One of the most traumatic aspects of renting is the regular inspections to make sure the place isn't starting to fall down - at least the questionable and offensive trawling through personal possessions for signs of drugs (part of the many stupid biases against renters - on a par with the wrong notion that renters cannot order trespassers off their property [renters have the right to "quiet enjoyment"] ) seems to have stopped (I had one friend who would get me to protect her underwear drawer against real estate agents taking their time going through that, it was so bad back in the 80s and 90s). We also have a reduced frequency of inspection, owing to a combination of my partner's outstanding housekeeping and real estate agents' generally inane bias that people who keep the place neater will not be associated with damage to the property or the owner's perception of how the property is viewed. I qualified that with "generally" because hoarding and some lack of housekeeping can cause problems (e.g., attract inset pests that damage timber), and neighbours are typically as shallow, superficial and materialistic as those who get into moronic "houses are for building wealth not having a home" myth.
Against that is the idiotic tight-fistedness of some real estate agents, who, at a previous rental, refused our requests for repairs (that we couldn't do - e.g., leaking pipes) which led to damage to the place. (That's not an issue where we are now - maintenance is properly attended to.)
However, inspections are always an invasion of renters' privacy - and, in the last few years family health issues raised potential health risks - quite separate to the pandemic, which also raised health risks. We didn't have inspections during that period, which was good, but now they will resume.
And we have had an extraordinarily good offer from the real estate agent doing the inspection: to do it virtually.
This reduces the extent of the intrusion into our privacy (and particularly minimises the psychic disruption to wards etc - and I've long ago given up on the delicate spells I used to use to aid vulnerable babies in hospitals), minimises residual health risks (the pandemic is still active), and enables the inspection to be undertaken without the agent having to spend time travelling.
In this case, the agent is also aware of the potential for traumatising pets (having some themself), and has offered this partly to avoid traumatising the dog my partner is rehabilitating. As we moved here for the sake of our pets, that is a very well received gesture.
As far as I'm concerned, the notion of virtual inspections is a winner, and I think I will do some advocating for more of this with our local MPs.
