Get your property back how it was handed over or take from the deposit with undisputable evidence provided with an unbiased Inventory report and Check Out report.
Tenants are more likely to feel obliged to live in a property with care and respect knowing there is a full-unbiased record of how it was handed over.
Both an Inventory report and Check Out report are essential documents in ensuring financial protection for both the landlord and the tenant and improves relationships between all involved parties as clear evidence is provided, reducing disputes.
Some of the benefits of having both an independent Inventory report and Check Out report include:
- Landlords have a full picture of the current condition of their property at the start and end of tenancy, enabling them to address any issues that could even mean their property is uninhabitable. This is particularly important as The Fitness for Human Habitation Act Bill became an act of Parliament on 20th December 2018 and came into force on 20th March 2019.
- All furniture, fixtures and fittings logged and their condition noted with written and photographic evidence to support findings.
- Alarms and Detectors; connected to mains, tested and noted as working or not working and requires attention.
- CO alarm present and power tested or not if not required.
- Fuse boxes located logged.
- Legal compliance for Fire and furnishing labels regulations.
- Utility information and all meter readings are taken and logged.
David Cox, chief executive at PropertyMark 2019:
“The sector must not underestimate the importance of a thorough inventory. They provide certainty for all involved, add clarity at the end of a tenancy, and help resolve disputes. “ In the new world after the tenant fees ban comes in agents will need to take an evidence-based approach to default fees, damages and disputes. Only by ensuring that an inventory took place can agents protect their clients’ investments and reduce costs in the long-run.”
Government guide statement 2019:
An inventory is a written record of the condition the property was in at the start of the tenancy, including details of anything that was already damaged or worn. This record should be agreed by you and the tenant. Conducting an inventory check at the start of a tenancy is in the interest of both tenants and landlords, but the burden of proof will fall on the landlord to demonstrate that any claims for damages against a tenant’s deposit at the end of your tenancy are justified. It is preferable for an independent person to undertake check in and check out reports (e.g. a specialist inventory clerk).
If the property is not left in a fit condition, you can recover the costs associated with returning the property to its original condition and/or carrying out necessary repairs by claiming against the tenancy deposit. You should justify your costs by providing suitable evidence e.g. an independently produced inventory.
Michael Morgan, Director of dispute resolution at TDS 2019:
“TDS understands the concern of members on the issue of inventories as a result of the incoming tenant fees ban. However, we take the view that we serve the interests of all parties to a tenancy best by considering check-in and check-out reports based on their content.”