Can you work directly from the inspection report?

Yes, and it is the fastest and most accurate way. The report carries the code reference and the exact location for each item, which is what defines a correction as complete. A verbal summary loses both, and it is usually the small items that get left out of a retelling.

Will you guarantee the unit passes re-inspection?

No, and anybody who does is promising something that is not theirs to give. The items are corrected to the code section the inspector cited and photographed as they are done. The inspector decides, and that decision is theirs alone.

Which fail items can you not do?

Wiring faults, new or moved circuits, panel work, water heaters, gas appliances, furnace work and anything behind the meter are licensed trades in Michigan and get referred. They are named on day one rather than at the end, because they have the longest lead time and they are what puts a re-inspection date at risk.

We failed on peeling paint. Is that just repainting?

On a property built before 1978 it is a lead question first, and it is treated as one. Scraping and repainting without regard to that is both a hazard and a liability. Tell us the year the property was built when you send the report.

Can everything be done in one visit?

That is the aim and it is usually achievable where the unit is accessible and no item needs ordered material or a licensed trade. Those two are what split a job across visits, which is exactly why they are identified when the report is first read rather than on the day.

The unit is still occupied. Does that change things?

It changes access and sequencing rather than the work. Occupied units need notice and a run of time where the tenant is available, and some items — floors, paint, anything needing a room cleared — are simply slower. Say so up front so the schedule is built around it.

Your Inspection Fail List Is Already a Scope of Work | Lansing, MI

Somebody has already done the hard part

Almost every other repair job starts with a description. Somebody says the floor feels funny, or the door sticks, or there is a stain, and the first job is working out what that means.

An inspection failure does not work like that. An inspector has walked the unit, written down every item that failed, and in most cases put the code section next to it. That is a scope of work, produced by a third party, before anybody from a trade has set foot in the place.

It is worth treating it as one.

The report beats the description, every time

The most common slow start on these jobs is a landlord describing the fail list over the phone rather than sending it. Three things get lost in the retelling.

The code reference. This is the part that defines what counts as corrected. "Handrail" is a description; the section tells you the required height, how many balusters, and over how many risers it applies.
The exact location. Reports say which room, which window, which unit. A correction done to the wrong window gets failed again, and the re-inspection is not free in time terms.
The items that sound small. A missing outlet cover, a smoke detector in the wrong place, a window that will not stay open. These are the ones that get left off a verbal summary and they fail a re-inspection exactly as effectively as the big ones.

Photograph the report. It takes a minute and it is the single highest-value thing you can send.

The re-inspection date is the real deadline

The thing that makes this different from general repair work is the consequence on the end of it. Depending on the jurisdiction and how far it has gone, missing the date can mean the certificate of compliance is not issued, which can mean the unit cannot legally be rented, which costs a great deal more than any of the repairs.

So the sequence matters:

Send the report and the date together. The date governs everything.
Get the whole list priced at once, not item by item.
Identify the licensed items immediately. They have the longest lead time.
Close everything on one visit where the unit allows it.
Photograph each correction as it is done. It is useful at re-inspection and it is useful if anything is disputed.

Which items are not handyman work

This is the part that derails schedules, so it is worth knowing before you plan around a date. A typical fail list mixes ordinary repair work with licensed trades, and the licensed items cannot simply be absorbed.

Ordinary repair work: handrails and guardrails, doors that will not latch, locks and deadbolts, window hardware and windows that will not stay open or will not open, damaged drywall, trim, flooring trip hazards, steps, soffit and fascia, grading issues, smoke and carbon monoxide detector mounting where it is a fixing rather than a wiring question.

Licensed, and referred: wiring faults, adding or moving circuits, panel work, anything behind the meter on the plumbing side, water heaters, gas appliances and furnace work.

A quote that quietly includes licensed items is a quote that will have a problem at re-inspection, and it is better to be told on day one which items are going to a different trade than to find out in the last week.

The items that come up over and over

Across rental inspections in this area the same handful account for most failures:

Handrails missing, loose, or not continuous over the required run of stairs.
Guardrails with gaps that are too wide, particularly on older porches and decks.
Doors that do not latch, and locks that do not work from the inside without a key.
Windows painted shut, or that will not stay open — an egress item, not a comfort one.
Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors missing, or in the wrong place.
Peeling paint, which on a pre-1978 property is a lead question and is treated as one.
Trip hazards on steps and walks.
Soffit, fascia and drainage, where water is getting at the structure.

If you are getting ahead of an inspection rather than responding to one, that list is a reasonable self-check.

What nobody can promise

No contractor can tell you the unit will pass. The items get corrected to the code reference on the report; the inspector decides. Anybody promising a pass is promising something that is not theirs to give, and the useful version of that promise is a correction done to the cited standard and photographed.

What to send

The report itself, photographed or emailed. Not a summary.
The re-inspection date.
Whether the unit is occupied, which governs access and sequencing.
The year the property was built, because pre-1978 changes how paint items are handled.
Whether this is a first failure or a re-failure.

Want it quoted? Send the report and the re-inspection date. Every item gets read against the code section the inspector cited, priced as one scope, and the licensed items named up front so they go to the right trade with time to spare. Coming out is free and there is no trip charge. Rental inspection corrections · Rental turnovers · Get in touch.