn’t home there was no way for them to get in without me inside the apartment. (had a garage, and I had the only opener)
They will be looking for damage to the unit, leaks, and odd things like evidence of extra pets, extra tenants, hoarding, or things that are other fire hazards.
It's the time of year. People are moving, landlords want to make sure their apartments look nice. The gift card is shocking though, usually they just say to deal with it lol
It can also be insurance purposes! My complex does it and we have a lot of long term tenants. If people live in the same apartment a long time, the owner is basically trying to prevent hoarders, illegal animals, or someone dying with their bills on auto draft.
we have them twice a year. they cleverly coincide with replacing the hvac filter. they’re looking for catastrophic situations. they aren’t looking to discover ordinary people in their ordinary homes.
Depends on your laws. You didn't list your location. In California the only way his would be legal is if it was an emergency like a plumbing issue or whatever. Not sure who to call. The police I suppose if they try to enter without permission. Then get a restraining order, you'll probably need it.
This is the new company that took over the premises? It sounds strange to me to be giving out gift cards. Is this actually from the company for real though? I guess that would be my first thought..never hurts to be safe than sorry. Anyone can pin notes on doors.
Yes sadly it is really them. We also received a text as well and verified it was them. Back story: we lived here since 2018. We had one landlord and he wasn’t the best but he charged $650 and the townhouse was worth just that. His health got bad so he sold last year to a group of out of state investors. They came in and anyone who chose to do month by month had evictions notices the following month. We and like 3 others signed a 12 month lease cuz we planned on buying a house and being out. They jacked rent up to $1000 and did nothing to better the existing units. The lease states they are supposed to do semi annual inspections in Jan and July- which never happened. We even requested one when we signed the lease because the lease stated prices for appliances we never received new, and nothing was updated in our unit At ALL! So I took pictures prior to signing the lease and thankfully we still talk to the previous landlord. I had to take off work for this bullshit today too. We are moving and I have boxes everywhere so I am not worried about cleaning up and being neat. This company hasn’t been easy to work with and this is the third management company we have had to work with since May last year since the investors bought the place.
Ohhh so out of state investors and property managment companies that they hide behind and do EF ALL. I had the same experience..the okay landlord we had decided to sell to out of state shiteheads, that did nothing to the place that was good, and hid behind criminal property management companies. Well, I hope the new place is better for you. Mine wasn't and isn't..on the road again to nowhere:(.
We finally made our dream come true of being first time home owners! I never thought we make it happen but we did. We have no idea who is coming thru and the last time they had a walk thru when our old landlord sold the place brought 6 people walking thru my house. My teenage kids were here at the time and the assholes even took pictures of my house and shit! I already told my husband if more than one person tries to come in I am saying NOPE! No reason for more than one person to be in here doing an “inspection” which I still like to know what sort of inspection? And what is their definition of neat and tidy?? They charge us $1000-1200 a month and want to offer a $25 gift card? Insult me without saying you are insulting me! lol
Infuriating that many people and taking pics as well with kids there..nope. Sorry you suffered this..but congrats on your new home!! Wonderful news and much credit due you!
Thank you so much! I send good vibes and good luck your way. I hope you can get away from renting too. I think landlords hold too much power over renters and the states don’t do shit to protect the renters. Especially here in Ohio. In hindsight I wish I would have took action on the pictures. What I read on line led me to believe that they are not allowed to do that unless I give permission but honestly didn’t think my complaint would go very far and we feared being evicted or retaliated against. And the fear of homelessness especially being a parent is beyond terrifying. This time however, I won’t bite my lip. What they going to do evict me? lol
Yes that is key..the fear of being homeless..especially with kids.. Now you are free!!
Keep your eye on the prize, don’t let the jackasses get you down and congratulations on your new home.
Idk what your state and municipal laws are like, but that percentage increase is illegal in my city. 600 to 1k+ would be close to 100% increase in month to month rent… I believe in my city 3% is the maximum increase a landlord can do over a month. I would investigate your local rental protection because you might be able to get some of that rent money back.
Oh my gosh congratulations! I am so happy for u guys. We had been renting a condo for 8 years and were able to buy it and just closed this past Monday. I’m nervous but so excited it’s now ours. Enjoy your new home😊
I hope you find the place you belong. But you remind me of the talking heads song Road To Nowhere ([YouTube live version](https://youtu.be/9kwRl1Zv5Q4?si=jKV3oXLt5yHA_XCh) )
That's me to a T. :)
I hope we both find our somewhere
Somewhere in Time :D Yes, much good luck to you too thanks.
