How often should a landlord inspect?

Every six to twelve months suits most lets, with an extra visit after any repair or reported issue.

What is the most useful thing to record?

Dated photographs from the same positions each visit. They settle most later disagreements about condition.

Landlord property care

The annual property inspection

A short, structured visit that prevents expensive surprises

The short answer

A periodic inspection every six to twelve months catches damp, leaks, alarm faults and unreported damage while they are still small. It needs written notice, a consistent checklist, dated photographs of the same viewpoints each time, and a written summary to the tenant covering anything the landlord will fix and anything the tenant is asked to address.

What the work involves

A walk-through of every room, the meter cupboard, loft access where safe, windows, extract fans, alarms and the outside of the property, recorded on the same checklist each visit.

Rules and responsibilities in Scotland

Access requires reasonable written notice under the tenancy. Inspections are not an opportunity to inspect tenants' belongings, and findings should be handled through the tenancy agreement.

What commonly goes wrong

Inspections with no written record, and raising issues verbally so nothing is evidenced when the deposit is later disputed.

What it usually costs

Indicative ranges only, to help you judge a quote. They are not an estimate for your property — only the business doing the work can give you that.

Self-managed inspections cost time rather than money; agents charge per visit or include it in management.
Catching a slow leak at inspection avoids a floor and ceiling replacement later.
Photographs are free and are the most valuable part of the record.

What to do, in order

1Give written notice and confirm a convenient time.
2Use the same checklist and the same photo viewpoints each visit.
3Test alarms while you are there and record the date.
4Note any tenant-reported issue you have not yet resolved.
5Send a short written summary within a week.

Local detail for the Lothians

Check the common stair and back green as part of an Edinburgh tenement inspection — shared defects show there first.
Look at the ceiling under the bathroom of the flat above for signs of a neighbour's leak.
Autumn inspections are the most useful in the Lothians because gutter and roof problems show after the first heavy rain.

When you need a professional

A letting agent or inventory clerk can carry out and document inspections independently.

Common questions

How often should a landlord inspect?: Every six to twelve months suits most lets, with an extra visit after any repair or reported issue.
What is the most useful thing to record?: Dated photographs from the same positions each visit. They settle most later disagreements about condition.

Lothian Property is a property information and professional-introduction service operated by Maybury Scotland Limited. Lothian Property is not an estate agency. Where requested, we may connect homeowners with independent estate agents and other property professionals. How we work.

Handling tenant repair reports
A repair reporting process that keeps tenancies calm and evidences the landlord's response.
Inventory and schedule of condition
The document that decides most deposit disputes, and how to build one that holds up.
Meeting the Repairing Standard
The legal condition test every private let in Scotland has to meet, and how landlords evidence it.

Last reviewed 4 September 2026.