I may want to rent out a town home in DC. My insurance company says that they need to do an inspection of the house, inside and out. What will they be looking for? What can I do to prepare?
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Just let them do their inspection. If they have any issues they’ll let you know what they are and you can address them item by item. Normally they use the same rating criteria as for an owner-occupied home. Fire district rating, distance to hydrant and fire department, construction materials, roof type, general condition, etc. all factor into the rating.
About the only thing meaningful that you can do is make sure that there are smoke detectors installed per local code and make sure that here is no clutter.
One thing that CAN save you money is your proposed lease. I saved about $400 per year average on my rentals if I prohibited smoking and pets on the premises. If a prospective tenant wanted to do either, the rent would go up by $50 per month to cover the increased insurance costs.
Insurance inspections are looking for basic soundness in the structure. Things they’ll look at: Roof (age & condition) electric (modern w/curcuit breakers) plumbing & HVAC (updated last 10 years or so). Also, exterior & doors & windows will be inspected for age or unrepaired damage, foundation for soundness & completeness. They’ll also look for hazards of any type: dogs, junk, unpainted wood or unmaintained fixtures, sidewalks ect. If the policy has been issued and they have issues, they’ll give you a cancelation with notice; if not, you’ll get notice that the property in unacceptable and you may be able to get a policy if items are addresed .