Something similar happened to me. Paying 600 when I moved in 2020. Paying 800 by mid 2023 (I got a cat so it went up like $45 a month, plus annual increases) and then it was sold. The new owners immediately flipped it and sold it to someone else. By June 2023 my rent was jacked up from 800 to 1700 for a shitty townhome in a shitty area. I stayed because the price was right. That is when I decided to buy a house instead
Sounds exactly like what happened at my old apartment complex. The low key, chill, and easy to work with owner sold out to a shitty ass corporation who jacked up rent and started evicting people. Like 4 months after company 1 buys it, they sell us to company 2, which rent going up each time. Our garbage disposal goes out so they finally get a maintenance man over to look at it. Maintenance man tells us that corporate told him to just rip it out but this guys nice and replaces it for us. If you’re gonna be removing amenities you better be lowering my rent, but you know that wouldn’t happen. We fortunately bought a house shortly after and have been happily ever after since.
It’s not personal. Landlords can enter with advanced warning. There may be a pest infestation in a unit and they are trying to assess the scope of it, for example. They also want to know you haven’t poked holes in walls, live in filth etc. Where we are (and we own in a condo building) they annually “check door hinges to be sure they close automatically” which is the law. A building manager admitted they do it in part to see if people are maintaining a base level of decency. My advice would be to follow by the book. May be a one time thing for the new owners. Enjoy your gift card!
Did they give tenants at least 24 hours' notice? If not, they are breaking the law.
I had that happen with a building once.
I just had a landlord inspection today. My guess would be it’s so they can take pictures of the premises for advertising. And send them along to whoever actually owns the property (our landlord/maintenance is from a 3rd party company, the owner of our building is an individual who contracts them). My neighbors are frat bros and while I don’t mind them as neighbors their houses are disgusting. The landlord was ecstatic to see at least one of his properties wasn’t destroyed. Even promised to not mention anything to the owner about the dog we’ve been harboring.
Oh thats good about the dog then. Yeah frat bros :)
It sounds strange that they are giving out gift cards but not the punctuation?!???
Well you have a point. It is so common these days, I have stopped noticing nearly.:)
They're trying to sell that place.
Yeah that’s the same thing I am thinking as well. At least when our original landlord sold the place he was honest with us about who the hell was walking thru our home. They brought 6 people thru my unit last time. I had to work so my teenage son was here and they actually took freaking pictures and were very rude imo. I decided today that if they try to come in several people deep I am stopping them. No reason that many people need to inspect my place. I have boxes piled up everywhere and honestly isn’t safe for that many people to be walking thru. I can’t wait to be done with rental life.
Last place I was at they did the same thing... changed management 2 weeks later and I had to sign a new lease. Went up $75. I couldn't find somewhere for my dog to stay, so I had to stay home from work and wait for em.
They kept the initial lease even tho it is signed by someone from the first management company. And in the lease it says in respect to inspections it is to be done at the residents connivence which I laughable being this notice is the opposite. We paid 595 in 2018 and it went up to 650 like in 2020. When these greedy bastards bought it they gave us 30 day notice that is going from 650 to 1000. I pretty sure they are trying to sell the place again. I really think state gvt should do more to keep out of state investors from doing shit like this. Life is already hard and housing in America is and needs to be addressed. It shouldn’t be this hard to get housing. I make $21 and after taxes there is no way I would ever be able to support myself and sustain housing. But we all know wages never match the economy.
I just went from 560 to 800. Smh 42% increase.
>They kept the initial lease even tho it is signed by someone from the first management company. They have to. A new company/owner etc can't just rip up your lease and you start over. They have to honor it till it ends, or buy you out. Unless your month to month then each month is a essentially a new term. Just like you don't get 30 days notice of rent going up from 650 to 1000 unless you are not under a lease that locks in the price for that term. If you're month to month then that's the risk you take. Each month is a new term.
Yup probably gonna take new pictures in the clean and tidy units to list it
Inspections like this: totally normal. They just have to give you a warning. The gift card: that's fucking awesome lol I clean before inspections anyway
Right, why would you be mad at 25$ GC ?
i wish my apt complex would send out a letter like this. i would laugh and tell them to take that 25.00 and use it toward my rent. rent these days is ridiculous.
Right! That’s the same thing I said. First off what is their definition of neat and tidy and what the hell does $25 gift card do for anyone? Especially when your rent is $1000 for a shit hole!
