Is this a reasonable and legal request from letting agent?

[Meetmeonamonday]

We rent a property through a letting agents and tenancy is the type where we have no contact with landlord, this is fine. Been in property 18 months no real problems but the agents protocol is to do an inspection with photographs every 3 months! And it always seems to fly around so fast.

It's not a huge deal as we are good and tidy tenants but of course I feel the pressure to have it spotless when they're due. The fact that every 3 months someone is coming into my home (yes I know not my actual house) and taking photos makes me feel I suppose a bit intruded on and inferior (?) it's like a drip feed reminder that we don't own our own home and the bottom line is it will always be someone's else's home that they can arrange to pop in every 3 months and take pictures and check up on. I would love to be a homeowner but it's not a possiblity at the moment.

In Queensland where I live the maximum they can do this is every 3 months.
My last letting agents would always bring up something minor to issue a breach notice for (which essentially tells you to fix it they can then come back and inspect if it's done) one breach notice was for an onion peel on the floor (floors otherwise marked as clean) and another was for a very small weed in the garden measuring at 6cm (yes I measured im petty). So often they'd end up inspecting every 2 months or so.
I hated it. I've moved now and I'm with a private landlord (here that means no letting agents involved) they're lovely, kind and helpful and while they do pop around every now and then to check that we've had no dramas with the house they don't ever want to come in despite being offered.
I much prefer it now.
My only advice would be to try to talk to the letting agents, if they aren't reasonable then save and save to move.

I've been renting for aeons.

I just treat these checks as for me, too, to raise any issues.

I would not let an inspection go ahead without me being there... And certainly no photos of rooms. If they wanted to take pics of a swollen window frame that needs replacing etc that would be ok... Stuff them taking pictures of my table/computer with my work /pictures of my family on mantelpiece..! It's my home!
Way too intrusive!

My understanding of these checks was to check the fabric of the building.... To ensure you hadn't knocked a wall down or pulled the water heater off the wall...

To comment on 2 cups left on draining board??! Really??

That is sweet FA to do with the landlord...

i used to be a property manager- i would visit each property twice a year. I didnt give a fuck about a cup on a table or anything petty like that, i wasnt even checking really for how clean the place was- i didnt care - it was somebodies house and they lived there and unless it was an actual health hazard or likely to damage something, i never commented on cleanliness.

the point of my inspections was for maintenance checking really. the number of times a small issue wasnt reported to me and then left for a long time, caused a big problem was ridiculous. I took care of my properties and I wanted everything in good order. me recognising that the bath seal had gone and getting it replaced was better for me and better for the tenant than waiting six months for the kitchen ceiling to collapse. but many tenants wouldnt have noticed it

most of my tenants welcomed me as they knew I was there to help and if there were no problems, I would be in and out in a few minutes. If any repairs were needed, I would call the contractor on the spot and arrange for them to come round at a convenient time for the tenant so everything was sorted quickly and conveniently

Mine was originally bi-monthly!! Awful awful. We emailed the agency and requested they were reduced. They are now every 4 months.

Originally they took photos but then when i checked our contract i realised it said they would only take photos of damaged areas sonow i wont allow them to merrily photograph away. Its uneccessary.

No idea about the law, but inspection yes seems reasonable, photos intrusive.

I've rented privately for 19 months and have yet to have an inspection!
I am lucky to have a great landlord who responds to any issues that day. He will miss me when I leave next month!!!

In am a landlord. We are abroad, so quarterly inspections means that I can plan maintenance, and any problems with the house can be nipped in the bud, and not become major issues. I don't care if the house is tidy or not, but I do care about the fabric of the building.

I'm a landlord and my property is inspected quarterly by my agents. They only take photos if it's to show me something needs fixing or there is a problem I need to see.
The inspection is nothing to do with day to day tidiness, it's to check there are no major problems.
My current tenants are incredibly untidy. It's like walking into a jumble sale at times. However, they are not breaking things, they are not leaving food out which could attract mice, they are not upsetting neighbours etc so they are fine.
Relax about the inspections. It sounds like you are good tenants. You'd be surprised at how much damage some tenants deliberately do.