St. Petersburg, Florida, is a popular vacation destination and vacation rental homes are prime locations for fun in the sun or relaxation. Owners of vacation rental homes routinely inspect their properties to maintain them in peak condition for clients. Property owners or management company representatives usually perform drive-by “eyeballing” inspections, formal reviews before clients move in and after they move out, and seasonal maintenance inspections. A formal yearly inspection by a home inspector in St Petersburg FL is also a good idea. Consider the investment as added insurance to protect the investment in your property. A professional home inspector has the training, experience, and tools to detect issues early before they become costly problems.
And the professional home inspector will likely see things differently than the person responsible for frequent routine inspections. Familiarity breeds contempt. Seeing the same thing over and over makes the viewer immune — you see what you expect to see and overlook signs of growing problems.
Here are some of the most common vacation rental problems found by a home inspector in St. Petersburg, FL.
Electrical Problems Found With a Home Inspector
Temporary vacation tenants tend to expect all the conveniences of home (or more) in a vacation rental home. This tends to place a strain on the home’s electrical system. Running numerous appliances simultaneously, charging several personal devices, someone watching every single television, and trying to keep the entire home ice cold can place incredible stress on electrical components.
A home inspector in St. Petersburg, FL can detect hot spots in the behind-the-wall electrical components with advanced technology. Loose outlet covers, flickering lights, constantly thrown breakers, or warm-to-the-touch switches are all indicators that something bad is happening behind the scenes.
Piping
Pipes can leak, become clogged, or burst from pressure or overuse. A professional home inspector will look for signs of leaks, wet spots, and other indicators of piping issues throughout your vacation rental home. Dryer vents are also common places for piping to become disconnected.
You should always ask renters to report any leaks or wet spots they discover, but many of these may be hidden from casual view. Your routine move-in and move-out inspections may miss leaks in piping underneath the home or in tight crawl spaces. A home inspection professional knows where to look for the most common leaks and can detect them when others have missed the signs.
Wet Insulation
Your routine vacation inspections likely do not include the attic or areas covered by wall boarding. This means that any wet or damaged insulation can go unnoticed. Florida’s propensity for heavy storms makes this a possible problem in your vacation rental property. Wet or damaged insulation can allow dangerous mold to grow throughout your home and cause sickness and liability issues.
Wet insulation also does not do a proper job of keeping your home comfortable. HVAC systems must work harder to regulate temperatures and renters frequently turn down the temperature control even more to compensate. A Beryl home inspector in St. Petersburg, FL has the state-of-the-heart tools to detect wet insulation behind drywall and other components.
Pests
Pest infestations can be difficult to detect because they often choose tight or hidden areas to build nests. Attics and crawl spaces are favorite areas for them to proliferate and build. This can cause incredible damage in a relatively short period of time and cost thousands of dollars to remedy. Early detection in a home inspection can help you clear out nests and infestations while closing off access to these damaging pests.
HVAC
Overworked and sputtering HVAC is a common discovery in rental homes across Florida. The normal summer heat can tax a heating and cooling system to the max and a home inspector in St. Petersburg, FL can spot clotted filters, leaky lines and other problems. These and other signs can indicate your HVAC is close to or past its useful lifetime and needs replacing. Regular HVAC each season can prevent many problems and help you get the most out of your system and its components.
Does your vacation rental property in St. Petersburg need a professional inspection? Contact Beryl Project Engineering today to ask about vacation rental home inspections.