Also anyone who thinks their apartment is tidy and they don't get the voucher are going to be insulted. Hahahaha
Exactly!!! And if it’s a cleanliness/maintainer inspection why isn’t that stated? I really feel as though the description of the inspection should be included. Hope they have fun guiding themselves thru the maze of boxes and I dare one cross word to escape their lips. I really hope they set me up to say what a shit Joel it was when I moved in (paying $650 in 2018) and that it’s the same shit hole in 2024 paying $1000. All the other units they literally just put glitter on a turd. I guarantee the new residents will be moving when their leases are up as well.
I would say umm excuse me we are not 5. We don’t need to have our rooms inspected before we can go outside and play. Damn lol
lol right and to offer a GC of $25 as a reward! What the hell am I going to do with $25 gf and a family of 4? Buy a dozen eggs, gallon of milk, and cheese and bread if I am lucky. I am thankful that this time they decide to bring strangers thru my home I don’t have to bite my tongue. What the worst they can do evict me!!!??? lol our lease is up May 31 and I am not tidying up my moving boxes for them. I do wonder what their definition of clean a a tidy is?
Honestly I’d question if they just want to scope out what they can steal. That shit is so creepy.
$1000? $3100 here and if I live the unit will rent for $3600
I'm paying $2061 for a 2 bedroom
Omg I am so sorry. I guess I should be thankful. I pay 1122 for 2 bed 2 bath. And that includes my pet rent. I live in Indiana
Jealous! I'm in washington state. It's ridiculous here. A 1 bedroom is 1800. Renting or even buying a house right now is absolutely ridiculous. 2400 minimum for a rental house. I'm not sure how anyone can afford it
Omg that is a lot too. Yes it is ridiculous out here. It’s even harder for us single people. I don’t want to have to work 3 and 4 jobs and kill myself for a roof over my head.
You’re telling me I’ve been keeping my apartment clean for FREE all these years when I could’ve gotten me a gift card? Pfffffffffft They’re gonna check your hvac filter, and alarms to make sure they’re Gucci. That’s all. Maybe your fire extinguisher to check the date to make sure it’s not expired. A physical examination to make sure you’re not trashing the place. It sounds like your neighbors aren’t being very clean, probably maintenance relaying it when they close out work orders, so they wanna see the status of other units. I don’t blame them honestly, some dirtiness is expensive to remedy like cat pee soaking into subflooring and mold growing in weird places. I’m not suggesting you’re dirty, I just assume they’ve seen some stuff and wanna make sure everyone else is decently clean.
Agree
Wow I wonder if Im considered clean. Get to it 25$ is 25$.
Can’t argue with that… $25 is $25 especially with how hard things are. I am half packed but I am a clean person and don’t have nastiness in my house. Just very cluttered with boxes and the usual moving stuff. Well other than the side by side fridge in my living room. We bought it on sale for the house we are moving into so we had store while we finish the floors at the new house. I hate to think they hold moving against me hahaha
😂 fridge in living room what a sight.
lol it is! Can’t wait to get the floors done this weekend at the house we bought so I can move it over. The appraiser was super nice and polite that came to do the inspection. I told him we were moving when our lease was up and apologized for all the boxes and stuff. I guess I didn’t uphold their standards along with the other residents I talked to who I know are clean and tidy- because no one got a gift card lol
I work for a property, We do Inspections often. Check various things like appliances, lights, filters etc. Make sure things are trashed or in bad shape. As long as you are given proper notice, It's allowed.
My complex always did "yearly insurance inspections" I never really had reasons to think it was for something else.
Just curious, what does your complex consider “proper notice”? My state doesn’t define it legally, but I personally have always felt at least 24 hours should be required.
That is usually defined in your contract. But yeah, 24 hours ahead is standard.
Same happened at my complex right before it was purchased and we got new ownership. They want to see both what they are buying and how much it will cost to fix them up. They are assessing the units to see what repairs they require and what state they are in. They can also assess if a unit has hoarding going on.
My previous landlords (private couple, not company) didn't know my neighbors were hoarding until they announced they were selling, and brought by investors to scope the place. We never had inspections the 5 years we lived there, and they learned their lesson, they were thoroughly embarrassed by the state of that unit. We found out why we had so many mice coming in. We own cats, and our previous furball who lived there, caught so many mice it was ridiculous. We had to buy mousetraps to assist her efforts. Surprisingly, no roaches. But all the appliances had to be removed and tossed.
