Inventory Report
A room-by-room, photo-evidenced record of your property's condition and contents at the start of a tenancy — compiled by an independent clerk, delivered as a signature-ready PDF, and built to stand up in front of a deposit scheme adjudicator.
What's recorded
Detail is the whole product
An inventory that says "lounge: good condition" is worth almost nothing in a dispute. Ours works to schedule-of-condition depth: each room is broken into its elements — ceiling, walls, woodwork, flooring, windows, doors, sockets and switches, light fittings — and each element is described with its finish and any existing marks, chips or wear noted precisely. In kitchens and bathrooms, units, worktops, sanitaryware and appliances are covered individually, with appliance makes and models recorded.
Date-stamped photographs are embedded against the text they support, not dumped in an appendix — so three years later, an adjudicator reading about a scratch on the third stair can see that exact scratch. For furnished lets, every supplied item is listed and photographed; for unfurnished lets, the focus stays on the fabric and fittings.
The report closes with the housekeeping facts that get forgotten and then argued about: meter serial numbers and readings, every key and fob issued, and the presence and test status of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
Every report includes
- Room-by-room condition, element by element
- Contents listed and described (furnished lets)
- Embedded, date-stamped photographs throughout
- Meter serials and readings; keys and fobs logged
- Smoke and CO alarm presence recorded
- Clean PDF ready for tenant signature
Why independent
Adjudicators weigh the author as well as the words
When a deposit dispute goes to adjudication, nobody visits the property. The decision is made entirely on documents — and the first thing an adjudicator considers is whether the starting-condition evidence is credible. A detailed report compiled by an independent clerk, dated before the tenancy and signed or shared with the tenant, is close to unarguable. A landlord's own checklist, written from memory or assembled after a problem emerged, is exactly the kind of evidence that gets discounted — not because landlords are dishonest, but because self-interest is baked into the document's origin.
The burden of proof sits with the landlord. Deposit schemes treat the deposit as the tenant's money: to keep any of it, the landlord must prove the loss. Without a credible inventory there is usually nothing to compare the end condition against — and the claim fails on evidence, regardless of what actually happened to the carpet.
The inventory is the anchor of a three-part evidence chain: it sets the baseline, the check-in report gets that baseline agreed and signed on move-in day, and the check-out report compares the end condition against it item by item. Add mid-term inspections and the chain covers the whole tenancy.
How it works
Booked, compiled, delivered
Book
Send the address, bedrooms and furnishing level; we confirm a fixed price and a visit slot — ideally after cleaning, before move-in.
Document
The clerk works through the property room by room, photographing as they go and recording meters, keys and alarms.
Deliver
You receive a clean, signature-ready PDF to issue to the tenant — or we handle the signing at a check-in.
Landlords and letting agents can put whole portfolios on a standing arrangement — one instruction per tenancy change, consistent format across every property. Send the details for a fixed quote.
Common questions
Inventory report questions, answered
How much does an inventory report cost?
It depends on the size of the property and whether it's furnished — a furnished four-bed takes far longer to document than an empty one-bed flat. Send the address, bedroom count and furnishing level via the quote form and we'll reply with a fixed quote, usually the same working day.
Why does the report need to be independent?
Deposit scheme adjudicators decide disputes on the paperwork alone — they never visit the property. A report compiled by a clerk with no stake in the tenancy carries materially more weight than one the landlord wrote, because there's no incentive to overstate condition. Independence is precisely what you're paying for.
When should the inventory be done?
After cleaning and any works, and before the tenant moves in — the report should capture the exact condition the tenant receives. Most clients book it a day or two before the tenancy starts, or combine it with a check-in on move-in day so the tenant signs it there and then.
What's the difference between furnished and unfurnished scope?
An unfurnished inventory records the fabric of the property: walls, ceilings, floors, doors, windows, kitchen units, sanitaryware and fixed appliances. A furnished inventory adds every supplied item — furniture, soft furnishings, kitchenware — each described and photographed. Tell us which applies and the quote reflects it.
Does the tenant have to sign the inventory?
It's strongly in your interest. An inventory the tenant has signed, or was given a fair window to comment on, is treated as agreed evidence of the starting condition; an unsigned one invites the argument that it was never accepted. The cleanest route is a check-in, where the tenant walks the property and signs on the day.