I charge 85 dollar for any inspection, at which time I make recommendations, give advice, give estimates and try to sell bat houses. They either scheduled me to come back or they don't. But as each inspection takes an hour or more, I have to offset my cost for my time.

MOST people around here feel that I should be a free service. As long as there is thinking like that, I have to protect myself. If I did free estimates, I would have time to do nothing else.

Had a lady the other day ask if I do free inspections so I can show her husband how to fix it himself.

Had a similar deal with a property maintenance guy who called on behalf of the condo association. Said, I think what the owner
wants is for you to show me where to seal up and then I'll take care of all of it. End result was that deal went nowhere after the
inspection...

One of the reasons I charge for inspections is landlords. Too often I am sent to a tenents home just to pacify the tenent. I show up and do my thing and the tenent is happy someone at least came out. The landlord has no intention of fixing the problem but hopes in the meantime that the tenent doesn't see another bat. With tenent turnover the landlord can play this game for years without ever fixing the problem. I close most jobs I inspect with the exeption of rentals. If I did inspections for rental for free I would go broke.

I always ask on the phone "Do you rent or own" to often tenants think you will come out because they called and then just bill the land lord. This goes for any species of critter.

If they rent I tell them to have the landlord call me directly. If they volunteer to pay themselves then I head on out. I do get a few customers who pay out of pocket and then deduct the cost from the rent.

Before I even type up the work order I make sure they are aware of the fee, and that they need to pay upon my arrival. I don't mind my phone time being wasted half as much as my real time.

Ditto what Tom and Nate say. The flip side of the "shut up the tenant" scenario is the tenants who complain about everything: by God, they pay rent or association fees, and they make darn sure they get their money's worth.
Many times it's just a case of CYA (cover your a**) by the landlord: a professional has been made aware of the problem; therefore, no more problem.

I would never do work for a renter without authorization from the homeowner/property manager. Even with a property manager, I determine whether I bill them or the homeowner. I don’t work through a third party. I need authorization from the homeowner. I have built a relationship with some of the larger management companies in the local area; we both know the rules.

The owner could charge you with trespass at the very least. The homeowner is usually not legally responsible for contracts made by a tenant unless due to a true emergency. Withholding rent is not legal in many states. Too many potential problems!

Ron is correct. Even if the tenant pays, the landlord can cause you no end of trouble for messing with his property. It's not the same as land rentals. Those contracts are often written so that if you want permission to hunt, you need the renter's okay, not the owners.