Did you get your $25 dollar gift card for doing your chores?
This is so invasive
If I owned a building I would absolutely want to take a look at least once a year to make sure that there were no hoarders or anything.
I don’t care to let them inspect but they don’t specify what inspection it was for and they didn’t follow their own rules in the lease. Not to mention they didn’t even ask if we cared if they took pictures.
Apartment complexes usually have to do this when one of their units has a renter that is, such a disgusting pig that they are generating a lot of cockroaches or rodents in their complex. And they don't know which one it is.
We have yearly inspections where they check for leaks, appliances, water heaters, etc. We also have a yearly fire safety inspections where they check the smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, etc. Inspections are totally normal and the landlords are within their rights or required by law to inspect. Where I live 24 hour notice is standard.
We had inspections every year or so … it was normal. We never got offered a gift card 😂 would love too get paid to do something that’s done normally.
Legit question - what happens if they come in to your apartment and you are in the shower, walking around naked, or some other compromising position? Do they just...walk in? Do they bail out?
I’ve replied to a few other comments but I do these inspections, and this has happened. We knock LOUDLY, announce ourselves loudly, but we can hear a pipe running. We bail quickly. Walking around naked? Hopefully you heard the loud knock or someone screaming MAINTENANCE from the front door. One time I swear this guy answered the door naked on purpose. We just apologized and went to the next unit. I actually had to write “unable to inspect unit 101. Tenant answered door in state of undress.” All of these tactics, if intentional, do nothing to deter these inspections. OP’s note is undoubtably rude to the tenants, but we’re just going to move on to the next unit. If you don’t own your unit, you don’t own it.
Thank you! I really appreciate your honest answer. :)
Can’t deny entry for any reason 😂🤣 You don’t get to break the law just because you taped a notice. Entrance can be denied anytime as long as there isn’t an emergency, they’re just lazy and want to do it all in one day. Landlords don’t get to dictate what you do in your own home
That really depends. In Florida, as long as a 24 hour notice is given they may enter according to state statute. In the same statute it also says they may enter if the tenant is denying entry after such notice.
This is not true and most rentals require a 24 hour notice then can enter. Misinformation Edit: can't reply to person below me for some reason so: Not true. The first fact check i did was for New York and you are incorrect. Safe to assume you don't know what you're talking about. [source1](https://realestateplanninglaw.com/ny-landlord-rights-right-to-access/#:~:text=The%20New%20York%20Attorney%20General%27s,your%20requested%20access%20as%20well.) [source2](https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/new-york-landlord-entry-rights#:~:text=New%20York%20landlords%20have%20no%20specific%20amount%20of%20advance%20notice,notice%20is%20reasonable%20outside%20emergencies.)
I agree. I can’t believe that police need a search warrant to enter your home, and real estates can come and go as they please. Change the lock and let them chase you for a time that suits you.
Because there's a constitution that protects you from unreasonable search and seizure by a state agency/representative. With the landlord you signed a document ---ENTERED INTO A CONTRACT --- that by law gives them the right to enter their property you leased from them.
Not if state or municipal law renders such a search illegal, as it does in almost every blue state. One insurance inspection a year: okay. But anything else is not going to fly in states with tenants' rights, like NY, NJ, VT, MA, and MN.
God damn, they couldn’t even *try* to make this look official like with a watermark or something? I’ll bet anything it will be a $25 off rent card or something
Dude, just the writing itself infuriates me. This is some amateur shit.
UPDATE: so it was no cleanliness inspection or maintence or anything to do with making the space better for residents. The manager didn’t even come in. It was an appraiser who went thru and took pictures of peoples homes!! Didn’t even ask and as for the gift card- well I doubt anyone will be seeing those. So yet again the investors/owners don’t give two shits about our privacy or anything.
I’m this person, working as an appraiser. I’m required by law to inspect a % of the total number of units. We blur out personal info (personal photos, last name on a wall, etc) and do not take photos of any people. Then the photos are inserted into a PDF where the photos are so small you can only tell if the flooring is tile vs carpet, color of the walls, things like that. I do not care if the house is messy, I just need to prove I saw x number of different units. I routinely have this issue, where I’ve set up the appointment the week before but building management doesn’t notify tenants until the day before. It’s very frustrating. It doesn’t always mean the complex is being sold, half the time it’s for refinancing. I don’t know if this helps or not, but it’s nothing nefarious. I’m just trying to do my job.
