The Importance Of Photographs When Taking Inventory

There seems to be a certain amount of confusion in some quarters about the terminology used to describe the recording of a property’s contents, cleanliness, and condition according to the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. It says that alternative expressions such as “schedule of condition” are sometimes used.

According to its’ own website, inventory consists of recording the cleanliness and condition of a property with clearly defined description glossaries, accompanied by any fixtures, fittings, contents and decoration, and with relevant meter readings (the ‘inventory’), immediately before the tenancy starts.

Check-in report consists of getting the tenant’s agreement to the report, which is often done by visiting the property with the tenant or alternatively giving the tenant the chance to provide feedback remotely and agree on the contents, usually within a period of 7 days.

The check-out report is recording the condition and cleanliness of the property when the tenancy ends in order to identify what has changed.

Read More: Click Here

The Tenant Deposit Scheme Has Seen An Increase In Disputes

Over the last few years, landlords and letting agents have seen a sharp increase in the number of disputes since the introduction of the Tenant Deposit Scheme. This has changed in nature from a situation where agreement just couldn’t be reached, to a situation where people are just trying their luck because they have realised that the arbitration process is free.

This works both ways. Some unscrupulous landlords will try to cover fair wear and tear by getting some extra money from the tenant’s deposit, while many tenants will wriggle in order to try and recover the whole of their deposit even though they know that they are in the wrong.

This is why it is more essential than ever to ensure that inventory, check-in, and check-out reports on a property are of sufficient standard that people will think twice about it. One of the best ways to do this is to use one of the apps that landlords and letting agents can download for free to a mobile or tablet. These apps can vary quite considerably, but the aim is the same: to help letting agents and landlords prepare a free condition report which is as accurate as it can be.

Read More: Click Here