How to Conduct a Property Inventory Properly

# How to Conduct a Property Inventory Properly

The inventory is your single most important piece of evidence at the end of every tenancy. If you cannot prove the property was in a specific condition on day one, the deposit scheme adjudicator will assume it was not. This guide shows you exactly how to compile, photograph, sign off and refresh an inventory that holds up under TDS, DPS or MyDeposits adjudication.

What an inventory actually is

It is two documents in one:

1. Schedule of contents — every item the tenant is being handed (furniture, appliances, crockery, keys, smoke alarms, meter cards).
2. Schedule of condition — the state of each room, surface and item at the start of the tenancy.

A list of furniture without condition notes is useless in a dispute. A condition narrative without contents is incomplete.

When to compile it

• Day of check-in, before keys are handed over. Not the day before, not the day after — the same day. Otherwise the tenant can argue something changed.
• In an empty property. Tenant belongings hide damage and create disputes about what was already there.
• After a professional clean if you want to claim cleaning at check-out. You can only claim "return to start condition" — and you must prove the start was clean.

The structure that wins disputes

Use a consistent template, room by room, with these columns:

Cover every room in this order: external, entrance hall, living room, kitchen, dining, bedrooms (each), bathrooms, WCs, utility, loft access, garden, garage, parking.

The photo standard that actually evidences

Cheap photos lose disputes. Use these rules:

• Resolution: minimum 8 MP. You must be able to zoom into a 2cm stain and still read it.
• Lighting: every light on, curtains open, daylight where possible. Avoid flash glare on glossy surfaces.
• Angles: wide shot of each room from every corner, plus close-ups of every defect.
• Time stamps: enable date/time in the camera EXIF data. iPhones and Android cameras do this by default.
• Reference numbers: name the file `LR-01-living-room-wide.jpg` so it cross-references the inventory grid.

A typical 2-bed flat will generate 80–150 photos. A 5-bed HMO can hit 300+.

Meters, keys and alarms

These three categories cause more disputes than anything else. Capture:

• Meter readings: photograph the meter face showing the reading and the meter serial number. Gas, electric, water if metered.
• Keys: count and photograph every key handed over — front door, back door, window keys, mailbox, parking fob, alarm fob. The tenant signs the key count.
• Smoke and CO alarms: photograph each alarm with the test light visible and note the manufacture/expiry date on the back.

The sign-off process

1. Email the inventory to the tenant within 24 hours of move-in.
2. Give them 7 days to mark up, return amendments, or sign as accurate.
3. Send a written reminder at day 5 if you've heard nothing.
4. Treat silence as acceptance only after the written reminder.
5. Store the signed (or implicitly accepted) version with the tenancy file for the duration plus 6 years.

Fair wear and tear vs damage

The House of Lords definition (Brown v Quinn, 1947) still governs: "reasonable use of the premises by the tenant and the ordinary operation of natural forces".

Examples adjudicators treat as wear and tear:

• Faded paint after a 2-year tenancy.
• Light traffic wear on carpets.
• Small picture hook holes (if pictures were reasonable).
• Limescale on taps in a hard-water area.

Examples adjudicators treat as damage:

• Cigarette burns.
• Pet stains and odours.
• Holes from screws or large hooks.
• Crayon, paint or marker on walls.
• Broken or missing items.

Adjudicators apportion based on the expected lifespan of the item, the tenancy length, and the quality of evidence. A carpet with a 10-year expected life, replaced after a 4-year tenancy, can only be claimed at 60% — you'd have had to replace it eventually.

Mid-tenancy inspections

A property inventory is not a one-off. Schedule:

• Month 3: settling-in inspection.
• Month 6: full property inspection with photo update.
• Annually thereafter: full property inspection.

Each inspection produces a dated report and updated photos. This builds a timeline that prevents a tenant arguing damage happened "before they moved in".

Check-out inventory

Repeat the check-in process in reverse. Use the same template, photograph the same angles, and produce a line-by-line comparison. Any disputed items go to the deposit scheme with both sets of photos attached.

Should you DIY or hire an inventory clerk?

An independent clerk is harder to challenge because they have no financial interest in the outcome. If you've lost a dispute in the last two years, hire one.

What to do if the tenant refuses to sign

Send the inventory by recorded delivery and email with read receipt. State in writing: "If we receive no amendments within 7 days, we will treat this inventory as accepted as accurate." Keep the email, the delivery proof, and any silence. Adjudicators routinely accept this as implied acceptance.

Where to store it

• Cloud backup (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive).
• Local copy on an external drive.
• Within your property management system (Smart Sleep Property stores inventories against each tenancy automatically).

Never rely on a single laptop. Hard drives fail at exactly the moment you need the file.