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Notice of entry

The written notice to give a resident before you, a vendor or an inspector enter their home or room. The date, the time window, the reason and who is coming, with the notice hours left blank for your state and your lease.

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The first page of the Notice of Entry
Or skip the paper

Every step of this notice, done for you.

Cross out the paper. Here is what RentCaddie does instead, for every repeating inspection.

  1. 1On paper: Print the notice

    In RentCaddie: Turn on "Tell residents before each visit" on a repeating inspection, and every visit it books comes with its own notice.

  2. 2On paper: Fill in the date, time and reason by hand

    In RentCaddie: The notice gives the date, the time window if you set one, what the visit is for, and how to reach you.

  3. 3On paper: Post it on every door

    In RentCaddie: Everyone living there is told once, on their resident page and by email, in English or Spanish as they chose.

  4. 4On paper: Count the hours to be sure it is enough

    In RentCaddie: You choose how many days ahead. Each visit is booked that many days early, and if residents were told late, you hear about it.

  5. 5On paper: Write a new notice when the date changes

    In RentCaddie: Move or cancel the visit and everyone is told again: the new date, or that it is off.

  6. 6On paper: Keep a copy as proof

    In RentCaddie: Each email is kept on the resident's Activity, so you can see who was told and when.

RentCaddie's recurring inspection settings on a phone, with the Tell residents before each visit switch.
One switch tells residents before each visit.
  • For a repair, pick "OK to go in when they're out" or "Call first" with the name and number. Your vendor or your own crew sees it on the job.
  • For the states RentCaddie has checked against the law, the setting warns you when your days ahead are fewer than the law asks.
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What is on the form

  • The date and time the notice was given, every resident named, and the unit or room
  • Blanks for the hours of notice state law requires and the hours the lease requires
  • The date of entry, a time window, and a second choice of date
  • The reason: routine inspection, a repair, pest control, alarm checks, showings and more
  • Who will enter, their company, and whether the landlord or manager will be there
  • Getting in: OK to enter if nobody is home, call first, pets, and which rooms
  • How to ask for a different time
  • A delivery record: hand delivered, posted, mailed, emailed or texted, with the date and time
  • An after-entry record of who went in, when, and what was done

What a notice of entry needs to say

A good notice answers the four questions a resident has the moment they read it: when, why, who, and what do I need to do. Leave any of them out and you get a phone call, or worse, a resident who comes home to a stranger in their kitchen and feels their home was walked into.

Give a real time window rather than "sometime Tuesday", name the company if a vendor is coming, and say plainly whether anyone will go in if nobody is home. A resident who knows exactly what is happening rarely objects to it.

  • The exact date, and a time window rather than a whole day
  • The reason, in a sentence
  • Who is coming, and whether you will be there
  • How to ask for another time
  • A record of when and how the notice was delivered

How much notice, and when you may enter

The least notice a landlord must give before a routine entry is set by state law, and it varies. Many states set a number of hours, often 24 or 48, some set more, and some only say the notice must be reasonable. Some also limit entry to reasonable hours of the day or to certain reasons. Your lease may promise more than the law requires, and then the lease is the promise you have to keep.

That is why the hours on this form are blank. Look up your own state's rule, read your lease, write in whichever is longer, and count from the moment the resident actually receives the notice, not the moment you wrote it.

Rooms in a shared home

When rooms are rented separately, each bedroom is its own resident's home. Entering one person's room needs notice to that person, not just a message in the house group chat. Whether you must also notify everyone before entering the kitchen or living room depends on your state and on what your lease says about the common areas, so check both and give notice to everyone who lives there when in doubt.

Emergencies and refusals

A fire, a burst pipe or a gas leak is not a scheduled visit, and states have their own rules for entering in an emergency. If you ever have to go in without notice, fill in the after-entry record the same day and tell the resident what happened and why.

If a resident refuses a properly noticed entry, do not force it. Write down what happened, offer another time, and if it keeps happening, check your state's rules or talk to a local attorney. This form is not legal advice.

Common questions

How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering?
It depends on your state, and sometimes your city. Many states set a minimum such as 24 or 48 hours for routine entry, some require more, and some only require reasonable notice. Check your state's rule and your lease, and use whichever gives the resident more notice.
Can I send a notice of entry by text or email?
Often, if your lease allows notices that way and your state does not require a particular method. Use a method that shows when it was sent and received, and fill in the delivery record on the form either way, because the question in a dispute is usually whether the notice arrived in time.
Does a vendor need to give notice too?
The notice comes from the landlord, but it covers everyone entering on the landlord's behalf. Name the vendor and their company on the notice, and tell the vendor whether it is OK to go in when nobody is home or whether they must call first.
Does RentCaddie send a notice for every visit?
Only for repeating inspections with "Tell residents before each visit" turned on. It starts off. A one-off visit you book yourself does not send a notice, so use this form for those.

This form is a general-purpose starting point, not legal advice and not written for any particular state. Landlord and tenant law varies by state and often by city. Check your own state's requirements, and have an attorney review anything you plan to rely on in a dispute.

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