Sarah – Advice Centre Adviser
Inventory checklist and taking photos
Why is an inventory important?
Having an inventory at the start of your tenancy can be the single best way to protect yourself from future disputes and/or deductions from your deposit. It is important for the following reasons:
On the day you move in take photographs of everything in the property; everything that is broken, damaged, scratched, dirty, marked. Then take photos of everything else, to prove the condition of the property and its contents when you moved in.
• If you have a tenancy that does not require a deposit, it is especially important that you take photographs so that you can have evidence to protect yourself from any future incorrect charges in court.
• Photographs and videos are usually the main pieces of evidence that are considered by the deposit protection schemes when it comes to disputes.
• It is a record of the condition of what the property owner has provided in case there is a later dispute (and therefore is key to the protection of your security deposit)
• It records what the property owner is providing for the rent you pay (potentially important should disrepair/replacing broken items become an issue)
• It establishes that which belongs to the tenant, and which are the property owners’ belongings
How do you create an inventory?
Good property owners or agents will provide an inventory. If an inventory is not provided, we strongly advise you create one upon moving in. The main methods of creating an inventory can be found on the Shelter website here: How to check and agree and inventory – Shelter England