Twenty-four hours is the popular answer to “how much notice for an inspection”. The honest answer is: more than that, and ideally in writing.
Where 24 hours falls short
A working tenant may need a few days to arrange the visit, or a different appointment. Twenty-four hours imposed by phone late on a Friday rarely lands well.
A defensible standard
Five to seven days, with the visit booked at the tenant’s convenience inside that window, in writing. Confirm the date and the purpose of the visit explicitly.
When the tenant refuses
Document the refusal politely, offer an alternative, and continue trying. Repeated unreasonable refusals become evidence in their own right.
Reasonable notice is, ultimately, what a court would call reasonable — not what the tenancy agreement minimum says.
