When becoming a landlord, the amount of additional expenses might come as a surprise. So when considering inventory needs (an optional expense), some landlords decline the opportunity of having a full inventory report in favour of saving a few pounds.
Little do they know that in the long run, the decision can be extremely costly. Not only is it costly in the financial sense; by having an up to date inventory report, the likelihood and success of any false claims and damage by tenants is minimised.
Preventing tenant disputes
Unfortunately, not all tenants will be as honest and trustworthy as you hope they will be, but having an inventory report will help to recoup money for any damages or loss of property by negligent tenants.
The majority of damage cases caused during a tenancy are unintentional and there is a degree of wear and tear associated (as with any property and its furnishings). But when this isn’t the case, knowing that a property has a thorough inventory report can dissuade tenants from neglecting and damages in the first instance.
The inventory is now an integral part of a legal agreement between the landlord and tenant for both short term and long term contracts. When a detailed inventory is taken at the start of a tenancy and interim reports are produced throughout, there’s no problem in identifying any damages which go beyond normal wear and tear in the final check out report.
This makes it easier for the landlord and tenant to agree on any deductions from the deposit and act as evidence when agreements cannot be made. If performed by a professional inventory clerk, they reduce the occurrence of disputes and provide evidence that speeds up the resolution process.
Why you should use an inventory clerk instead of doing it yourself
In truth, a landlord can perform an inventory report themselves. However, there are significant drawbacks that could fuel more disputes. The main one is bias.
If the inventory is done by the landlord, any subjective conclusions and deductions made at the end of the tenancy could be deemed as biased. By managing their own inventory, the landlord will always have a degree of bias in decisions. When an issue becomes the landlord’s word against the tenant’s, the likelihood of a successful claim for the tenant increases.
This isn’t the only reason why landlords should seek a professional inventory report service.
A full inventory can span dozens of pages and includes vital supporting photographs. Landlords who are not familiar with the level of detail needed can leave plenty can leave crucial gaps and plenty to speculation. In this case, the report will not be useful when needed as evidence to support a claim.
A professional inventory clerk is trained to categorise the condition to a universal standard, meaning that they are able to provide an accurate and detail inventory report.
The smallest of oversights or misuse of terminology can be the difference disputes arising. It’s for this reason that we always recommend landlords use an experienced and thorough inventory clerk for their reports.
Birmingham inventory clerk
Skribes is a specialist inventory clerk based in Birmingham. Our team provides landlords in Birmingham and surrounding areas with detailed inventory reports, check-in reports, interim reports, check-out reports, legionella reports and EPC assessments.
To find out how we can help make it easier to justify any breaches of tenancy agreements by your tenants, call us today on 07891 551 905 or 07572 966 078 or email info@skribes.co.uk.