What should I check on a monthly walk of my apartment building?
Walk the outside and the common areas once a month, with a list and your phone: grounds and walks, roof and gutters from the ground, entries and locks, hallways and lights, laundry and trash areas, and safety gear such as extinguishers. Photograph anything that has changed since last month, log it, and turn each problem into a work order the same day.
What this walk is for
This is different from entering tenants' units, which needs notice under your state's entry rules, and from the weekly check of an empty unit. It is about the parts of the building you own and control: outdoors and shared spaces. Small problems here, like a leaking downspout or a dead bulb, are cheap now and costly in three months.
The checklist
| Area | Look for |
|---|---|
| Grounds and walks | Cracks, heaving, standing water, overgrown plants against walls, trip hazards |
| Roof edge, gutters, downspouts | Sagging gutters, water staining on walls, downspouts that dump against the foundation |
| Exterior walls and windows | Peeling paint, cracked caulk, rot at trim, broken glass |
| Entry doors, locks, intercom | Doors that close and latch, working locks, readable unit numbers |
| Hallways and stairs | Burnt-out bulbs, loose rails, torn carpet, blocked exits |
| Laundry room | Lint buildup, leaks at hoses and drains, floor drain clear |
| Trash and recycling | Overflow, bins closed, pests, access for the truck |
| Safety gear | Extinguishers in place and tags current, alarm tests logged |
| Parking and lighting | Potholes, burnt lights, vehicles blocking fire lanes |
How to run the walk
- Pick a fixed day each month and put it on your calendar.
- Walk the same route every time so you notice changes.
- Take a dated photo of each area, even when it looks fine.
- Write each problem on the list with its location.
- Check the fire extinguishers monthly as well; see the extinguisher check.
- Create a work order for each problem before you leave the building.
The monthly extinguisher inspection under NFPA 10 is a quick visual check of availability and condition with the date and initials recorded (Saint Paul Fire Safety), so it fits naturally into this walk.
What it costs to do it
Example a made-up 24-unit building. A 40-minute walk plus 20 minutes of logging is one hour a month, 12 hours a year. At a made-up $30 an hour of your time, that is $360 a year. Catching one clogged downspout before it soaks a wall, a repair that costs a made-up $700 more than the $120 clearing, more than pays for the whole year.
Repairs and maintenance are ordinary rental expenses; the IRS lists them in Publication 527. Your tax preparer decides how each is reported.
Turn the walk into action
A list nobody acts on is worse than none. Sort what you found into three bins: safety now (a loose rail, a blocked exit, an exposed wire), fix this month (a leaking gutter, a dead bulb) and plan (paint, repaving). Send the first bin to a vendor the same day.
Review last month's list at the start of each walk. Anything still open for a second month moves up a bin. After a heavy storm or a freeze, do a short extra walk without waiting for the monthly date.
How DoorKeeping handles it
DoorKeeping keeps work orders per property, lets you send a job to a vendor by link and records vendor bills in the property's books. You can ask Claude or ChatGPT through DoorKeeping to list the open work orders before your walk. It costs $2 per unit per month with every feature included.
Sources
- IRS Publication 527, Residential Rental Property, read Oct 31, 2026
- Saint Paul Safety and Inspections: fire extinguishers in apartment buildings, read Oct 31, 2026
Questions
- How often should a landlord inspect the building?
- A monthly walk of the exterior and common areas is a common routine for a small building, with more checks after storms.
- Do I need notice to walk the common areas?
- Entry notice rules apply to tenants' units. Common areas are yours, but give notice for anything that enters a unit and follow your state's rule.
- What should I photograph?
- Each area on every walk, dated, so you can show changes over time.