Quarterly checks that keep your cover intact.
A 100-point walk through the property every three months — catching maintenance while it's still cheap, and giving you the dated record your insurer expects to see if you ever need to claim.
Your insurance probably requires this.
Most landlord insurance policies in New Zealand carry an inspection condition — typically once every three months, plus one between tenancies. Initio, for example, states plainly that inspections are needed every three months to meet your obligations under the policy.
Miss them, and it's the tenancy-related claims that fall over: tenant damage, methamphetamine contamination, loss of rent after an eviction. Exactly the claims you'd be making. Storm and flood damage is generally unaffected, but the ones involving the people living there are the ones at risk.
It isn't a legal requirement — no law says you must inspect quarterly. It's a condition of your cover, which in practice matters just as much when you're the one filing the claim.
months
The usual insurance interval — quarterly through the tenancy, plus one between tenants. Check your policy for the exact wording.
hours
Minimum notice we must give your staff member before entering, and no more than 14 days ahead. We handle that for you.
weeks
The legal maximum frequency under the Residential Tenancies Act — inspections can't be more often than once every four weeks.
Points checked, every visit, across eleven areas of the property — inside, outside and safety.
Our 100-point routine inspection.
Eleven areas, a hundred individual checks, and the same list every single time — so one visit can be compared meaningfully against the last.
Exterior
10 checksGrounds & gardens
10 checksOutdoor areas
10 checksEntry & hallways
10 checksLounge & living
10 checksKitchen
10 checksBedrooms
10 checksBathroom
10 checksLaundry
8 checksGarage & storage
5 checksSafety & compliance
7 checksEvery inspection finishes with an overall condition rating, notes on anything urgent, and a list of preventative maintenance we'd recommend before it turns into a repair bill.
Rural houses fail differently.
A cottage on a working farm takes punishment a townhouse never sees. These are the things we're looking for before you have to pay for them.
Moisture and ventilation
Wet weather gear, work clothes drying inside and long winters make condensation and mould a constant risk in farm housing.
Mud and heavy wear
Work boots, dogs and daily comings and goings put flooring, entranceways and door seals under far more strain than a house in town.
Heating that isn't coping
Older cottages, wood burners nobody has serviced and heat pumps that can't reach 18°C in the main living room.
Unreported maintenance
Staff often put up with a dripping tap or a broken latch rather than raise it with the boss. Small problems become expensive ones.
Every visit, the same standard.
- Interior and exterior property inspection
- Detailed written inspection report
- High-quality condition photographs
- 360° virtual walkthrough
- Maintenance issues identified and flagged
- Tenant care and presentation observations
- Preventative maintenance recommendations
- Prompt reporting of anything urgent
- Smoke alarm and safety feature checks
Inside
- General cleanliness and overall presentation
- Walls, ceilings, floors and internal finishes
- Kitchen appliances, benches, cupboards and sinks
- Bathrooms, showers, toilets and ventilation
- Heating, ventilation and smoke alarms
- Doors, windows, locks and screens
Outside
- Gardens, lawns and outdoor areas
- Fencing, gates and pathways
- Exterior presentation and visible drainage
- Any maintenance or repairs required
A routine inspection is not a housekeeping inspection.
This matters more on a farm than anywhere else. The person in that house is also the person milking your cows at five in the morning. An inspection that feels like an inspection of them costs you far more than it saves.
We understand this is somebody's home, and we expect normal day-to-day living. Dishes in the sink are not a finding. Our focus is the condition of the property and catching maintenance early — not marking anyone out of ten.
We give proper notice, we turn up when we said we would, and we tell your staff member what we're doing and why. If they've been putting up with something broken, a friendly independent visitor is often the person they'll finally mention it to.
What we ask your tenant to do
Sent ahead of every visit, so nobody is caught out.
- Give the place a general clean and tidy
- Wash the dishes and clear the benches
- Remove rubbish and recycling
- Vacuum or sweep the floors
- Mow lawns and tidy outdoor areas, if that's their responsibility
- Make sure pets are safely secured
- Make sure we have access to all rooms
- Tell us about any maintenance concerns
Walk through a real report.
Photos and a written list only tell you so much. This is an actual 360° inspection in the format you'd receive — move through the rooms and see the detail we capture on every visit.
One flat fee per house.
No counting rooms, no variation between visits.
- Flat rate whatever the size. A routine inspection is a check on maintenance and condition rather than the deep documentation of an entry or exit, so we price it per house instead of per space.
- Travel: $1.29 per kilometre, charged one way from our office at 42 Russell Street, Alexandra, to your property.
- Multiple houses? Farms with more than one dwelling are quoted together as a package, and we schedule them so you're only paying travel once.
- On a quarterly schedule. Put your properties on a standing cycle and we'll book them, notify your staff and send the reports without you having to remember.
Routine inspections, answered.
How often should I be doing these?
Quarterly is the standard, because that's what most landlord insurance policies require. The Residential Tenancies Act sets the ceiling at once every four weeks, so quarterly sits comfortably inside the law. If your policy asks for something different, we'll work to that instead.
Do you give my staff member notice?
Yes, and it's a legal requirement — at least 48 hours' notice, and no more than 14 days in advance. Inspections have to happen between 8am and 7pm. We handle all of that, including a short note explaining what to expect so nobody feels ambushed.
Does the tenant need to be home?
Not necessarily, and on a working farm they usually aren't. We just need access. If they'd like to be there to point something out, they're very welcome.
What happens if we find a problem?
Anything urgent gets reported to you straight away rather than waiting for the written report. Everything else is documented with photos and a recommendation. If you'd rather not chase tradespeople yourself, we can coordinate the repairs for you.
Is this the same as a healthy homes assessment?
No. A routine inspection notes healthy homes concerns if we see them, but it isn't the formal measured assessment against the five standards. If you need documented compliance evidence, that's a healthy homes assessment.
Put your houses on a schedule.
Tell us how many properties and where you are. We'll quote the cycle and take it off your list.