5 more common reasons why inventories fail at adjudication

5 more common reasons why inventories fail at adjudication

9:40 AM, 18th March 2011, About 13 years ago 1

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Part 2 of a 2 part series.  Read part one here

With over 23,500 deposit disputes last year year – a figure that is set to increase as tenants become more aware of their rights – it has never been more important to have a professional (and independent) inventory.

Problem 6: Wording in the inventory was too vague (e.g. scuffs to wall) with no supporting visual evidence or poor inaccurate descriptions.
Solution: All inventory personnel should be trained to record concisely.  If you use high definition video evidence, as we do, it will provide all the visual supporting evidence you need.

Problem 7: Some clerks (especially those who do not use photos or video), write very long detailed descriptions in their inventories with lots of small print.  These have been held to impose an unfair burden on the tenant.
Solution: We suggest that the written documents are kept concise so that the tenant can easily read and understand it, and the supporting evidence is provided by video or at least a large number of good quality photographs.

Problem 8: Different systems are used for check-in and check-out making an accurate comparison difficult.
Solution: It is important that the same methods of recording are used for the original inventory and the check-out.

Problem 9: No supporting evidence is provided, or supporting evidence doesn’t clearly show the condition of the item before and after the tenancy.  Whilst having photographs is better than not having them, it is impossible to take photographs of eveything that might be damaged during the tenancy (and also the part of the item that may be damaged).
Solution: Hi-definition video provides the best evidence possible as it offers comprehensive coverage, shows the overall condition of the property and its contents in the context of their surroundings, and a typical video is the equivalent of over 37,500 still photos.

Problem 10: Condition reports that hinge on unusual or unintelligible abbreviations that will probably not be recognised by the tenant will be deemed to be unfair.
Solution: Use plain English and also use trained audio typists to type up the inventory so that they can ensure everything is spelt correctly.

This Guest Article has kindly been submitted by Simon Thomas of The Video Inventory Agency Ltd.




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15:15 PM, 23rd March 2011, About 13 years ago

[...] Frazer’s article about why poor quality inventories can fail at adjudication was published at Property118. Look out for the next article, about some of the real life problems we’ve encountered whilst [...]

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