It’s important to conduct an inventory and schedule of condition prior to your tenants moving into a property. The inventory states what the property contains and the schedule of condition states the condition of various parts of the property. These are commonly incorporated in one document. The tenant must be given an opportunity to review the document and confirm that they agree to its content or suggest amendments all within a reasonable time frame. The document will usually provide a deadline after which it will be deemed to have been agreed if no amendments have been suggested. Without an agreement on the condition of the property and what it contained at the start of the tenancy, your tenants might dispute any claims you make following the move-out inspection and you’ll have no way to support your claim. As tenant deposits must now be protected in an approved scheme, it’s more important than ever to have proper documentation in case of a dispute You can conduct the inspection yourself, ask your letting agent to do it or use an independent inventory clerk. Some guidance follows on check-in and check-out and how to calculate claimable costs, taking into account depreciation. We’ve also provided a basic sample inventory for you to download which you should modify to suit your needs

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