DIY guideRecords and planning
Get ready for the rental inspection
Get the inspector's checklist, then walk it room by room: alarms, ways out, railings, outlets, heat, water and locks, fixing what you safely can first.
- 45 min to 1½ hr
- 8 steps
- Every step animated
8 steps
Tap a step to watch it again.
Ask the city or the inspector for their checklist, so you check what they'll check.
Press the test button on each smoke and CO alarm, and change any weak battery.
Use a sturdy step stool, never a chair.Open each bedroom window, and clear the halls, stairs and outside doors.
Shake each railing and handrail, and look for loose or broken steps.
Put a cover plate on any outlet or switch missing one, and test each GFCI outlet with TEST and RESET.
Check the heat and the hot water run, every faucet and drain works, and nothing drips under the sinks.
Check every outside door closes, latches and locks, and every window locks.
A warm or sparking outlet, no heat, or a leak you can't stop: ask Handyman for the right pro before the visit.
What you need
- The inspector's checklist
- Fresh alarm batteries
- Outlet cover plates
- A step stool
Call a pro if
- An outlet is warm, scorched or sparking
- No heat or no hot water
- A leak you can't stop
- A loose railing or a broken step
Handyman says: Sparks or leaks? I'll find a pro.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
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