Mid-term inspections: how often, what to record, and the notice rules

A mid-term inspection is a short, scheduled visit during a tenancy to record the condition of the property and confirm the tenancy is being kept to. It is the least glamorous of the four visits and the one that saves the most money, because problems found at month four cost a fraction of the same problems found at month eighteen.

How often

Every three to six months is the usual interval. Three months is common for a new tenancy or an HMO; six months for a settled tenancy with no history. Two things can fix the interval for you: some landlord insurance policies require periodic inspection as a condition of cover, and some mortgage lenders' buy-to-let terms do the same. Check both before deciding.

Whatever the interval, keep to it. A visit that is 'due when we get round to it' drifts to never, and a landlord who has not looked at the property for two years is the one who ends up in a dispute they cannot evidence.

Notice and access

• The tenant is entitled to at least 24 hours' written notice of a visit, and the visit must be at a reasonable time. Most tenancy agreements say the same and many say more.
• The tenant has the right to refuse or rearrange. You cannot let yourself in for a routine inspection because notice was given; notice is not consent. A tenant who repeatedly refuses is a record in itself, and the refusals should be kept in writing.
• The visit is an inspection, not a search. Cupboards and drawers are the tenant's; the fabric of the property, the fixtures and the fittings are what is recorded.

What to record

1. Condition, room by room, against the check-in inventory: what has changed since the last visit, photographed.
2. Obvious maintenance and disrepair: dripping taps, failed seals, sticking windows, loose fittings. Recorded so it can be fixed before it becomes damage.
3. Damp, mould and condensation: where, how much, and whether extractor fans are present and in use. Recorded as a fact, not diagnosed. Where there is a real problem, diagnosis is a separate job (in our family, The Damp & Mould Man does it).
4. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: present, and tested on the day.
5. Signs of additional occupants, pets or subletting where the tenancy does not allow them. Described, not accused.
6. Garden, exterior, bins, and any outbuildings.
7. Meter readings where the landlord or agent asks for them.

HMOs

In a house in multiple occupation the mid-term does double duty. Alongside condition, it is where fire doors, alarms, escape routes and communal areas get looked at between licence renewals. Lincoln is a university city and a large share of mid-term work is HMO rooms and shared spaces; rooms are recorded individually with the communal areas separated out, so the file has something to show a licensing officer.

Why it pays

The check-out compares the end of the tenancy to the start. The mid-term gives you the middle. A mould patch first recorded at month four, with a note that the bathroom fan was not being used, reads very differently at check-out from the same patch first seen at month eighteen. A tap left dripping for a year is a stained bath; a tap recorded at month six is a washer.

For letting agents, mid-terms are also the visit that runs on a schedule rather than a tenancy date, which is why we build a round around them rather than booking them one at a time.