When renting your property, having a good condition report or inventory done may not be at the top of your list of priorities. After all, there are dozens of other important bits of Legislation to comply with before you start a tenancy, in fact you may not even have an inventory at all! 

But the reality is, you need to have a good inventory in place at the start of the tenancy to put you the Landlord in a better position at the end. How could you possibly claim back any deposit for damage or change in condition, if you have no evidence? Worried how you will dispute a deposit? 

So... what makes a good inventory. Yes, you could write a description of the property; Living Room – Magnolia Walls – fair condition. But what does that really mean – are there scuffs, peeling wallpaper, self portrait by the previous tenant’s 3-year-old?! 

The best inventories are those completed using a deposit approved software package. These will embed photographs and descriptions into the report giving a clear and concise account of the condition of the property at the start of the tenancy. That’s where we can help!  

Using our software, we are also able to conduct check-out inventories, which will compare photographs from the original inventory side-by-side, making any changes in condition clear and indisputable. For the Deposit schemes it can make the difference between determining what could be "fair wear and tear" and what is damage. 

Midterm checks can be useful throughout the tenancy, ensuring any maintenance issues are dealt with instead of having a long list of repairs at the end of tenancy. Ideally every 3 – 6 months (depending on the tenant) we visit the tenant, chat to them, assess the property and discuss any maintenance issues - and most importantly check they are happy! 

Depending on the property and whether it is furnished or unfurnished, the reports can create their own books! But we supply electronic as well as paper copies.  

If you would like to know more about the value of an Inventory for a Landlord, to see a sample of our work, or to discuss how we can help you with the on-going management of your property - please give us a call.  

Our Inventory service is available to all Landlords either included as part of our management package or just as an individual service. See you soon! 

 

Sue and Nikki 

Richard Blake Lettings 

01803 226111