Dayton landlord inspection prep checklist (GDPM voucher units)

Before the inspector arrives

• Electric, gas, and water on. Water heater lit.
• An adult with keys. Every room, basement, garage, and shed unlocked. GDPM checks outbuildings even if the tenant can't use them.
• Pets put away. Appliances that don't work are removed.

Fire and life safety

• Working smoke alarm on every level and in or near every sleeping area. Replacements should be hardwired or sealed 10-year units (confirm what your GDPM notice requires).
• CO alarm if there's a gas appliance, fireplace, or attached garage.
• Exit doors have no double-keyed deadbolts. Thumb-turn inside.
• Bedroom windows open and stay open. Not painted or nailed shut.
• Furnace and water heater flue pipes connected, no gaps or holes. No gas smell.
• Gas shutoff and burner cover on each appliance. No gas water heater or furnace in a bedroom closet.
• Water heater relief valve pipe in place, sloping down, uncapped, ending about 6 in. above the floor. Nothing stored within 3 ft.
• Dryer vented outside with aluminum flex duct, lint-free.
• No unvented gas or kerosene space heaters.

Electrical

• Cover plate on every outlet and switch. No open boxes or bare wires.
• GFCI outlets within 6 ft of water, outside, and in the garage. Press TEST, then RESET.
• Fridge near the sink is on its own circuit, not the GFCI.
• Panel cover on, empty slots blanked, nothing stored in front of it.
• Two working outlets per room. Kitchen and bath have a permanent light.

Kitchen

• All burners and the oven heat. Every knob is on.
• Fridge stays cold and the door gasket seals all the way around.

Bathroom and plumbing

• Hot and cold water at every sink and tub. No leaks. Drains work.
• Exhaust fan vented outside, or a window that opens and has a screen.
• No mold-like growth. The moisture source is fixed, not painted over.
• New toilet seat for an initial inspection. Cracked tank lid replaced.
• Basement toilet vented and behind a privacy door, or removed and capped.

Heat

• Furnace serviced and heating every living room.

Doors, windows, stairs, floors

• Windows reachable from outside lock. No cracked glass.
• Entry doors lock, latch, and seal.
• Handrail on any stair with 4 or more steps. Guardrails on raised porches and decks.
• No torn carpet, loose flooring, or heaved sidewalks.

Paint, pests, outside

• Built before 1978? Peeling paint fixed with lead-safe work practices, inside, outside, and between window sashes.
• No sign of pests. Keep the exterminator's invoice.
• Trash in covered containers. Yard clear of debris.
• House number readable from the street.
• Gutters, downspouts, roof, and siding in good shape.