Recently a friend sent me something that’s probably floating around the internet. The subject line was: “Got beer? A landlord’s worst nightmare.”

The e-mail told the story of a single man who lived for eight years in a townhouse in Ogden, Utah. The landlord thought the guy was a great tenant because he never called, never complained, and was never late with the rent.

When the man moved out, there was no dust, scattered clothing, or dirty dishes anywhere. There was, however, an estimated 70,000 empty beer cans in the townhouse. The cans were everywhere, and the tenant had made tunnels between the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. Do the math – this tenant consumed an average of 24 cans of beer a day during the eight years he lived there. Of course, it was “light” beer, so perhaps he was concerned about his health.

The point of sharing this story is this: Even when you have what appears to be the perfect tenant, you need to periodically do a physical check of all your properties. Certainly respect your tenants’ privacy, but at the same time, protect your investment. Some landlords combine checking their units with performing some type of regular maintenance so the inspection doesn’t seem intrusive. Or when it comes time to renew the lease, suggest doing it at the rental unit.

If you’ve got some tips for doing subtle, non-intrusive property checks of occupied units, let me know and we’ll share them.

Jackie