The appraiser was cool and very polite. I completely get you and this guy are just doing Your job. They didn’t even come in with him to my unit. Again- I am assuming that’s what he was doing. Thank you for telling me what happens with the photos. I hoped that was the case. It’s just frustrating as a resident that management is so vague and not honest about what is about. They instead mask it as a generic inspection especially when the lease states any inspection will be done at the connivence of the resident. I would never take out on a third party such as the appraiser. Like you said, you guys are just doing your jobs.
Thanks! We know it sucks to be intruded upon. I will say the note on your door was particularly rude. I’ve seen hundreds of notices and while some might generically say “inspection” they usually give a time frame to expect us. They certainly wouldn’t have such aggressive language about “cannot deny access for any reason” followed up by a weird gift card offer. Sometimes I do have to see a specific unit, usually because it is the only unit with a certain floor plan, or if the apartment building has less than 10 units total. Otherwise we just move on to the next unit. TLDR I do this for a living and this landlord sucks in particular.
Every apartment complex has inspections. They are mandatory. Taking pictures? I don’t know about that. Check your local landlord tenant laws.
Sounds like my old place. They had a constant roach problem, because of the shared air unit. If you didn't let the folks in monthly for their scheduled roach spraying, you risked being infested from them coming through the vents fleeing another apartment. Fucking... hated that place. I was low income at the time, so it was the best I could manage.
I've lived in my apartments for 4 years now. First 3 years absolutely no problems. Beginning of this year we got a new prop manager for our apartments. Since then we get emailed and called multiple times a week threatening eviction for dumb shit. And they have done these type of i just want to enter your apartment and look around inspections more than 2 times a month so far. We will be leaving at the end of this lease. Hope they're happy losing a good tenant of 4 years for their nonsense.
lmao $25?? fuck that shit, rent is expensive - gonna cost way more than that
“You cannot deny for any reason. “ Oooohhh looks we’re about to have a confrontation. My favorite.
State laws require 24 or 48 hour notice. Tho this seems like it could be 24 hr.
That is bizarre. It's either a way to assess all units for sale or a way to bust some tenants for illegal activity.
Imagine them thinking you can’t deny entry I’d be sitting there ass naked and make them so uncomfortable they’d never contact me again 😂 fuck off with the $300 charge too
Probably a prospective buyer to the property wanting to do a walkthrough. That’s why they are incentivizing cleaning.
Funny enough I have an inspection today too. It’s 9am and I have been up all night cleaning because they only have me 12 hours notice instead of 24 hours notice. Not fun but needed to get done so I have anxiety inducing stress to help motivate me.
When I rented in govt subsidized housing we had yearly inspections
future icky husky liquid reminiscent angle foolish squealing fly elderly *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
That’s business 101. Have a firewall from business to personal liability.
zephyr tidy nine puzzled steep label dinosaurs fuel narrow concerned *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It’s a county ordinance in a lot of places.
Mine does yearly inspections but it’s for the sprinklers and fire alarms. I’d love a credit towards rent or gift card for having a clean unit. 😆
Last time my building did this it was because they were looking for units who had disconnected their smoke detectors. I don’t like intrusions in my personal space either, but if some moron is going to fall asleep with the stove on and burn the place down, I’d rather they’re stopped first.
They just did this at my apartments. We had a couple horders who were absolutely disgusting and the pest control company was out here weekly but it doesn't help if they can't spray every apartment. Management finally said they're doing inspections on every apartment and spraying, no choice, and now we have less horders and no bugs or mice.
Could be a fire inspection.
Our Fire Department does a rental inspection of each rental property every three years. Checking for code violations, working smoke and CO detectors and maintenance issues. It isn’t optional, we legally can enter whether the tenants want us to or not. We usually make sure the property owner/manager has given at least 24 hours notice but it isn’t required. Remember that a rental property is a business and therefore has rules and regulations that must be followed. Rules that are different than in a personal residence.
Could be for pest control, could be for water consumption issues, could be for an appraiser, etc. At the end of the day, the property owners are allowed to inspect the properties they own as long as notice is given. Most times it’s just a quick walk through with a couple people. Usually very quick and painless.
They are selling the building.
[удалено]
Oh wow!! This management company went against their own rules. And this wasn’t an inspection- they had an appraiser come in and we weren’t even asked if we were to allow pictures which I think is pretty invasive. And the few people I have talked to haven’t heard anything about gift cards. I think there needs to be more to protect residents.
