Are Home Inspections Necessary when Renting?

I have a great site that I market for in Whidbey Island real estate and their number one searched for page is their rental page. I have not optimized the site for rentals but after the report from Google Analytics it shows over 800 hits just to the rental page alone. I didn't know so many people were searching for Whidbey Island rentals but now that I do, maybe I need to change my content and article writing.

Are there really that many people still looking for rentals? If so, whats the basis for searches and comparisons when it comes to rentals? Should the renter get a home inspection?

Obviously when buying, a home inspection is super important as this is an investment and not having an inspection would be like buying 100 grand in stock and not knowing anything about it. But do renters really need a home inspection? If something breaks, you can simply call the landlord. BUT, here in lies the questions.

What if there are numerous things wrong with the place and you have a bad landlord? Ok, how to go about this question.... if you have a home inspection and the home turns out to be filled with bugs, pests, and many broken items, will the landlord fix these things PRIOR to you moving in? That may be the best question to ask.

So many new renters simply walk through the home and if the like the layout, they rent it... then they find out once they move in how many things actually don't work.

My Oak Harbor Homes expert talks about all the issues you should be aware of in a real estate inspection and these are also some important things to look for when renting. If the appliances all work, running water that's not brown, light switches and safety features.

This brings up another topic. What is the house is not wired properly? If there were a fire, yes, you wouldn't loose your home but you would loose all the things in the home that do belong to you. Are you willing to take that chance?

Inspections may be pricey but nothing is worth loosing all your personal belongings over. Have a home inspection even when renting. And especially when renting a single house. For more tips, visit my Island County real estate connection on how to inspect a home.