The short answer
An inventory is a dated record of what is in the property and what condition it is in on the day the tenant moves in. It lists each room, each item in it, a plain description of its condition and cleanliness, and photos. It ends with the meter readings, the keys handed over and the alarms tested, and the tenant’s signature or comments. At the end of the tenancy the check-out is done against it, line by line.
This page gives the checklist and the wording to use. Whether to do it with an app, and how LetCompliance does that, is a separate help page linked at the end.
Why it matters
Deposit disputes are decided on evidence. GOV.UK’s page on deposit disputes (read 20 October 2026) says the protection schemes offer a free dispute resolution service, that both sides will be asked to provide evidence, and that the decision is final. Without a check-in record there is nothing to compare the check-out with. You still have to protect the deposit within 30 days of receiving it, and return it within 10 days of agreeing the amount (GOV.UK “Tenancy deposit protection”, read 20 October 2026).
When to do it
- Check-in. As close to the move-in day as you can, after the cleaning and any repairs, so nothing changes between the record and the keys
- Mid-tenancy. An inspection is not an inventory, but its photos help show when damage appeared
- Check-out. On or just after the day the tenant leaves, using the check-in as the list
How to do it yourself, step by step
- Clean first, then record. A home recorded as professionally cleaned is the standard you can ask for back
- Work room by room in the same order every time, starting at the front door, ceiling to floor in each room
- Describe, do not grade. “Light scuff 10cm long by the light switch” beats “good”. Use a condition word as well, but the description is what a dispute turns on
- Photograph every line, wide shots of each room and close-ups of every mark, with the date kept in the file
- Read the meters and record the keys with the number of each type handed over
- Test the alarms on the day. Regulation 4(1)(b) of the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 requires checks that each alarm is in proper working order on the day a new tenancy begins (legislation.gov.uk, read 20 October 2026)
- Give the tenant a copy to check, with a date to send comments by, and attach their comments rather than arguing with them
Budget at least an hour for a small unfurnished flat and much longer for a furnished house. Rushing is how the thirteenth item gets missed, and it is usually the one in dispute.
The checklist, room by room
Template, adapt to your property. Delete what does not exist and add what is unusual. For each line record the condition, cleanliness, notes and photo references.
Front page: property address; date and time of the inventory; who carried it out; tenant names; whether the property is furnished; the condition words used and what each means (for example excellent, good, fair, poor, damaged, missing, not applicable).
- Every habitable room. Walls and ceiling; flooring; skirting and architrave; door, frame and handle; window, frame, sill and locks; light fitting, shade and switch; sockets and switch plates; radiator, valves and pipework; curtains, blinds and fittings
- Entrance and hallway. Front door, frame, lock and letterbox; door chain, spyhole and bolts; entry phone; consumer unit and RCD; smoke alarm; thermostat or heating programmer
- Kitchen. Worktops and edging; units, doors and handles; drawers; sink, taps and waste; sealant around sink and worktop; splashback and tiling; oven, shelves and door glass; hob and controls; extractor hood and filter; fridge and freezer, shelves and seals; washing machine, hoses and filter; dishwasher; microwave; boiler and pressure gauge; stopcock and isolation valves; bins; fire blanket; heat or smoke alarm
- Lounge and dining room. Sofa and armchairs; tables; TV aerial point; fireplace, surround and hearth; carbon monoxide alarm; dining table and chairs
- Each bedroom. Bed frame and headboard; mattress and protector; wardrobe, rails and hangers; drawers and bedside table; mirror; door lock and key in an HMO
- Bathroom and WC. Bath, panel and taps; shower, hose, head and controls; screen or curtain and rail; WC, cistern, seat and flush; basin, taps and waste; sealant and grout; wall and floor tiling; extractor fan; mirror and cabinet; towel rail
- Utility room. Boiler and flue; hot water cylinder; washing machine plumbing; tumble dryer and vent; mains stopcock
- Stairs and landing. Treads and nosings; stair carpet; bannister and spindles; light fittings; smoke alarm; loft hatch
- Outside. Lawn and borders; patio or decking; fences, panels and posts; boundary walls; gate and lock; shed; outside tap; outside lighting; drains and gullies; gutters and downpipes; bins; path and drive
- Garage, loft and conservatory. Garage door and mechanism; loft hatch, insulation and water tank; any sign of damp or daylight at the roof; conservatory glazing, roof panels and doors
- Communal areas in an HMO. Hallway walls and flooring; fire doors, closers and strips; fire door signage; emergency lighting; fire alarm panel and call points; extinguisher and blanket
- Meters, keys and safety. Electricity, gas and water meter readings; each set of keys and fobs issued, with numbers; alarm code; smoke and carbon monoxide alarms tested at handover; stopcock shown to the tenant; manuals left at the property
Sign-off wording, for each tenant: “I have received a copy of this inventory dated [date]. Any comments on it sent in writing to [landlord name and email] by [date] will be attached to it.” Signed and dated.
