Tenancy Inventory In London

With most tenancies now requiring six weeks rent in advance, these days tenancy deposits are no meagre sum and even for the most discerning, accidents can happen.

An Inventory House UK, our tenancy inventory reports which are carried out by our own qualified inventory clerks in London, help to protect your deposit by firstly detailing the exact condition of the property the day you move in, therefore ensuring you are not charged for any already existing damages, and secondly by assessing and stating at check-out, when any dilapidations are the result of ‘fair wear and tear’.

At Inventory House our aim is to make tenancy inventory check-ins and check-outs as easy and hassle free as possible for all parties concerned. Inventory House provide independent inventory clerks to complete thorough and accurate tenancy inventory reports.

We hope you will continue to visit our website, you can register on-line to keep up to date with our news blogs and receive relevant information on both our services and the lettings market in general. With that in mind we have provided some useful and relevant information to ensure your move in and move out goes smoothly, such as a property cleaning schedule, a guide to preparing for check-out and answers to frequently asked questions.

The Inventory House Property Cleaning Schedule is designed to provide you with a cleaning schedule for all property types which Inventory House personnel work to during an inspection. This can be used to guide you in preparing a property for check-out or to provide the cleaning company you are using with a comprehensive list of requirements to ensure the property is cleaned to the highest standard, hopefully avoiding any unnecessary deposit disputes over cleaning.
FAQ’s

What Does The Inventory Process Mean For Me?

Hopefully an independent and professional inventory clerk (in fact hopefully an Inventory House inventory clerk) will have inspected the property you are moving into usually on the day you move in or if not, prior to you moving in, producing a check-in report which clearly outlines the condition of the property in considerable detail.

Room by room the inventory clerk will determine the cleanliness of the property and record what damages, if any are present at the time. Digital photographs are taken of the property and in particular of any discrepancies or issues found at that time.

You are able to access a copy of this report on-line here on our website or you will receive a copy of the check-in report by post or e-mail and you will need to keep this in a safe place so that you can refer back to it at the end of your tenancy. It is important you take the time to read through this document and make sure you are happy with it.

We should point out that your tenancy agreement takes precedence over any other document. You are well advised to read and understand the terms and conditions set out in the agreement. The UK tenancy agreement will usually detail what is expected of you as the tenant, both during and at the end of your tenancy. Most importantly, how you are expected to look after the property, because failure to do so will impact on the return of your deposit.

Your tenancy deposit is more than likely being held and protected by a government regulated deposit scheme (Tenancy Deposit Regulations – April 2007). All deposit schemes recommend there is a professional independent inventory check-in carried out at the beginning of every tenancy and a check-out inspection at the end of every tenancy. So you can be assured that by our very presence your landlord and/ or estate agent are taking this process very seriously and acting in the most professional and fair manner.

What Is The Tenancy Deposit Scheme?

A full guide to the scheme is available on our website, but in short, from April 2007 all Landlords, Estate Agents, Property Managers who take a UK tenancy deposit are required to join and register the deposit with a tenancy deposit scheme.

Below we have provided a list with links to all of the current tenancy deposit protection schemes. Please click on the links to find out more information on each of the providers.

Deposit Protection Service www.depositprotection.com

Tenancy Deposit Solutions www.mydeposits.co.uk

The Dispute Service www.tds.gb.com

All schemes offer a dispute resolution service at the end of a UK tenancy agreement should a disagreement arise between landlord and tenant.

All schemes promote/advise that an independent inventory check-in and check-out report be carried out for each tenancy so that a satisfactory and informed decision can be made to resolve any disputes.

All schemes impose regulations on the time it takes to return a tenants deposit.

Why Use Inventory House?

With over 10 years experience Inventory House to put it simply, provides the most thorough property inventory services in London. Our dedication and enthusiasm in what we do offer added value giving you complete confidence in us and complete peace of mind in our service.

We produce independent inventory reports that you can rely on to be detailed, thorough and to the very highest standard. We record any damages with accuracy and with the support of digital photographs; making any dispute clear and simple to resolve and thereby making it far more straight forward to recover any costs incurred.

If an item is in good condition, we say it is, leaving no doubt of the condition the item was in at check-in come check-out. Oh and no silly abbreviations either!

Inventory House operate a completely transparent pricing policy. The price we quote is the price you pay. There are no additional fees for additional rooms, or for evening, weekend and bank holiday bookings, or for the congestion charge and we won’t charge a cancellation fee unless made within 2 hours of the booking.

Who Is The Inventory Clerk?

All Inventory House representatives have undertaken the most rigorous and thorough job training available at present. A process that is constantly ongoing and developing to improve standards within our company and industry as a whole.

Our independent inventory clerks are always happy to help with any questions you might have, such as working out how to operate the central heating or finding out where the rubbish bins are; but please remember they are an inventory specialist not an electrical or gas engineer. They are not qualified to operate appliances nor have they usually had any contact with tenant or Landlord prior to the day of move in and they have not been fully briefed on how the property works. Ultimately it is the landlord/ estate agents who are more than likely able to answer such questions

Moving Out, Am I Ready For The Check-out?

We are often asked by tenants what is required of them to prepare the property for vacating. Moving out can be a very hectic time and being prepared in advance for the check-out will mean one less worry on the day.

So below, we have short listed a number of basic things for you to consider before check-out. Please be sure to check-out the Inventory House cleaning schedule for a comprehensive guide to cleaning prior to check-out, this guide can be used to ensure your cleaning company (or you) clean the property to the standard the inventory clerk is looking for at check-out.

A few important things to consider at check-out:

All tenants have a responsibility to return the property in the same condition that it was let to them, of course allowing for fair wear and tear. You will find more detailed information on what is considered to be fair wear and tear and what it means here on our web-site.

If you are going to be present at the check-out appointment you will usually be required to return all the keys for the property to the inventory clerk. This means you need to be ready to leave the property, having removed all of your belongings by the prearranged appointment time. If you are not going to be present at the check-out all keys should be returned to the estate agents / landlord prior to the check-out appointment again ensuring all of your belongings have been removed.

Check your UK tenancy agreement and check-in report to see if you are required to have the property (including carpets and upholstery) professionally cleaned. If so, ensure this is complete for check-out and have a receipt available to show the inventory clerk.

You should ensure you provide the inventory clerk, landlord or estate agent with a forwarding address for correspondence regarding deposit return and final utility bills. If you have changed the utilities supplier(s) during the tenancy, make sure you inform the clerk. If you are not going to be at the check-out, you can leave a note with all this information in the property for the clerk.

Any of the landlord’s furniture/ items packed away and not used by you or any furniture moved during your stay should be placed back in its original position as noted on your check-in. If you don’t and the inventory clerk cannot find a particular item, it may result in you being charged for a suitable replacement.