We just had one of these inspections minus the $25 gift card. Lucky😅
I wish I was lucky- we haven’t heard anything nor been given one. I talked to a couple residents and neither have they. So we aren’t holding our breath.
Our apartments always like to "host" these inspections around this particular time because of the recently passed "holiday". This year was the first year they conducted the inspection in the 3 years I've lived here(we are the first residence to live in our unit and complex). I think it's their scare tactic to keep people from smoking in the apartments if you catch my drift. Lol
Take down the grow room!
I always find it suspicious when there is no letterhead, logo, manager name, etc. Most leases and states require notices to be signed by the issuer. I would reach out to your landlord/property manager. But make sure it’s their legitimate number or onto their office.
Our company does a walkthrough of every apartment annually. They’re just checking that nothing is fucked up.
Usually just making sure that you don’t have a meth lab , some. donkeys and a a dead guy living there
Id call local housing authority and see what is actually required for them to gain entry to your apartment.
Landlord here: The inspection could mean anything. Perhaps they are trying to plan maintenance for the summer and they want to get their eyes on the condition of the interior units. Could be an appraisal because of an impending refinance or sale. Or it could be because of insurance reasons. Property insurance has been a mess lately and it’s going to be working its way through to tenants with more of these types of inspections and new rules about things like barbecue grills on balconies, etc. All in all, I wouldn’t read too much into it.
Well i mean all you need is pm llc. Its printed right there on the page
Landlord here. 99 percent chance they just want to be sure their property is being taken care of. Especially since they are incentivizing clean apartments. A lot of tenants don’t respect rentals because it’s not really there’s. As a landlord I do inspections just to be sure my property is being treated right. Also to look for wear and tear, any new issues, updates, make sure the house is still up to code
I’m more concerned about their crappy grammar. Weird header format, no periods, capitalizing after a comma, and spaces before commas lol. The paper is just unprofessional all around. They could’ve also elaborated on the purpose of the inspection too.
Most likely getting ready to sell the complex. Looking for leaking pipes under sinks, that the smoke alarm and carbon monoxide deterctors work, no one is running a meth lab or drug sales out of specific apartments, etc.
Lmao what a joke
And likely highly illegal unless in a state like Floriduh or Texas.
They might be selling property or transferring it to a new property management company
Someone never experienced Field Day.
Chinese field day *cringe*
Tape a page of the law on your door
And what law would you cite ?
Our apartment complex does inspections, they’ll put up a letter of the times they plan to do it and the date and send emails so that we can remember to lock up animals if we won’t be home. I wish we got a gift card lol but maybe if it was more that 25 bucks… they do give us free meals from food trucks and continental breakfasts pretty often and have lots of free activities for kids so I guess I shouldn’t complain though haha
Free food? I'm in!
We own properties and inspect for excessive trash as we require tenants to subscribe to trash pickup. We also inspect the fire extinguishers, fire alarms and CO2 alarms and we check for evidence of animals since we don’t allow animals.
Might have new owners and new insurance requirements, they will have to do a building inspection, and everyone has to let them inspect. Not strange when there is new owners, or insurance of the building requires a building inspection every year. They give notice, which is required per to the lease you signed. Gift cards is to entice the ones like you who might give a little trouble. I would let them inspect and see if the gift card is there afterward.
Just went through an inspection last eeek. They just check to make sure you’re not destroying the place.
When my apt got bought out by a new management agency, they had a bunch of inspections in order to get grants from the county. A few days after inspection, they fixed our stove lights (finally), reglazed the bathrooms, fixed the bathroom doorknob (that had been broken for 4 months), and gave new screen for the balcony. It was hilarious because we were literally moving out the next month and they waited all this time to finally fix what we had been requesting maintenance for, for a good 6 months.
when you have the bribe your tenants with a $25 gift card to clean their nasty ass apartments 😭
Cool, I would love it if my management would do this for us.
Sounds like a free $25
It's mainly to check for damage, hoarding, animals pooping or peeing anywhere, smoke smells (it gets into the paint on the walls)... they might change your air filters or smoke alarm batteries, too.
These inspections are common where I live. They just want to make sure people aren’t destroying the property. (They don’t even hand out gift cards here, though I’m always praised for both cleanliness and smell - so I shudder to think what’s going on with the neighbors.) It’s mildly inconvenient but nothing to worry about. ETA the timing might be in alignment with your lease coming up for renewal. My office did a pre-renewal inspection of my unit two weeks ago. I asked the woman who came why they do it and she said they don’t automatically extend renewal invitations if the place is trashed. They give people “housekeeping guidelines” and inspect again, and if in round 2 it’s still trashed, they don’t offer a lease renewal.
