Pardon me. Your policy definitely gives me the impression of "Big Brother" and exudes every negative connotation thereof. Coming from a Section 8 background, Residents understand there will be many inspections because the government demands it. When I came into conventional side property management, it seemed to make sense to institute some way of ensuring the property was kept in decent, safe and sanitary condition as well. However, it should be the policy of the Manager to walk the property daily, weekly and once monthly with the Maintenance Supervisor and make note of any problem areas. It should be the policy of Maintenance to inspect smoke detectors twice a year and make note of problems while completing furnace filter changes and any work orders. This should be done in a respectful, positive way. I find performing these onsite inspections to be less intrusive, less threatening and more respectful of our Residents and their privacy. We hold contests, etc. throughout the year and reward Residents this way publicly without encouraging the negative concepts of inspections to find what people are doing "wrong." Residents will not typically suspect or assign a negative connotation with the management personnel if these individuals are seen walking around a lot anyway. Our Residents do not want to feel judged, in my opinion.

I think the appearance of the hosts of the show is secondary to what they find. I personally sometimes I wish I either looked like the ex-marine (I know there is no such thing as an ex-marine), or had someone that did when I had a problem resident.

Someone that could make anyone tremble in their boots; or proverbially break thumbs to collect rent.

The one guy they found that had been stuck in the bathtub for days was probably the strangest one so far; I am glad they were able to get in and help.

I worked on site for over 20 years and at our 700 unit Midwest community, we tied the interior inspection to our furnace filter replacement preventative maintenance program. We sent two maintenance technicians and one leasing associate inside each home and the two techs performed the usual preventative maintenance on furnaces, air conditioners, hot water heaters etc. while the leasing associate documented everything on a check list as well as observed the interior of the home looking at windows/locks, ceilings and inside lower cabinets for water leaks as well as the cleanliness of the home in general. The resident's were very pleased with the annual inspection because often times maintenance issues were found and remedied right then and there. We would leave a note behind letting the resident know we took care of something while we were there. The benefit for the owner/management company is obvious.

I do an "Apartment Check-up" 3 months before the lease renewal process begins. I tell them I am looking for plumbing leaks, loose toilet seats and ask them to let me know if anything needs to be repaired. I inspect for housekeeping, bugs, etc., at that time and tighten their toilet seats (pet peeve of mine). I leave them tips on saving electricity and a note that everything looks great. If not, I send them a follow-up letter. We have a lot of small pets and I especially want to see the condition of the property. At another property I managed, we would inspect and make notes about condition of carpet and paint to determine information for the next year's budget. I agree that, for customer service, we should not just do "Inspection!!" We want their residency to be positive, not intrusive.

I caught an episode where the resident could have easily been one I evicted.... His neighbors reported pest control issues and the exterminator treated all the units except one and could not solve the problem. The resident would not allow the exterminator in to inspect; so the owner called the gang to intervene.

They were finally able to get in and found he was not only hoarding to the point there was a definite safety issue; but he also had a significant infestation of several different kinds of pests, including bedbugs that had been living off of him for a while. They served him a 5 day notice to clear up the stuff and allow access for treatment. This scene turned my stomach and made ME itch just seeing it on TV.

Some people don't mind inspections and some do. I have found a simple communication method actually helps. I always call it a "routine inspection of all apartments" and explain that everyone is included. I also say, "We are not there to look at or judge your personal surroundings, but to make sure the building stays at a quality level." Nonetheless there are still some people who are mad. That's just the way it will be.

I agree with the comment that the "hosts" of this show are so ratty and alternative-looking. Their behavior is beyond ridiculous--getting into physical fights with residents, etc. Now that this show is on, I have people asking me if I find alligators in bathtubs, major-sized meth labs, etc. People are disappointed when I tell them that 95% of this business is asking people for rent, taking calls about stopped-up toilets, and other exciting adventures.

I was watching an episode last night, between coverage of the events in London; there were these issues:

1) Resident had his own bee hives (to harvest honey) that had gotten out of control.
2) Owner suspected squatting in one of his rentals; turned out that someone was creating leases and pocketing the money and was a former employee of the owner.
3) Resident was moving out and the owner had the crew do the move out inspection; found significant damage including garbage in the backyard, a barbeque grill at the bottom of the pool, and an empty hot tub that was used as a firepit.....