Inventories and check-in evidence

A check-in inventory establishes the starting condition against which later allegations can be assessed. A list saying only 'sofa, table, carpet' records presence, not cleanliness, age or damage.

Describe condition at room level

Record marks, wear, missing parts and whether appliances operate. Use clear photographs showing both the room and the particular defect. Identify meter readings, keys and provided equipment separately from decorative condition.

Give the tenant a reasonable opportunity to comment and retain corrections with dates. A disputed entry should remain traceable rather than being replaced by an apparently agreed description.

Preserve the original baseline

Keep the version supplied at check-in alongside later photographs and repair records. If furniture is replaced during the tenancy, record the change so the departure comparison uses the correct item.

Deposit adjudication depends on relevant evidence of condition and loss. ^[1] Deposit disagreements explains how deductions are assessed; check-out disputes concerns the final comparison. An unsigned inventory may still be evidence, but its reliability and whether the tenant had an opportunity to respond will matter.

Inspect the home that is actually handed over

Arrange the inventory at a point that reflects the property supplied to the tenant. If cleaners or builders are still working, mark incomplete areas and record what changes before occupation. A report prepared several weeks earlier may miss a damaged appliance, removed furniture or new decoration. Identify the inspection date, the person making it and the intended handover date. Where those dates differ, explain the gap and any intervening activity so the starting record is not mistaken for a snapshot of a different condition.

Describe each room consistently enough for someone unfamiliar with the home to find the item. Distinguish the front bedroom from the rear bedroom, and identify a particular wall or cupboard rather than write marks present. Include the condition of supplied fixtures and furnishings as well as their existence. A list containing sofa, oven and curtains tells a later reader little about cleanliness, age or damage. Use ordinary descriptive language and state when a feature was not inspected instead of filling the gap with a favourable assumption.

Use photographs to support the written description

Take wider images that establish the room and closer images that show significant detail. A close-up of a scratch is difficult to interpret if it cannot be linked to the relevant door or worktop. Preserve original files and connect their names to the inventory entries. Ensure the image quality is sufficient to see what the description refers to. Do not rely on a printed date caption alone where the wider circumstances are unclear, and avoid alterations that change the apparent condition being recorded.

Photographs can omit matters such as an odour, a loose fitting or an appliance function that was not tested. Record those observations carefully in words and distinguish a visual inspection from a safety assessment. An inventory is not a substitute for specialist gas or electrical records. If a device cannot be tested safely or without instructions, note that limitation and arrange the appropriate follow-up. This prevents an entry reading good condition from being treated as evidence of a technical conclusion the inventory clerk never reached.

Give tenant comments a visible place in the record

Provide the report and associated images in a readable form, with a clear channel for corrections. Explain any requested response date without asserting that silence necessarily proves agreement with every statement. A tenant should compare the record with the property promptly and identify the exact entry they dispute. Numbered comments are easier to reconcile than a general message saying the report is wrong. Preserve the original report, the comments and the response so it remains possible to identify what was observed by whom and when.

If the parties agree a correction, issue an identified revised version or an attached correction schedule. Do not silently overwrite the original after a tenant has signed it. Where an issue remains disputed, record both descriptions and any supporting photographs rather than require a false statement of agreement to release keys. Deposit disputes are decided on evidence through the relevant scheme process where used. ^[1] An intelligible record of disagreement is more useful than a signature page detached from the report it supposedly confirms.

Track starting items through the tenancy

Record meter readings and key numbers as separate handover facts, making clear which meter serves the property. Do not photograph passwords, alarm codes or unrelated personal papers merely to make the inventory look comprehensive. Where the property includes an outbuilding, parking space or stored furniture, state whether it is included in the letting and whether it was inspected. Ambiguity about a cupboard retained by the landlord can otherwise turn into a later allegation about access or missing contents that were never supplied to the tenant.

When an item is replaced during occupation, add a dated record identifying what was removed, what was supplied and its condition. Keep the relevant receipt or contractor note where available and ask the tenant to report discrepancies promptly. The new entry should supplement the original inventory, not make an older item appear to have been new at the start. At departure, the resulting history should enable a fair comparison between the item actually provided and the item returned, with later changes visible rather than reconstructed from memory.