Estate agent resource
An inventory is only worth as much as it documents. A weak one falls over at deposit dispute. Use this checklist as a baseline for every check-in — whether you do it in-house or instruct us.
Every check-in inventory should include the following as a minimum — anything less and a tenancy deposit scheme adjudicator can reasonably side with the tenant.
Document everything that is staying with the property. List white goods (with model numbers), furniture, light fittings, blinds and curtains, garden items and any landlord-supplied consumables. Photograph serial numbers and any pre-existing wear in close-up.
Mark any chips, scratches, stains, dents or scuffs — and photograph them up close. This is what saves you at check-out. A vague 'minor mark on wall' line is far weaker than a dated, close-up photo with a written description.
Send the inventory to the tenant on day one and give them seven working days to comment. Their countersignature (or unchallenged silence after the window) makes the document much harder to dispute later.
An inventory without a matching check-out report does only half the job. Always commission a same-clerk check-out at end of tenancy so you have a like-for-like comparison.
Independent, third-party inventories that hold up at deposit dispute — across London and the South East.
