Inventories

 

 

INVENTORIES

A professional inventory and schedule of condition will protect you from un warranted disputes by the tenant at the end of the tenancy. If there is insufficient, outdated or no evidence then how can you prove what condition the property was in at the start of the tenancy. If the tenant disputes your proposed deductions from their deposit then you need viable evidence to be able to claim the compensation required to resolve the issues. To do this you need solid evidence. Without solid evidence there will be no case and any adjudicator will rule the dispute in the tenants favour.
The inventory is an important document that will be relied on as evidence, compiling an inventory and schedule of condition should be carried out by someone qualified to do so. Also as an independent person not party to the tenancy. This ensures the inventory is carried out as a fair assessment of the condition of the property at that time. Many landlords lose disputes with DIY inventories as they are deemed inadequate and sometimes looked as prepared in the favour of the landlord. Two of the main issues in a dispute are fair wear and tear and betterment.


You should have an inventory for your property if it is furnished or un-furnished. The inventory covers the condition of the property as a whole. From wall coverings, floor coverings, fixtures, fittings, doors, light fitments, gardens. All of these things are still costly to fix in the event of damage. Also cleaning! How will you claim the deposit to clear out your tenants rubbish if you have no evidence that the rubbish was not there at the start?
Under the revised Housing Act 2004, the government ruled ……When a deposit is taken for an Assured Shorthold Tenancy in England and Wales, it must be protected via a deposit scheme. The landlord or agent can choose a custodial or insurance based scheme. To claim the deposit or part of the deposit at the end of the tenancy, for damages, cleaning, missing items etc, the landlord or agent must provide proof of the condition of the property at the start. The adjudicators of the schemes will assess the deductions/ dispute using the evidence provided to them. (Inventory check in, check out and also periodic visit reports) Without evidence its almost certain that the adjudicator will rule the dispute in favor of the tenants, leaving the landlord out of pocket.
A landlord or agent can make the decision not to take a deposit to avoid the scheme. Its still recommended that an inventory be taken of the property condition before the tenancy. This is evidence should the landlord or agent need to take the tenant to court to recover losses.

 PRICES ON THE SERVICES PAGE