Pennine Building Surveying

full inventory services

Pennine Building Surveyors Ltd specialise in providing Inventory Clerks for the rental property business working closely with Estate Agents, Solicitors, private Landlords and Tenants.

On the 6th April, 2007 the Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme came into effect. This scheme protects the Tenant from the Landlord or his Agent unfairly withholding a tenancy deposit (bond). But, likewise, the Landlord also needs some way of protecting his property from negligent or wilful damage caused during a tenancy.

An Inventory Clerk

An Independent Inventory Clerk is an independent assessor that should have no vested interested in the property nor have anything other than a professional relationship with either Landlord or Tenant. The Clerk should be impartial and ensure that all reports prepared for the tenancy are unbiased.

Inventory Report

The only fair way around The Tenancy Deposit Scheme is to have a full, professional Inventory compiled by an inventory clerk at the start of the tenancy. This Inventory should be a clear, definitive Report, detailing the property and its contents in minute detail. Ideally a fresh, updated Report should be made available to both parties within one week of the tenancy commencing, allowing the opportunity for both parties to make further observations which may have been overlooked at the time of Inventory compilation.

Check In Report

Alongside the compiled Inventory, there is a separate Report. The Check In, where a Schedule of Condition is filled in. This is signed by the Landlord and Tenant if present (or their Representative). If either or neither are present, the Clerk will sign on their respective behalf. This Report gives an overall view of the property - the general Decorative Condition, The standard of Cleanliness - windows, curtains/blinds, carpets, hard/wood flooring, upholstery, linen etc. On this Report, the Meter Readings will be logged along with Keys supplied.

Inventory Check Out Report

Inventory Check Outs are again an impartial report. This time, the Clerk carefully compares the condition of the property and it's contents against the detailed incoming Inventory Report. At this stage, the Clerk will make notes as to what is a Maintenance Issue (Landlord's responsibility), a Dilapidation Charge/Replacement Issue (Tenant's responsibility) or what is Fair Wear and Tear/To Be Noted Issue. They will also compare the property against the Schedule of Condition and advise the property to be returned in a similar condition to as Check In. i.e. If the property was not professionally cleaned for the tenancy, then the Tenant does not have to have it professionally cleaned when they vacate. We try our up most to use the same Inventory Clerk who carried out the check in report to also carry out the Check out report.

Our Clients (Landlords) who used our Inventory Services found that they were fully protected when it came to the Inventory Check Out. Where a Tenant has disputed the level of damages caused to the Landlord's property, the Inventory, compiled by Pennine was found to be the only, true, definitive record of the property and it's contents at the time of Check In.

Pennine have never, as of yet, had to attend a County Court hearing in relation to a dispute due to the fact that we stand by all of our reports and any independent arbitrator would automatically question if there was an independent third party involved with this tenancy and would take into major consideration the report/s compiled by the independent third party (Pennine Building Surveyors Ltd).