Landlords urged to give careful consideration to inventories

Landlords are being urged to take care when undertaking an inventory as many would not stand up in court if challenged, rman.co.uk reports.

A new report by the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) has claimed that landlords who do not follow correct procedure when it comes to undertaking an inventory could lose out in the long-term. It is therefore advised that landlords only seek out professional letting agents who will ensure proper procedures are adhered to at all times.

Detailed inventories are meant to be given to the tenant at both check-in and check-out. It is also urged that both copies are signed and dated by the landlord and tenant, as well as copies given to both parties. Whilst this is not compulsory, as deposit scheme adjudicators can still use unsigned copies, it is still strongly advised to give the landlord best protection.

If this is not done, AIIC claims, they may not be worth the paper they are written on and would not stand up in a court of law, if the challenge were to go that far.

Speaking to landlordtoday.co.uk of their findings, AIIC chair Pat Barber explained: ”It is so important for landlords to ensure they have all the right paperwork to present to adjudicators.

“Time and again we see landlords losing disputes because they fail to provide the right evidence to show that a tenant has damaged the property. It should always be remembered that the deposit is the tenant’s property until a landlord can prove justification for any deductions.”