# Rental and Maintenance Inspections

> Rental property inspections for landlords and investors, and a home maintenance inspection every five years or so to rank repairs and catch problems early.

Canonical: https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/services/rental-and-maintenance-inspection
Last updated: 2026-11-10

Rental property inspections for landlords and investors, and a maintenance check-up every five years or so that helps you rank your home-improvement list and catch small problems early.

## At a glance

- **For rental owners**: A clear record of a rental building’s condition, from the roof to the crawlspace.
- **A five-year check-up**: A maintenance inspection every five years or so keeps small problems small.
- **A list in order**: Sort the home-improvement list by what actually needs doing first.
- **Independent findings**: Jim doesn’t offer repairs on a home he has inspected for 12 months.

A **rental property inspection** and a home maintenance inspection come at the same question from different sides: what condition is this building really in, and what should be done about it first? Complete Home Inspections offers both, for landlords, investors and owners who have lived in a house long enough to stop noticing its quirks.

## Rental property inspections

Rental property inspection is one of the services Jim lists alongside his commercial work, and his experience includes multi-residential buildings as well as single-family homes. A landlord or investor typically books one when buying a rental, when taking stock of a building already owned, or before deciding which repairs to budget for this year. If you have a particular reason in mind, describe it when you call and Jim will talk through what the inspection should cover.

Rentals deserve a close look at safety items, because a tenant lives with whatever is there. Several of the photos Jim has published from his inspections are exactly that kind of thing:

- An exterior outlet missing GFCI protection.
- A water heater with no pressure relief valve.
- Unsecured wiring coming out of the main panel.
- A trip hazard on the front sidewalk.

None of them is dramatic to look at. Each is the kind of item that’s simple to correct once it’s on paper, and much worse to discover after something goes wrong. If you own a larger building, see [commercial inspections](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/services/commercial-inspection) for what changes once there are elevators, fire protection systems and shared water lines involved.

## The maintenance inspection

A maintenance inspection is a check-up for the house you already own, roughly every five years. It gives you an outside opinion on the whole house at once, so you can put your home-improvement list in order and catch small problems before they become big ones. It is also a sensible way to check that work done since your last look, by you or by a contractor, is holding up the way it should.

Long-time owners often stop going into the places where trouble starts. Crawlspaces are the classic example. Two of Jim’s published photos show laundry room taps leaking into a crawlspace and a toilet above leaking into one: slow, quiet leaks that can run for months before a stain shows up anywhere you’d see it. Another shows galvanized water supply lines, which are common in older homes and worth planning around before they fail.

## What the inspection covers

Both inspections cover the same ground as a pre-purchase inspection: roofing, structure and foundation, the attic and its insulation and ventilation, the basement and crawlspace, exterior cladding, porch and deck, electrical, plumbing and HVAC, and the interior. Our guide to [what a home inspection covers](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/guides/what-a-home-inspection-covers) explains each system. It’s a visual, non-invasive inspection, so the report deals with what can be seen and reached on the day.

You get the full-colour report by email, with every photo, and each defect comes with a recommendation to monitor, repair or replace. For a maintenance inspection that recommendation is the useful part. A single list ranked by urgency is easier to budget for than a dozen separate worries.

## Jim’s furnace filter tip

One piece of maintenance advice from Jim’s own site: a 1-inch furnace filter should be changed every three months, which works out to every change of season. Buy a good-quality filter. It is one of the cheapest jobs in the house, and on a rental it’s easy to forget between tenants.

## Seasonal habits that help

Between inspections, a few general habits keep a house in better shape. Clear gutters and check that downspouts carry water well away from the foundation. Look at caulking around tubs, showers and windows each spring. Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on a schedule. And walk the outside of the house after a big storm to look for lifted shingles or damaged flashing.

## Pricing and booking

Rental and maintenance inspections are call for pricing. Ring 519-550-4998, email chi-1@bell.net or [send the property details through the quote form](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/quote). Jim is available 7 days a week and works across six counties, including [Haldimand](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/areas/haldimand) and [St. Thomas and Elgin](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/areas/st-thomas-elgin). For context on what inspections usually cost in the province, see [home inspection costs in Ontario](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/guides/home-inspection-cost-ontario).

One more thing landlords ask: will he fix what he finds? He won’t. Jim follows the InterNACHI Code of Ethics, so he doesn’t offer repairs on a home he has inspected for 12 months afterwards. That keeps the report about the building, not about selling you the work.

## Typical prices

CAD · HST included where shown

| Item | Price | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rental property inspection | Call for pricing |  |
| Maintenance inspection | Call for pricing |  |

Pricing depends on the property. Call Jim at 519-550-4998.

## Questions people ask

### How often should I get a maintenance inspection?

Every five years or so is a good rhythm. It lets you rank your home-improvement list and catch small problems before they turn into big ones.

### How much does a rental property inspection cost?

Call 519-550-4998 for pricing. It depends on the size of the property and the number of units.

### Will Jim do the repairs he finds?

No. Under the InterNACHI Code of Ethics he follows, he doesn’t offer repair work on a home he has inspected for 12 months afterwards.

### How often should I change my furnace filter?

Jim’s advice is to change a 1-inch furnace filter every three months, at every change of season, and to buy a good-quality one.

## Related

- [Commercial Inspection](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/services/commercial-inspection)
- [Home Inspection](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/services/home-inspection)
- [What Does a Home Inspection Include? A System-by-System Checklist](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/guides/what-a-home-inspection-covers)
- [Home Inspection in Haldimand County](https://chi.canadianwebmaster.ca/areas/haldimand)