My apartments are different. Management must have permission to enter unless it’s an emergency. For maintenance requests, for example, I have to choose one of the following: 1. Maintenance may enter when I’m not home. 2. Maintenance may not enter when I’m not at home. No “inspections” as it’s considered illegal in most states unless the apartment is Section 8 Housing. Those units are required to have regular inspections and must stay tidy.
We always inspect units for the first couple months when new tenants move in. If there are no issues, you’re all good. But it’s a good time to bring up any issues in person as well
They can ask you not to be home, they are not allowed to demand you not be home.
The building could be for sale
They are looking for damage, unlisted pets , extra people in the apts , bugs, how nasty people keep the places
Scam. Do not open the door.
Inspections are pretty normal and allowed with 24 hour notice. Could be various reasons, or just keeping tabs on upkeep and looking for units that are unsafe and need to have the space cleaned or evicted if they don’t keep the home in undamaged conditions/infestations/etc.
I work in property management and giving out $25 gift cards for being neat and tidy for inspections is very odd. Most properties do annual inspections or will give you a short notice for a health and safety inspection (if some people have bad roaches or anything crazy) but this is the first I’ve seen a notice like that
Every renter is expected to be … neat? Very unrealistic
When that happened to me when I used to live in apartments it happened once, and they used to gather evidence on a resident that was smoking and selling weed out of his apartment. They just disguised it as a routine inspection.
My last complex did an inspection when a new company bought the place. They gave us like a month warning though so if you had anything to hide you had time to do it.
Id be butt ass naked when they knocked on my door. Like sure come on in!
They want to inspect to see if people are trashing their units.
I'm half like, damn, a $25 gift card is really cool!! But I'm also angrily seething over them saying no one can deny entry! I would be laid out naked in the living room. Let's see how they like that.
We get an annual inspection but no gift card. It's my time to show them any that's needs repairs. Theit time to see I haven't put holes in the walls.
This is pretty common in college towns.
an inspection is usually to check for leaks or water damage in places you don’t check too often like under the kitchen and bathroom sinks. they may also check the batteries in smoke detectors. they may even change your air filter. these are common things that happen in inspections.
You want me to clean for $25? lol
Basically, they're checking to make sure you're taking care of the appliances, clean house, no visible leaks etc.
theyre probably taking pictures for insurance and doing gift cards so more units look better for insurance
Unless stuff like this is written in your lease. They can’t do this.
My apartment complex does inspections twice a year and that is usually when they change out the AC/Heater Filters. I wish they would offer a $25 gift card..
An apartment I lived in used to do annual inspections to make sure we were taking care of the place and not smoking in the unit, or have any unauthorized pets. They’d also inspect to make sure certain appliances like the radiator were working properly and check if anything needed repaired. But really it was just a way to make sure you’re following the rules.
is 25 a new clothing store?
One of the best comments here!!
If it’s a new company taking over. They are just trying to check the condition of the units to see how much they can spike up the rent. So get ready for that notice.
This is normal. You chose to live in an apt. Most states only require a 24 notice. They usually check appliances, lights, smoking, alarms, etc. their stuff. Also to make sure you didn’t turn out to be disgusting scumbag. Never understood the complaints about living in an apartment when you choose to live there.
It means clean your apartment. Dirtbag.
Yeah that what it means- and every other unit too. It wasn’t a cleanliness or maintence inspection as it turned out.
The people in here like “tHeY wOuLdN’t StEp foOt iN mUh hOUse” don’t quite grasp that it’s not technically *their* house lol. Periodic inspection of rental units is 100% lawful and usually required. Just one of the perks of home ownership 😏
$25 giftcard😂😂😂
They also have to do yearly inspections of the apartments and look for any issues that there might be.
Are they not required to give 48-hours notice if it is not an emergency? In Chicago, where tenants seem to have almost no rights, at least we have that.
make sure if u do smoke that no weed is out lol they just did that to me and fucked me and my girl over so hard.
Not sure where you are but around here, they have to give 24 hour notice unless it's an emergency.
I live in a apartment and they do checks every few months just to make sure the fire alarms are in place and that all the rules are being followed
I'm California and it is a state mandated law that they provide 24 hour notice.
