The Property Inspection Kit upgrade

A few years ago, I created one of our first Kits, the Property Inspection Kit.

I wrote it because it is essential that landlords carry out regular inspections of their properties. But inspections are unpopular with both landlords and tenants, so there is a great temptation for landlords to just not do them.

However, that can be a disaster:

• Tenants bringing in unauthorised occupiers can inadvertently create a licensable HMO
• Modest disrepair issues can develop into major (and expensive) repairing headaches
• In some cases, lack of inspection can allow tenants’ illegal activities to continue unchecked

What landlords needed, I decided, was a kit with instructions to follow and forms which they could take with them (on a clipboard, naturally).

This would give structure and purpose to the whole exercise, making it more doable.

The old kit

The old kit was sold initially as a ‘beta kit’ with the initial purchasers getting it at a cheap price in exchange for feedback.

I actually got a massive amount of feedback, and the final version was infinitely better than the first!

It went live in May 2019.

The new kit

There were two reasons why I decided on an upgrade:

• We now have a different format for the kits, and
• I wanted to check it over in the light of the Renters Reform Bill.

So now the kit has been moved over to the new format, and there is holding text warning users of the effect of the new bill.

Making the kit available to basic level members

Another change, which I have been thinking about for a while, is to make the kit available to all landlord law members rather than just the top-level Business Level members.

We have a two-tier membership of Landlord Law and the top tier Business Level members get access to the video content and special content such as the eviction guide and most of the kits.

Up until now, the Property Inspection Kit has been for Business Level members only (meaning that Basic Level members wanting to use it have had to buy it).

However, I now feel that inspections are so important for landlords that I want all members to have access to the kit.

So that is what I have done.

Landlord Law members and non-member kit owners will: