Nobody sets out to have a deposit dispute. But when one happens, the landlord who wins is almost always the one with the better paperwork. A clear inventory and check-in report turns "he said, she said" into "here is the photo, dated and signed". It takes a couple of hours at the start of a tenancy and can save you weeks of argument at the end.
With the Renters' Rights Act now in force, this matters more than ever. Tenancies are periodic, so there is no fixed end date to plan around. Your tenant can leave on two months' notice, which means the move-out can arrive sooner than you expected, and your records need to be ready from day one.
Why the inventory carries so much weight
If you and your tenant disagree about deductions, the dispute goes to the deposit scheme you used. The adjudicator looks at the evidence and, in practice, it is usually up to the landlord to show that a deduction is justified. That means proving what condition the property was in at the start, what it was like at the end, and that the difference is more than fair wear and tear. Without a decent inventory, the first of those is just your word against theirs. Our guide to the tenancy deposit protection rules covers how to protect the money itself.
Seven steps to a solid inventory
- Step 1: Start with a clean, empty property. Do the inventory after the final clean and any repairs, and before the tenant moves belongings in. Photographing a property that is still half-cleaned invites arguments about what was there before.
- Step 2: Go room by room, in the same order every time. Work clockwise from the door: ceiling, walls, windows, floor, fixtures, then furniture and fittings. A consistent route means nothing gets skipped, and it makes the check-out comparison far easier.
- Step 3: Describe condition in plain, specific words. "Good" tells nobody anything. "Carpet: grey, light wear near doorway, no stains" does. Note colours, materials, marks, chips and scuffs. Use a simple rating scale (for example new, good, fair, poor) and apply it the same way throughout.
- Step 4: Take dated photos, then more of them. Wide shots of each room, then close-ups of anything already worn or damaged. Photograph the inside of the oven, the bathroom grouting, the garden and any outbuildings. Make sure the files carry a date, and keep the originals.
- Step 5: Record meter readings and safety items. Note gas, electric and water readings with photos of the meters. Record the number and location of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and confirm they were tested. Keep copies of the gas safety certificate and electrical report alongside the inventory. Our guide to the gas safety certificate explains what you need to hold.
- Step 6: Log keys, appliances and extras. Count the keys and fobs issued. List each appliance with make and model if you can, and note any manuals handed over. Anything you supply should appear on the list, so there is no question later about what was or was not there.
- Step 7: Share it, sign it, and give a window to comment. Send the report to your tenant at or before move-in, and ask them to check it against the property. A common approach is to allow around seven days to flag anything they disagree with, then to have both sides sign and keep a copy. A report the tenant has seen and agreed carries far more weight than one that appears for the first time at the end.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Vague wording: phrases like "fair condition" with no detail will not help an adjudicator.
- Photos with no context: a close-up of a stain is useless if nobody can tell which room or wall it is on. Take a wider shot first.
- Skipping the garden and loft: outdoor areas and storage are common sources of end-of-tenancy disagreement.
- Forgetting existing issues: if something is already damaged, record it. That protects the tenant, and it protects you from a claim that you hid a problem. Serious issues such as damp should be dealt with, not just noted. Our guide to black mould and what landlords need to know explains why.
- Treating it as a one-off: periodic tenancies can run for years. Consider a mid-tenancy inspection with reasonable notice, with a short written note and photos, so changes are recorded as they happen rather than discovered at the end.
Check-out day: using the report
When the tenant gives notice, book the check-out as close to the end date as you can, ideally with the tenant present. Walk the same route you used at check-in and compare each item against the original photos and notes. Take fresh photos from the same angles. Where you find a difference, ask whether it is damage, or simply the passage of time. A carpet that is five years older will look five years older, and a deposit cannot be used to replace it with a new one. Deductions should reflect the real cost of putting right damage the tenant caused, not betterment.
Share your findings with the tenant promptly and in writing, with the evidence attached. Most disagreements are settled at that point, long before a scheme adjudicator is needed.
Do it yourself or hire a professional?
A diligent landlord can produce a perfectly good report with a phone and a checklist. A professional inventory clerk brings consistency and neutrality, and a tenant is less likely to dispute a report written by a third party. For furnished lets, larger homes or higher-value deposits, the fee is usually money well spent. Whichever route you take, keep the files somewhere safe and backed up, because you may need them years later.
If you would rather not carry that admin yourself, our fully managed service handles the paperwork and tenant communication for you. And if you are still looking for the right person to move in, our tenant find service takes care of marketing, viewings and referencing, so you start the tenancy with a well-vetted tenant and a clean record.
The short version
Before your next tenant gets the keys, set aside a couple of hours. Empty, clean property, room-by-room notes, plenty of dated photos, meter readings, signed agreement. It is dull work, but it is the best protection you have if a deposit dispute ever lands on your desk.
