Nick Gromicko quoted in new InspectorPro article about Vacation Rental Inspections

[gromicko (Nick Gromicko, CMI)]

4 Tips for Vacation Rental Inspections

[sfetty (Dave Fetty, CMI)]

Good article I see @bhull1 got a word in too.

[rbleich (Richard Bleich)]

@sfetty

Good article I see @bhull1 got a word in too.

Way to go Bert. He was quoted from the InterNACHI forum…

@bhull1

Many of the homes I inspect are short term rentals on Air BNB, VRBO etc. I had three this week.
inspect them the same as you would any other home, and make sure you point out safety hazards because as a business owner they have a responsibility to their guests more so than to themselves. I mean, if your buyer falls off their own steps and sprains an ankle it’s not as big a deal as if their renter does the same and sues because the steps were dangerous.
Scheduling is a hassle sometimes since the homes are only available in between renters. That’s only one or two days per week. I often see the cleaning crew there during my inspection.

[bhull1 (Bert Hull, CMI® TN #1162)]

I had an inspection last week and there were 17 people in the house at one point.
Four people on the cleaning crew, two different flooring companies taking measurements, a hot tub cleaner/tech, the property manager ( representing the seller) , the buyer group and their general contractor, a foundation repair company, and me and my helper. It was the only day of the week that the home was available. Checkout was 10:am and the next guests were checking in at 4:pm. It was an absolute circus.
The biggest WTF wasn’t the crowd size though. It was the foundation settlement: 6.25 inch drop from front to back. You could easily feel the floor slope just walking through the home.
We do make sure to catch all the safety issues because liability can be very important. Fire Sprinkler systems are becoming very common in these vacation rentals.
Vacation rental cabins do tend to re-sell often. It is good business for me.

[sfetty (Dave Fetty, CMI)]

Are you flying in the rain?

[mtimpani (Mark Timpani, CMI®)]

Good article Nick.

[mdurante (Michael Durante)]

@sfetty

Are you flying in the rain?

Sure looks like it, doesn’t it?

[sfetty (Dave Fetty, CMI)]

@bhull1

the foundation settlement: 6.25 inch drop from front to back.

Did you measure that or the foundation repair company?

[bhull1 (Bert Hull, CMI® TN #1162)]

Yes, the metal roof was 75 ft above the ground (at the ridge). I droned the roof on that rainy day. I like to walk a roof when I can, but I draw the line at wet metal with a fall so far you can count to 5 Mississippi before impact. I have used the drones in worse weather than this many times. the drones are remarkably sturdy and weather-proof. Although I do have a few back-up drones available. I fly a lot, and I take chances and I end of ruining a drone every year or so. I have had a few drones repaired at DJI for very reasonable prices. One drone had a camera re-attached for $92, another drone had a broken arm, and they sent me a brand new $2500 replacement because it was beyond repair, for less than $200.
The foundation company measured the 6.25" drop from front to back and I was talking to him during the measurements a little. A lot of that drop happened before the walls were built as we could tell from the lack of gaps in walls and lack of racking of doors and windows. No cracks in the crawlspace. It was quite unordinary. They built on a settled footing, or a footing that was poured wrong. (no cracks in the crawlspace block walls.)