One of the easiest ways to get started with resident-led inspections is with a periodic (mid-lease) inspection. By assigning these inspections to residents, your team can gain valuable insight into property conditions throughout the lease without needing to visit every unit.
Follow these steps to send your first resident-led inspection.
Step 1: Make sure your inspection template Is ready to use
Start with a Periodic property inspection to check on the condition of a unit during an active lease. Visit the Inspection Templates page in your RentCheck account and confirm that the standard Periodic inspection template is published and available for use.
Other common use cases for resident-led inspections include move-in, pre-move-out, move-out, air filter checks, and maintenance checks. All are available as standard RentCheck templates, and customers on our Professional or Accelerate plans can copy and customize these standard templates to fit their needs. Learn how in our guide to customizing standard inspection templates
Step 2: Create and assign the inspection
You can create resident-led inspections manually or through automation.
Manually: Go to the Inspections page in your RentCheck account, create a new inspection, select the property and Periodic inspection template, and assign it to the current or future resident(s).
Automatically: Set up an inspection automation to send periodic inspections to residents based on your preferred schedule.
Set a due date and residents will receive instructions to complete the inspection using their phones, with guided steps to capture photos and document property conditions. Reminders are sent automatically based on the due date, so your team doesn't need to manually follow up.
Step 3: Review the completed inspection
Once a resident submits an inspection, your team can review the photos, notes, and reported issues from the Inspections page. Resident submissions are automatically placed in Awaiting Review status, giving your team full control to review and approve each inspection before it is marked as complete (Approved status).
Look for potential maintenance concerns, request clarification where needed, and determine whether any items require follow up using the revision request functionality.
Step 4: Make resident-led inspections part of your routine
Once you've completed your first inspection, consider expanding the process to additional properties and scheduling periodic inspections throughout the lease.
This helps your team document property conditions more frequently, identify maintenance issues earlier, and reduce unnecessary site visits.
Helpful Resources
The Power of Resident-Led Inspections — Article highlighting the benefits of resident-led inspections.
Resident Communication Resources — Sample lease language and messaging to introduce inspections to residents.
Creating Inspections in RentCheck — Detailed instructions for selecting units, inspection types, due dates, and recipients.
Automation overview — Detailed guide to understanding and setting up inspection automation.
Monte Vista Properties Case Study — Example of how one customer, Monte Vista, replaced a process requiring many staff hours with resident-led inspections, achieving inspection coverage without staff travel.
Need help getting started? Reach out through the chat feature in your RentCheck account or email support@getrentcheck.com. Our team is happy to help you send your first resident-led inspection!