Because of the difficulties of drawing up minimum standards for inventories owing to the large variances in properties it is considered by the government not to prescribe it in legislation.
Property inventory checklist is considered to be a schedule of conditions of rental property and its details, furniture, fixture and fittings. It is undeniable that comprehensive inventory check-in and check-out list help to avoid dispute between landlord and tenant and minimize risk of unfair deduction or withholding security deposit.
It is highly recommended in tenancy agreement next terms:
- whether contract has a terms in respect of presence inventory check-in and check-out
- who pays for inventory check-in and check-out
Besides from deposit refund problem it is widely known the disputes in respect of issue of payment forinitial or final inventory check. In general cases, tenancy contract states that landlord pays for inventory check-in service, tenant pays for final inventory service.
But it is became a serious issue if such rule is absence in tenancy agreement. One of the solutions is to conduct move-out inventory on your own using free inventory templates.
If tenancy agreement has no rules related to the property inventory or landlord or letting agency fail to conduct it, then is up to tenant supervise property and complete inventory check-list with enclosed photographs or video. It is important to get a landlord and agent’s sing on this document. If landlord refuses to sign tenant may ask independent person to witness it.
Main parts of inventory check list
Despite the numerous free inventory checklist in Internet, tenant should ensure that it reflects all part of rental property and has clear and comprehensive definition of terms describing condition of different property’s parts.
There is approximate list of terms and conditions of inventory checklist:
- list of all furniture’s pieces and its conditions and quantity
- list of all lights, blinds, curtains, screens and shades
- list of all kitchen appliances and other electrical and electronic devices
- detailed list of contents of the house including walls, floors, cupboards, door and ceilings
- list of outdoor furniture and condition of garden, fences, patio or decking
- terms that describe condition should be understandable and reflects state as accurate as possible. Such word like “good” “bad” “dirty” are not informative and should be avoided in description. Try to write more detailed description or make a high-resolution photo or video
- condition of roof and gutters(whether it have blockage or other damage)
- mould and algae in the corners and on the internal and external walls
- condition of carpets, wooden floor whether it has marks, srcatches, fiber deterioration, discoloration
- door and lock including windows and furniture hinges
- condition of sinks, baths and tiles
There is no obligation in term of law that inventory check must be done by the agency or service firm. As the fee for inventory check start from £70-£80 for one-bedroom property and may reaches a couple of hundreds for large detached house with garden, it is up to tenant to negotiate the conduction of inventory on his own.