One question that I get asked from time to time by Landlords is:

“Do I need an Inventory?”

My answer is always a resounding yes!

“But there’s not a lot in my property, it is unfurnished……”

I realise that there is enough to pay for out of your first month’s income and the Inventory and Check In Report just sound like more expense.  But they could be the most important documents you own when it comes to the end of the tenancy.  And even if you are leaving your property unfurnished you still need them.  This is why….

Your Tenant vacates your property and you are not happy with the condition it has been left in.  The carpets and the rest of the property need cleaning.  Naturally you want to do something about it and deduct some money from the Tenant’s deposit.  You have the receipts for the work carried out but without an Inventory and Check In Report you have no proof of the condition of the property when the Tenant moved in.  The result?  The deposit gets returned to the Tenant in full and you are left with a dent in your pocket.

The law relating to Tenants’ deposits changed on 6 April 2007 and from this date all deposits taken for an Assured Shorthold Tenancy must be protected by a Government recognised deposit protection scheme.

At the end of the tenancy the scheme will only allow the deposit to be released when the Landlord and Tenant have agreed for it to be.  Which is great if the Tenant has left everything beautifully but if they don’t and you can’t agree on deductions it is you that will lose out.

If you can’t reach agreement, the schemes’ adjudicators will settle your dispute but without adequate evidence you sadly won’t be entitled to a penny.

Landlords only make the mistake of not preparing an Inventory once – when they have lost out financially.  Don’t let this happen to you.

#inventory #checkin #property #landlord #tenant #dilapidations