What happens when SATO visits your rental apartment?
The hot topic in rental living: can your housing provider visit your apartment? When SATO lets you know they are coming to visit, it may raise questions or even concerns. Respecting your privacy at home is one of the most important principles of rental living, so we want to explain what the owner of your apartment is entitled to do in your home.
Your rental housing provider is entitled to visit your home to inspect the condition of the apartment, carry out maintenance and repair work, or show your home to prospective new residents when you are moving out. However, there is no need to worry about SATO turning up at your door unexpectedly. We always notify you of a visit in advance, usually by email or letter.
Your rental apartment may only be entered without prior notice if there is a compelling reason and delaying the visit would result in damage.
The doorbell never rings without a reason
The most common reason for a SATO visit is a defect report submitted by a resident.
A leaking tap, a faulty cooker hood, a broken lock or, for example, a heating issue is best resolved on site.
Not every visit is related to a defect report, however. Some are part of the regular maintenance of your building, such as adjusting the ventilation, servicing smoke alarms or carrying out other scheduled inspections. These visits help us prevent faults and ensure that living in your SATOhome continues to be safe and hassle free.
When you are moving out of your home, we may visit to show the rental apartment to prospective new residents. We will also carry out a move-out inspection.
Occasionally, we may need urgent access to your home. For example, a water leak in an apartment above may require us to inspect homes on the lower floors without delay. Responding quickly helps prevent the damage from spreading.
You can identify the SATO employee arriving for a maintenance visit by their ID card, which all our employees carry.
Here's what happens during a maintenance visit
What actually happens during a maintenance visit, especially if the resident is not at home? We asked SATO House Expert Karri.
House Expert Karri prepares for maintenance visits by packing all the necessary tools and spare parts. The aim is to get the job done right the first time. As a resident, you can also help the visit go smoothly by providing as much information as possible. Karri encourages residents to describe the defect in as much detail as they can when submitting a defect report.
"A photo also helps, as it gives us a better idea of what we're going to repair," Karri points out. "For example, if your fridge is playing up, a photo of its rating plate already tells us a great deal in advance."
As a resident, you do not need to prepare your home in any special way. It is enough to ensure that the part of the apartment requiring repair is as easy to access as possible.
House Experts and other representatives of the housing provider who visit your apartment are not there to judge your interior décor, the ordinary mess of everyday life or the dust bunny hiding in the corner. "At most, a clever interior design solution might catch a House Expert's eye," Karri admits.
Situations that may catch our attention, however, are those where the condition or safety of the apartment is at risk. These may include, for example, moisture damage or an unusually untidy home that poses a health or fire safety risk. In such cases, we want to find a solution together with the resident, with support from our Housing Advisor if needed.
"If the work needs to continue or, for example, we are waiting for a spare part, we'll arrange a new visit with you," Karri adds.
Does the resident need to be at home when the housing provider visits?
We always let you know in advance if your presence is required during our visit. If you have a pet at home, it's a good idea to let us know beforehand. That way we can make sure an eager greeter doesn't slip out through the door. When submitting a defect report, you can also tell us whether we may enter your home using a master key or whether you would prefer a SATO employee to call you to arrange a specific appointment.
"We call from numbers beginning with 020. We House Experts try to reach the resident three times before marking the job as unresolved," Karri explains.
Please make sure SATO has your up-to-date contact details so that we can reach you if necessary.
Your home remains your home during our visit
Although visits to rental apartments are a routine part of everyday work for SATO employees, your home is always, first and foremost, your home. During our visits, we only enter the areas necessary to carry out the work, complete the agreed task and leave as soon as it has been finished.
We also never record videos or take photographs of your home without your permission. "Even a House Expert won't take photos inside an occupied apartment without a good reason. One exception is if we need to order a specific part and a photo would help identify it. In that case, I always ask the resident for permission first," Karri says.
Every visit is carried out as discreetly as possible, with full respect for your privacy and the peace of your home.
"Our goal is to make everything run as smoothly as SATO and to cause as little disruption to your daily life as possible."