Check-out against the check-in
Walk the same list in the same order and record each line again, with new photos. Compare item by item. Ordinary wear from living in a home is not damage: a carpet five years older is not a carpet the tenant ruined. Where something is damaged, the claim is usually a share of the cost, allowing for the age of the item, not the price of a new one. The guide to fair wear and tear linked below explains how adjudicators approach it.
Your options compared
- This template, done yourself. Free. Your time, your photos and a folder to keep them in
- An app. LetCompliance builds the inventory on your phone, on Portfolio at £19 a month and above and on the 3-day trial
- An independent clerk. LetCompliance’s inventory service is £95 for the inventory, £145 with a check-in appointment with the tenants, and £85 for a check-out, plus £20 for a furnished property, £20 for each bedroom after the first and £70 when the check-in is on a different day. It covers Crewe, Cheshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Chester, Warrington, Manchester, Liverpool, Wrexham, Derby, Nottingham and Birmingham
- A letting agent. Often an extra on top of a tenant-find or management fee
Whoever does it, you pay. An inventory fee is not on GOV.UK’s list of payments you can ask a tenant for.
How LetCompliance builds it
- Rooms suggested for the home. Pick house, flat or HMO and the matching rooms are ticked, each with the item list above. Every line starts as “not inspected”, so nothing claims a condition until you have looked
- A condition and photos on each line, from excellent to damaged or missing, or not applicable, with notes and photos from the phone’s camera or gallery
- Meters with readings, keys with numbers and the alarm tests, in their own section
- Signed by the tenants. The finished inventory goes to the tenants to sign online; joint tenants sign one copy
- Check-out from the check-in. The check-out starts with every check-in line, pairs them item by item and shows what changed. A deduction is worked out from the replacement cost, the item’s age and expected life and the tenant’s share, and a dispute pack for TDS, DPS or mydeposits puts both inventories and the photos into one PDF
Common mistakes
- Writing “good” or “fine” with no description or photo
- Leaving out the garden, loft, outside tap or meter cupboard because nobody lives there
- No meter readings, so the final bills are argued over
- Not giving the tenant a copy, or not attaching their comments
- Reusing the last tenant’s inventory for a new tenancy
Is an inventory a legal requirement?
GOV.UK’s list of landlord responsibilities does not include one. But a deposit deduction needs evidence, and without a check-in record you will struggle to show what changed.
Can I charge the tenant for the inventory?
No. It is not a permitted payment under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, so the cost is yours.
What if the tenant will not sign it?
Keep a record that you sent it and when, give a date for comments, and attach any comments you receive. An inventory the tenant was given and could comment on carries more weight than one they never saw.
How long does an inventory take?
From an hour for a small empty flat to most of a morning or longer for a furnished family house. A clerk or an app with a ready-made list saves the time spent remembering what to record.
What LetCompliance does not do here
- Inventories in the app are on Portfolio and above and the trial, not on Single, Solo or the free plan
- The clerk service covers a limited area and is independent, not an accredited inventory clerk
- It does not decide a deduction. The figure is worked out from the lifespans you enter, and the scheme decides a dispute
