This time of year is always busy with our student lets, with all of our contracts coming to an end in June and July! So, it’s cleaning, maintenance and INVENTORIES!
Just what is an inventory though? We often feel there’s a bit of bad feeling towards them, but honestly they’re not there to catch you out.
What is it?
An inventory is basically a long document detailing the condition of the house/property you’re moving into. They can be as brief, or as detailed as the landlord or agent wants. Here at Redfern we focus on the following for each room:
- Condition of the walls
- Condition of the ceilings
- Cleanliness
- Condition of the furniture
- Condition of any sockets
- Condition of skirtings
- Condition of any soft furnishings provided
- Condition of the windows
We also make sure to take photos of all smoke alarms, make a note of the keys provided for each room, take meter readings and input if the latest tests have been done. For each of the bullet points we take photos and if needed, make comments on the conditions.
Why do we do it?
There are two reasons why an inventory is necessary – for our tenants, and for our landlords. When you sign up to live in a house, you will have paid a deposit which will be kept by the DPS or a similar Government scheme (this is law in Wales). The purpose of the deposit is to protect the landlord against any damages (beyond fair wear and tear) and rent arrears.
An inventory works both ways – it can easily prove the condition of a property at the start of a tenancy, and at the end – to benefit the tenants and the landlord. It’s not there just to protect the landlord! An inventory is also used by the DPS if there was ever a dispute over returning the deposit too.
We also ask tenants to check the property when they move in, once you get your inventory you’ll have 7 days to double check it. We’re only human afterall, so if we miss anything we ask you to write it on the inventory or point it out in writing, and this will be used as part of the inventory document!