Published: 19/07/2016 By Lucy Murray
All our inventory work is carried out by a third party company and this is to ensure unbiased and fair reports are created which works in the interest of both the landlord and the tenant. Some agents prefer to do this in-house, however staff are often inexperienced and the reports lack the detail found by professional inventory clerks.A thorough inventory will list & describe every fixture and fitting, décor and furnishings along with its condition. Gardens will be noted as having been pruned, mown, jet washed and tidy. It should be easy to follow, have photographic evidence and be signed by the tenants to agree its contents. Smoke & carbon monoxide alarms will be tested and all utility readings will be taken if accessible. Keys are listed and counted and at check out a forwarding address will be taken from the tenants.
Cleanliness will be noted stipulating whether a professional clean has been carried out which may include carpet steaming, oven cleaning and window cleaning. If tenants or the landlord has cleaned the property (known as a ‘domestic clean’) then this will be noted. Any areas that are cleaned to an unsatisfactory level will be noted and photographed.
An inventory is drawn up as an impartial report to benefit both the landlord and the tenant. As a landlord, if you find that the tenant has caused damage to the property you would need to prove this to deduct an amount from the deposit to cover any repairs needed. Without an independent inventory & check-in report, the deposit scheme would expect to see an un-biased report describing the condition of the property at the start of the tenancy. Without this very good evidence, a landlord would be very unlikely to get any money back from the scheme and would have to pay to repair any damage at their own cost.
As a tenant, it’s important to know that your deposit is safe and that you cannot be charged for any damage which wasn’t caused during the course of your tenancy. Through C James & Co you would pay to have a professional check-out at the end of your tenancy, to assess the condition of the property when you leave it. A professional inventory clerk would have to allow for ‘fair wear & tear’, and would be able to fairly decide on any deductions which should be made.