So, you’ve had a tenant on your property, and they’re either due to or already have moved out.
Check-Out Inventory & Report
Alongside having conducted a check-out inventory, having a check-in report to refer to will be imperative to distinguish whether there is an unreasonable decline in condition during their tenancy.
What Is A Check-Out Inventory Report?
A documented report that records the condition of the property as a tenant leaves it, to make notes and take evidence – such as photographs – to determine whether in their tenancy they’ve kept it to a reasonable standard, or whether the condition has deteriorated beyond what is classed acceptable.
Why Is A Check-Out Inventory Report So Important?
A property you’ve put up for rent which has been done to generate a source of income, and what you want to avoid are any surprise costs that dent your profit margin.
Conducting a thorough check-out inventory report will go hand-in-hand with your check-in report, so in the unlikely circumstance you need to claim for damages from a tenancy deposit, you’ll have concrete evidence to support your claim and the findings behind it.
If it falls to an adjudicator to oversee the case and make a final ruling, they’ll be looking to see all the evidence correlates, is clear, time and date-stamped, and is showing a clear shift in condition.
Who Is An Adjudicator and What Is Their Role?
An adjudicator is an unbiased third party that decides if to award your claim or reject your claim if he deems it baseless. All adjudicators are legally qualified and very well-versed to come to a fair decision.
Their decision is final, so if you make a claim again your tenant it is critical that you get your claim robust the first time around.
You want to be able to prove to the adjudicator very clearly what the condition of the property was like before and after so that it is very clear that the tenant is responsible for any damage caused during the time the tenant lived there.
How Is A Check-Out Inventory Report Produced?
Just like an Inventory Check-In Report, with a check-out inventory, you’ll have various ways you can choose from to document the condition of the property.
- Handwritten
- Typed
- Photography
- Videography
- Or Report Based
Some ways of documenting are better than others, we’d suggest a combination of a report-style document, together with photographs being annotated, as well as a short video summarising the overall condition of the property.
Utilising these three sources of information will be a little more time-consuming, but in case you need to refer back to them, it’ll definitely prove its worth if done correctly.
The 8 Things A Check-Out Inventory Report MUST Contain!
To eliminate the need of repeating myself, a check-out inventory is identical to a check-in inventory!
The burning difference is that you’ll be a lot more conscious of a decline in condition, looking out for areas of concern and damage.
The best way to monitor this is to familiarise yourself with the check-in document before you head to the property to conduct the check-out.
This’ll help give you a rough idea of the condition before they moved in, and help you make an informed judgement whilst you’re there of where to focus your efforts.
The 9 things have been discussed in detail in our Inventory Check-In Report article, check on the link to refer to it!
- Property Address
- Tenant’s Name
- Embedded Photographs
- Description
- Utility Meter Readings
- Time & Date Stamped
- Keys
- Safety Alarm Testing
- Signed
Remember, if you’re in a dispute, you want there to be no shadow of a doubt regarding the condition of the property before and after the tenancy.
If an adjudicator is involved then remember that you are trying to convince someone who doesn’t know anything about the property, they’ll be a fresh pair of eyes and are only deciding based on what they can see, and not based on what they are told.
If it comes to it, having all the proof evidenced in a document is the best way to strengthen your case.
What’s Classed As Fair-Wear And Wear?
Wear and tear is the deterioration of an item or an area, due to its age and general use.
So, looking to make deductions from a tenancy deposit should only be done if the damage was avoidable, and due to a tenant’s action or omissions. Not from simply living on the property.
There is one thing that’s certain, and it’s that everything will have a lifespan with a view of needing to be replaced or renewed at some point.
Any damage found should be related to this, 15+ year old carpet that’s frayed, discoloured, and loose at the edges, will have seen better days and it’s expected that it should be replaced due to how long ago it was laid.
Regardless, we’d suggest noting and recording signs of all wear and tear on the check-out inventory, just as a record of the condition the property is in at that current time.
What’s Next?
This should give you a good idea of the foundations needed in a Check-Out Inventory Report, and the reasoning for why it should be so incredibly detailed and thoroughly finished.
You may be reading this thinking ‘I haven’t done most of these points for a check-in report, have I shot myself in the foot?’.
Not necessarily, you know this information now, and it’s recommended you do a mid-term inspection to assess how your tenants are looking after the property anyway.
So, look to conduct a thorough report on your inspection visit, so on their departure, if the condition deteriorates any further you can be sure you did what you could to cover yourself.
Further to completing your check-out inventory, it’ll be time to have both the check-in and check-out inventory reports side-by-side, going from room to room to give you an idea of whether any aspect of the properties condition has declined, and if so, in what way, to what extent.
Finally, determine whether it is written off as wear and tear, or whether it results in a conversation to have with your tenant to ask them to pay for repairs or deduct from their tenancy deposit.
With any findings, approach your tenants calmly and discuss your concerns whilst referring to clear evidence of the shift in condition from before, to after their tenancy.
You’ll want evidence to back up anything you refer to. In the unlikely case, they’re not accepting your findings, refer to your deposit protection scheme to make deductions from the deposit, and escalate it to an adjudicator if necessary.