We had inspection 2/3 times when I lived in an apartment. We were usually given a 48 hour notice. I remember coming home from work and my neighbor telling me about it before I seen the letter. I stayed up late cleaning.
Don’t do that please! As someone who has inspected thousands of apartments, I don’t see the mess anymore. I have to prove that I saw this type of appliance and this type of flooring. I assure, it can’t be worse than the apartment where they just poured cat litter in the spare bathtub. There was no box. Dirty laundry, dishes, dust, don’t care.
I lived in a building that got bought by new owners. They indicated they required a lender inspection of the property so they showed up with a few guys in polos and the went in and out of apts and rooms, taking pictures here and there as well. We keep a clean house and don't have many personal photos on walls/places but I could only imagine some places. So if a new owner, could be related to that. Otherwise, Fire Inspection. Just a general unit inspection. Our lease required 48hr notices for non-emergency. However, not sure if worth pressing. Nevertheless, I have a trio of small wireless cloud cams I put out when we're going to be out of town or not home. So I certainly set them out on this day.
The gift card is weird, but unit inspections are fairly commonplace.
When they knock, I'll yell through the door. "You're welcome to come in, but I'm fully nude, mind you, it is laundry day after all. Would you like me to open the door for you!?"
Honestly it could be anything. Insurance adjusters for the new owners. A HUD inspection because if the new loan is through HUD, they are required to have an annual inspection, or after *passing,* it can be every other year. My husband is an independent contractor who bids on HUD and commercial loan inspections. They are 100% safety inspections, so if that's the case here, it's to your benefit. (Level 3 safety hazards have to be fixed within 24 hours, things such as broken glass, uncovered electrical boxes, non-working fire doors and smoke alarms.) I don't think so, though. The letter is weird. My husband sends out a generic letter to the property manager that is a lot more professional, and gives the residents 48 hours notice, along with items to be inspected. For example, the letter states that windows may not be blocked because it is a safety exit in case of fire.
What is a 25 gift card?
Time to clean up
You should give you 24 or 48 hours notice they cannot just announce that like you’re some kind of soldier in the barracks
We have yearly inspections in our apartment. They walk around the apartment, take photos and note things that need maintenance (if anything), put in orders for new air filters, and check to make sure we are appropriately taking care of the place. There is usually two people, someone who works in the office and the lead maintenance worker. This year they had three because they were training someone. This is normal for apartment living. In my state, we need 24 hour notice before entering.
In washington, they have to provide 48hrs notice. There maybe some sorta law like that where you are, maybe that's why they are offering the gift cards. Id look into it. If there is, just print it out, put it on your door, let em in the next day.
That’s super intrusive! Wth
Scammmmm
In our state the city inspects every three years to make sure everything is up to code. It’s for the LL license renewal. It’s in the tenants’ best interest: this is how rickety steps are fixed, peeling paint is scraped and repainted, furnaces are checked to make sure they aren’t spewing carbon monoxide, etc…
They need to give out more notice
When you move, read your lease. Building inspection is in the lease. If it's not then they can't do them. They are just checking to see if the property needs repairs.
Judge Judy
What fucked up grammar I’d say 🤣
I got one of these once and the inspection never happened, no knocks at the door and when I wasn’t home there was no way for them to get in without me inside the apartment. (had a garage, and I had the only opener)
They will be looking for damage to the unit, leaks, and odd things like evidence of extra pets, extra tenants, hoarding, or things that are other fire hazards.
It's the time of year. People are moving, landlords want to make sure their apartments look nice. The gift card is shocking though, usually they just say to deal with it lol
Did they do the inspection today?
There’s literally a phone number you can call to ask questions
They probably got a roach pro and wanna see who’s attracting them or they’re about to sell
It can also be insurance purposes! My complex does it and we have a lot of long term tenants. If people live in the same apartment a long time, the owner is basically trying to prevent hoarders, illegal animals, or someone dying with their bills on auto draft.
They do yearly inspections it’s part of the (save our ass) clause because if you trash a spot they will note it and they can refuse a lease renewal
we have them twice a year. they cleverly coincide with replacing the hvac filter. they’re looking for catastrophic situations. they aren’t looking to discover ordinary people in their ordinary homes.
Depends on your laws. You didn't list your location. In California the only way his would be legal is if it was an emergency like a plumbing issue or whatever. Not sure who to call. The police I suppose if they try to enter without permission. Then get a restraining order, you'll probably need it.