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In California.....Single family Rental house built/ brand new in March of this year. We Moved in in April. Landlord already performed one illegal general inspection in June and is trying for another. I told him no and now suddenly he wants to check the fire detectors and cm detectors.....in a brand new home that is wired with a completely brand new 2015 fire suppression system....as in water sprinklers in all the ceilings and a huge red fire alarm box on the side of the house hard wired to the fire department.
We did our walk through in April and he did a "general" inspection in June. Do I really need to let this guy in again so soon? The house is brand new.
"Illegal" general inspection? Read the law before you claim something is illegal. Doing that many inspections in such a short period of time is over the top but there's nothing illegal about it. He probably had a house that almost burned down and is still worried about that repeating. His fear is not unfounded, one of my worst nightmares is a tenant burning one of my rentals down and the insurance company trying to weasel out of it saying it was intentional/negligent and they won't cover the loss.
CO detectors and smoke detectors SHOULD be checked twice a year (and the backup batteries replaced, if they are models that use a common 9V battery). Their age has nothing to do with it. Just because a detector is fairly new doesn't mean it's working properly!
You would have hated living at one of the rentals I stayed in. Landlord did pest control/monthly inspections. I had nothing to hide so it didn't bother me none.
Is there an issue that you have with him inspecting? Not saying you are hiding something but you seem really upset at this.
Landlord can inspect as many times as he wants to. All he has to do is give proper notice, usually 24 hour notice.
Brand new houses always come with flaws that are under warranty. The problem must be reported within the first year. Personally, I wouldn't expect a tenant to know what sort of things must be found and reported. I would be looking for them myself in a brand new house.
I suggest that you be pleasant about it. If you resist proper inspections, the landlord is going to wonder what it is you are hiding and your relationship will deteriorate. If you are reasonable and are taking good care, then he most likely will relax the inspection routine ( although maybe not so much if you are subsidized tenants)
Contrary to what some have said, in CA, a landlord can't enter as often as he wants provided adequate notice is given. It has to be for a specific reason and not for purposes of harassment. That said, if the last entry was 4 months ago, that hardly seems it would rise to the level of harassment. I would expect your lease would not be renewed or you will get a nice big increase.
The successful tenancies usually have a good relationship between landlords and tenants. Any tenant that gives me friction is gone at the first opportunity. Even if it is my fault (as the landlord). That is just how it is. I have not yet had that situation but there is no way I am going to have anyone in one of my very expensive properties under adverse conditions.
Some new ones have 10 year batteries that are not replaceable, sounds like he is just using this as an excuse to snoop around. Offer to buy him a 10 year one or tell him to buy it so he stops bothering you.
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