Date Published 20 October 2022
"𝙄𝙏 𝙒𝘼𝙎 𝙇𝙄𝙆𝙀 𝙏𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙒𝙃𝙀𝙉 𝙄 𝙈𝙊𝙑𝙀𝘿 𝙄𝙉!"
If you're a landlord, you will most likely have heard this from your tenant at some point, usually when checking them out of your property. Having a clear document report showing the condition when they start renting your property is crucial and will be worth the cost if needed. If you don't have anything to prove what it was like, it's your word against theirs.
𝙒𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙄𝙎 𝘼𝙉 𝙄𝙉𝙑𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔 𝙍𝙀𝙋𝙊𝙍𝙏?
The inventory report is a schedule of condition report of the property, which details the condition in which you provide the property to the tenants at the start of the lease, including cleanliness, colours of walls if there are any marks etc. The inventory report will then be used to check the property's condition when the tenant is leaving the property at the end of the lease. This will be used as evidence if you wish to make a claim on the tenant's deposit for any damages. Without any documentation, you would be unable to claim on the tenant's deposit for damages. It is worth noting, you will have to take into account fair wear and tear. In essence, fair wear and tear is the deterioration of an item or area due to its age and that which would be reasonably expected over the course of a tenancy, that is not due to the tenant's actions or omissions.
It is a common misconception that producing a property inventory is simple, and only needs a basic list of the contents and condition of the property documented.
Reports are often:
❌ Too basic
❌ Lack detail with inadequate descriptions and condition comments
❌ Based on opinion rather than fact
❌ Often fail to list all the rooms/property components
❌ Lack photographic or video evidence to highlight cleaning issues, damage and maintenance issues
❌ Don't include a cleanliness schedule (schedule of condition)
❌ Fail to provide the report to the tenant for comments/signature
𝙈𝙔 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙏𝙔 𝙄𝙎 𝘾𝙇𝙀𝘼𝙉 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙏𝙄𝘿𝙔; 𝘿𝙊 𝙄 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙔 𝙉𝙀𝙀𝘿 𝘼𝙉 𝙄𝙉𝙑𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔?
Even if your property is unfurnished, in good decoration, clean and tidy or contains what you consider to be low-value fittings or fixtures, an inventory report is vital.
For example, if the property walls are in ‘good condition', are painted in a magnolia shade throughout at the start of the tenancy and have no issues, without a thorough inventory report, a landlord will struggle to prove any deterioration like heavy marks, holes or poor redecoration should the tenant fail to maintain the property.
𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝟎𝟏𝟗𝟎𝟖 𝟔𝟗𝟒𝟔𝟗𝟒.
