Property inventories that hold up at adjudication

England. Deposit protection and adjudication operate similarly across the UK, with scheme-specific procedures.

What the inventory has to do

It has to prove the condition of the property, and of everything in it, on the day the tenant took possession — in enough detail that the same person could look at it at the end and say what changed. “Kitchen: good condition” does not do that. “Kitchen: worktop free of burns and chips; one 40mm scratch left of the sink, photographed” does.

Include	Detail that makes it evidence
Every room, and every surface in it	Walls, ceiling, floor covering, doors, windows, skirting — each described separately, not as one line
Existing damage and wear	Described precisely and photographed. Recording existing damage protects you as much as the tenant.
Fixtures, fittings and appliances	Make, model, condition, and confirmation that each one works
Furniture, if supplied	Item by item, with fire safety labels photographed
Meter readings	Gas, electricity, water, with photographs of the displays
Keys	How many of each, issued to whom
Alarms	Confirmation that each smoke and CO alarm was tested on the day — a legal duty as well as evidence
Garden and exterior	Condition of lawn, borders, fencing, sheds, guttering
Cleanliness	Described room by room, with photographs. “Professionally cleaned” is a claim; photographs are proof.

The three mistakes that lose money

1. No signature. An inventory the tenant never agreed to is one party’s account. Have them sign it at check-in, or send it with a clear window — commonly seven days — to comment, and keep proof you sent it. Unchallenged after a fair opportunity is far stronger than never sent.
2. No check-out. The comparison is the claim. Without a dated check-out record in the same format, there is nothing to compare the check-in to, and the deduction fails however obvious the damage looks to you.
3. No evidence of cost. “The carpet is ruined, I want £800” is not a claim. Quotes or invoices are, and adjudicators expect a like-for-like remedy rather than an upgrade.

Fair wear and tear

You cannot charge for the reasonable use of the property over the length of the tenancy by the number of people living there. Carpets flatten, paint scuffs, seals discolour. The test is proportionate use, not perfection.

Usually fair wear and tear	Usually chargeable
Traffic-worn carpet in a hallway after three years	A cigarette burn or a large stain in the same carpet
Scuff marks on painted walls	Holes from unagreed shelving, or a repaint in a different colour
Faded curtains or blinds	Torn or missing curtains
Worn seals around a bath	A cracked bath panel or basin
Garden looking tired at the end of winter	A garden left knee-deep after two summers, where the agreement required maintenance
Limescale in a hard water area	Blocked waste from misuse

Doing it yourself, or paying for it

A professional inventory clerk costs somewhere in the low hundreds and produces an independent, formatted, timestamped report. That independence carries weight, and on a higher-value property or a first tenancy it is usually money well spent.

A self-made inventory is perfectly acceptable if it is thorough. What makes it work: a consistent room-by-room structure, a photograph of every item and defect you describe, the date visible, the tenant’s signature, and the identical format used at check-out. What makes it fail: written months after the tenant moved in, no photographs, no signature, and a different format at the end.

Mid-tenancy inspections

Inspect periodically — commonly every six months — with proper written notice, normally at least 24 hours, at a reasonable time. Record what you find in the same format, with photographs. That interim record does two things: it gives you a dated position between check-in and check-out, and it demonstrates you were managing the property, which matters if there is ever an argument about disrepair or damp.

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