Check-In Inventory Report

Overview

A check-in inventory report is a detailed record of a rental property's contents and condition, prepared and agreed at the START of a tenancy. It is not, strictly speaking, a legal requirement in England and Wales — but in practice it is close to indispensable, because it is the primary evidence a landlord needs to justify any deduction from a tenant's deposit at the end of the tenancy, and the primary evidence a tenant needs to dispute an unfair deduction. Why it matters for deposit disputes: under the Housing Act 2004, deposits taken for assured shorthold tenancies must be protected in a government-approved scheme (TDS, DPS or mydeposits). If a landlord and tenant cannot agree on deductions at the end of the tenancy, the dispute goes to the scheme's free alternative dispute resolution (ADR) service. Scheme adjudicators decide almost entirely on the DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE submitted — check-in and check-out reports, dated photographs, and receipts — rather than on oral accounts. A landlord with no check-in report, or a vague one, will typically fail to recover a deduction even for genuine damage, because there is no baseline to compare the property's condition against. What a good inventory covers: room-by-room description of decoration, flooring, fixtures and fittings; a full list of any furniture, appliances and their condition (particularly important for a furnished letting); meter readings (gas, electricity, water) at the start of the tenancy; smoke and carbon monoxide alarm presence and test results; keys and fobs provided; and, ideally, date-stamped photographs supporting each room's description. Cleanliness should be described specifically (e.g. 'professionally cleaned, receipt attached' rather than just 'clean') since cleanliness is one of the most disputed items at check-out. Who should prepare it: ideally an independent inventory clerk, or the landlord/agent with the tenant present and able to raise objections. If the tenant is not present at check-in, they should be given a reasonable period (commonly 3-7 days) to review the report and note any disagreements in writing — an inventory the tenant never had a chance to challenge carries much less weight in a deposit dispute. Relationship to the check-out report: the check-in report only has value once compared against an equally thorough check-out report at the end of the tenancy — see the separate check-out inventory report template. Both should use the same structure and level of detail so a fair comparison can be made. When to use: at (or just before) the start of every assured shorthold tenancy where a deposit is taken, particularly for furnished lettings and lettings with significant fixtures or a garden. Common pitfalls: producing a generic or vague report ('good condition throughout') that gives no usable baseline; not giving the tenant a real opportunity to review and challenge it; and failing to record meter readings, which can otherwise generate separate utility disputes. This template is a drafting aid only; a professional inventory clerk is recommended for higher-value or more complex properties.