Almost half of landlords plan to inspect their rental properties no more than once a year when the Renters Rights Act (RRA) replaces fixed-term tenancies with indefinite periodic tenancies.

This is according to industry supplier Inventory Base, which surveyed 800 landlords.

Among the many new policies that will be introduced by the RRA on May 1, the abolition of fixed-term ASTs is set to be one of the most transformative.

One reason this is so significant is that it removes the predictable fixed-term renewal milestone that has traditionally provided landlords with a natural opportunity to conduct inspections and condition reviews.

Without this natural checkpoint, landlords will need to take a more proactive approach to monitoring properties during indeterminate tenancies.

But 46% of landlords say that when fixed-term tenancies disappear they will conduct inspections once a year at most.

Among them, 26% say they plan to carry out inspections annually, while 3% intend to inspect less than once per year.

Most strikingly, almost one in five landlords (18%) say they will only inspect their properties when a tenant reports a problem.

These findings suggest that a significant proportion of landlords risk losing visibility of property condition during both long and short tenancies.

A shift away from tenancy milestones

The removal of fixed-term tenancies, combined with the abolition of Section 21 “no fault” evictions, means many tenancies may continue for significantly longer without the natural reset point that previously came when a tenancy ended and a new one began.

Historically, the start and end of a tenancy created clear evidential checkpoints. Inventory and check-out reports allowed landlords and agents to document property condition at specific moments and assess change over time.

Alongside these reports, interim inspections have commonly been carried out – typically after the first three months and then every three to six months – as a matter of good property management rather than legal requirement.

However, as fixed-term tenancy milestones disappear for many properties, the way property condition is evidenced will need to change.

Rather than relying on isolated inspection events, scrutiny will increasingly focus on how properties are managed over time.

Regulators, adjudicators and local authorities are expected to place greater weight on patterns of maintenance, responsiveness and documented decision-making rather than single snapshots of condition.

In practice, this means landlords will need to move away from treating inspections as standalone reports and instead create a continuous evidential record – a “golden thread” – showing how a property has been managed throughout the tenancy.

The rise of lifecycle evidence

Inventory Base is advocating a lifecycle evidence approach to property management.

Lifecycle evidence focuses on creating continuous operational records that document property condition, management decisions and maintenance activity throughout the life of a tenancy. Instead of treating inspections as standalone reports, the approach builds a chronological record showing what was observed, what decisions were made and what actions followed.

The inventory / check-in reports remain important under this model, but their role shifts from being a decisive document in disputes to establishing a clear baseline condition for the property.

A structured inventory / check-in should include detailed notes, condition ratings and photographs, supported by evidence of any cleaning, repairs or replacements completed before the tenancy begins.

Records should be time-stamped and clearly attributed to the individual conducting the inspection so the origin of the evidence is transparent.

Consistent inspections and documented decisions

From that baseline, inspections should take place within a structured tenancy lifecycle rather than as isolated visits. Standardisation allows property managers to build comparable records that show how the property evolves over time.

The lifecycle begins with an HHSRS risk assessment before the tenancy starts, establishing the property’s safety baseline. The inventory or check-in then records the physical condition of the home at the start of occupation.

An early inspection around three months into the tenancy helps confirm the property is performing as expected once occupied. This allows issues such as ventilation problems, early signs of damp or mould, or emerging maintenance defects to be identified before they escalate.

Following this, inspections can continue on a regular schedule, often quarterly initially, before moving to six-monthly intervals depending on the property and tenancy. At around six months, a Fitness for Human Habitation check can be undertaken, with the findings feeding back into the ongoing HHSRS risk profile.

This approach ensures the HHSRS assessment becomes a living record, supported by inspections, habitability checks and accumulated property intelligence over time, rather than a one-off assessment carried out at a single moment.

Equally important is decision logging. Inspection records should capture not just what was observed but also the judgement made in response. Each issue should be linked to a clear decision, whether that is monitoring the situation, arranging repairs, advising the tenant or taking no action, along with a short explanation of the reasoning.

Effective records also demonstrate closed loops. When an issue is identified, the documentation should show what action was taken, who was responsible and whether the issue was resolved. Supporting photographs or confirmation should be attached before an issue is marked complete, and delays such as contractor availability should also be noted.

Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Inventory Base, says: “Landlords and agents will need to move beyond treating inspections as isolated reports and start building a continuous understanding of how their properties perform over time.

“With indefinite periodic tenancies replacing fixed terms, many properties may remain occupied for much longer without the traditional reset point that previously came with a new tenancy. That means property management can no longer rely on occasional snapshots of condition.

“What landlords and agents will increasingly need is property intelligence – the continuous insight gained from HHSRS assessments, inspections, inventories and habitability checks throughout the life of a tenancy.

“By structuring inspections within a clear tenancy lifecycle framework, property managers can build the property intelligence needed to identify risks early, respond quickly to emerging issues and demonstrate that a home has been responsibly managed while it is occupied.

“In the post-RRA rental market, compliance will depend not just on the condition of a property at a single moment, but on the quality and continuity of the evidence behind how it has been managed.”

A structured tenancy lifecycle allows landlords to demonstrate that:

• the property was safe at the start
• risks were monitored during occupation
• hazards were addressed promptly
• the property was restored to the required standard before re-letting

In the age of Renters Reform, that audit trail will matter as much as the property’s condition.