As a Property Inspector for Home Safe, I’ve seen the reality of life inside thousands of rental homes, and it’s not always a space that meets even the basic legal requirements!

My role as a property inspector is to identify hazards and ensure that all tenants, particularly the most vulnerable, live in safe environments. The stories and experiences I share below come from my own experience as a property inspector, and reports gathered more recently, from our team of inspectors who report to me.

Some situations are genuinely shocking, even now, after we’ve carried out thousands of inspections on behalf of local authorities. I remember visiting a property once and finding water leaking through a light fitting. We immediately shut off the electricity and water supply, but without that inspection, the outcome could have been very different.

Unfortunately, situations like that are not a one-off. Our team regularly reports back on open electrical sockets (sometimes on outside walls!), exposed wires, broken fixtures, which are all things that can be incredibly dangerous, especially in homes with young children. Most tenants don’t have the knowledge, or even the permission, to fix these issues. They often feel powerless to tackle these issues without landlord support, which really highlights the importance of mandatory inspections.

Damp and mould are obviously a constant, recurring theme in many properties. It’s not just about a bit of condensation, it’s often mould growing behind furniture, spreading across ceilings, causing health issues that landlords don’t always take seriously. I’ve seen families doing their best to manage, but struggling because the root problems such as leaks, bad ventilation, and poor upkeep, haven’t been dealt with.

Often, the people living in these homes are the most vulnerable. Families on low incomes, people with health conditions, or those who simply don’t know what their rights are. Many are afraid to complain, worried it might lead to eviction or rent increases. So problems go unreported. That’s why inspections matter, not to catch people out, but to protect those who can’t always protect themselves.

At Home Safe, we don’t just note things down and walk away. If we find something dangerous, we act, whether that’s working with the landlord, setting deadlines for repairs, or escalating things to the local authority if action isn’t taken by the landlord. For issues that are extremely dangerous, the local authority is notified immediately, meaning their housing teams can take action and intervene.

What I’ve seen, and what my team continues to see every day, makes it clear: property inspections aren’t a formality. They’re absolutely essential to ensuring tenants have safe homes to live in and that landlords are taking responsibility.