Look out for safety issues
An excellent value for the money, a licensed home inspector can help to identify potential safety and maintenance issues and even provide ballpark estimates for correcting these. I would personally never purchase an investment property without consulting one, as too many potential dangers lurk within and behind the walls which can turn your House Beautiful into The Money Pit.
Radon, lead paint, asbestos and mold are four primary concerns, as they pose significant health risks and can be expensive problems, requiring specialists to remediate. My insurance company will not even insure a property which it believes to have lead paint, and I’ve been hearing reports lately about local code officials doing tests which penetrate the top layers of paint to reveal any presence of lead below.
As a landlord, there are certain things you need to pay special attention to in order to prevent potential lawsuits. These include:
- Exterior stairways without handrails or where ice/snow/rain may cause a slip hazard
- Steep steps
- CO and smoke detectors (fire hazard)
- Obstructed doorways or exits (fire hazard)
- Broken windows/glass
- Cracks or unevenness in sidewalks, driveways, or walkways (trip hazard)
- Open electrical circuits, outlets or wires (electrocution hazard)
- Unfenced swimming pools (drowning hazard)
- Lack of GFI outlets near kitchen/bathroom water facilities (electrocution hazard)
As a rental property owner, you have an increased risk of lawsuits overall, so safety is a primary concern, but accidents still happen. Owners often choose to limit their personal liability risk by establishing each property as its own LLC. It is advisable to consult a lawyer to ensure that your other assets will be protected in the event of a lawsuit.