The Rise In the Use Of Free Inventory Report Apps

TDS stats have shown that there has been an increase in tenant deposit disputes, with around a third of all agents making a claim. The escalation seems to be in part because it has dawned on people that the process is free of charge so there have been some of them just trying their luck.

The most important thing about taking inventory is that it should be accurate. Today you can download a free property inventory app which will help considerably with ensuring that inventory is correct. Some of these apps have predictive algorithms which suggest items to check and their condition as you go from room to room. Certainly, there is at least one free property inventory app which can be used in either audio or text mode as you choose, and which makes suggestions as you go.

One estate agent that covers Kent and Essex has reported that it has been able to buck the trend of disputes by using an app and by increasing the quality of inventory reports. Instead of outsourcing inventory work, it has brought it in-house and employed its’ own clerks too. It also takes more photographs. This has helped considerably with landlords who it says are more likely to accept wear and tear when they can see it for themselves in the mid-term reports that they receive as time passes.

Another thing that they have done is to introduce a pre-checkout visit three weeks before the checkout. This enables them to show the tenant the original inventory and as a result they have found that there are very few issues when they actually undertake the final inspection.

Many agents do, of course, use a third party to prepare reports on the basis that there are less likely to be any issues over conflict of interest. However, it is interesting to note that this can still arise if the agent is accused of paying their favourite third party to produce the report.

What is most important is that reports are as accurate as they can be and that plenty of photographs are taken, because, as the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.