About Us
Why use our company?
We provide a fair, friendly and clear approach, and are accredited by ARLA (the Association of Residential Letting Agents) to provide consistent and detailed inventory services. We have a breadth of experience from small rental properties to large country house estates, commercial properties, equestrian properties and adjudication services, and we are also accredited members of CIArb (the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators). Our experience covers nearly 20 years and many of our clients, agents and landlords have been working with us throughout time.
However well a tenant looks after their property, it will not be in the same condition at the end of the tenancy as it was at its start. Wear and tear to carpets, flooring, and other fixtures, fittings and decorations will, inevitably, have taken place. Even well-looked-after contents will deteriorate with time and use. Landlords need to allow for fair wear and tear during a tenancy. Tenants will, however, be liable for breakages, missing items, or damage to the property, which are in excess of fair wear and tear, as well as cleaning. These issues will arise where a property suffers because of the tenant’s carelessness, negligence, misuse or deliberate damage. Deciding which of these scenarios applies will depend on having good quality information to show a property’s contents, condition and cleanliness at the start and end of the tenancy.
Producing reports that are clear and easy to understand, and with sufficient detail to explain things properly, are much more likely to be understood by tenants – which means that justified tenancy deposit deductions are much more likely to be agreed. We work closely with our clients to ensure deposit disputes are kept to a minimum.
Our experience shows that an independently compiled inventory carries more weight at the end of the tenancy than one produced by a landlord or an agent, as it is impartial and generally more detailed. Most inventories will be sent within 24-48 hours with check-out reports sent on the same day.
What makes a good report?
A well written inventory, check-in and check-out report provides a level of detail and understanding that is hard to match by reliance on other methods such as photographs or video alone. An album of photographs or a lengthy video of a property can be relatively easy to produce but may be of limited use in resolving a dispute in the absence of a written report. We consider that photographs are best used as an addition to, not a substitute for, the written word.
An inventory is a snapshot in time at the start of the tenancy that can be agreed by all parties and used at the end so ensure the tenant has fulfilled their obligations.
All of the current legal requirements of both the landlord and agent should be met, i.e. compliance with furniture and fire safety regulations, minimisation of potential hazards, checking of gas and electric safety issues where possible. Any such problems observed whilst creating the inventory are highlighted by the clerk under the duty of care, and any queries or potential problems highlighted are referred back to the client quickly so that they can be resolved before the tenancy starts.
Without a good quality and highly detailed inventory, alongside check-in and check-out reports, it can be extremely difficult to persuade an adjudicator - as well as a tenant - that deductions from the tenancy deposit are justified.
