Check-in and check-out, England
Check-in inventory template. Room by room, ready to walk and sign.
An inventory records the condition of each room and item on the day the tenant moves in, so the same list can be walked again when they move out and each change set against how it began. Pick the rooms and the schedule is laid out for you, with columns for both walks, the meters, the keys and the signatures.
LetCompliance is online software that runs your whole let: finding and referencing the tenant, the agreement, the rent, repairs and the tax. The PDF costs nothing and needs no account.
Written for
- Houses
- Flats
- HMOs
- Furnished or not
- to pick from, the lists the app uses
- 15 rooms
- each with its usual items
- one key for check-in and check-out
- 7 conditions
- the same words at both walks
- can be charged to the tenant for it
- No fee
- Tenant Fees Act 2019 Sch 1
Last updated . Law checked against legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK on . Sources
The inventory
Build a check-in inventory, for the rooms the property has.
Pick the property type and the rooms, and add the address and the parties. The schedule comes back as a PDF to print and walk, with a copy sent to your inbox. Nothing is stamped across it: this is the copy to use.
Page one of the PDF, made-up details
The PDF costs nothing and needs no account. Nothing is stamped across it: this is the copy to use.
In an account the inventory takes photos, the tenant signs it and the check-out is compared: every paid plan, from £7.99 a month for one property or £14.99 for up to three.
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The answer
Check-in inventories: what they are for, and what goes in one
An inventory is the record of the property at the start of the tenancy: each room, each item and its condition, in words and photographs. It matters most at the end. When a deposit deduction is disputed, the scheme’s adjudicator compares the start with the finish, and an item never recorded at check-in is hard to claim for at check-out.
A useful one records the meter readings and the keys handed over, then walks every room, from the walls and floor to each fitting and appliance, describing condition and cleanliness in plain words with a photo reference for each line. The tenant reads it, adds comments where they see things differently and signs it, and the same columns are filled in again at check-out.
Two rules touch it. The tenant cannot be charged for it: under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 a payment is prohibited unless Schedule 1 permits it, and no inventory or check-in fee is listed there. And where the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 apply, each alarm must be checked to be in proper working order on the day a new tenancy begins (regulation 4), so the schedule has a line for each one.
In LetCompliance the inventory is walked on your phone, room by room from the same lists, with photos for each item, then sent to the tenant to sign electronically. At move-out the check-out is set against the check-in item by item, and the deduction is worked out from the lifespans you enter, with fair wear and tear left out. Inventories come with every paid plan, from £7.99 a month, and the 3-day trial; the deposit dispute pack is on paid plans, not the trial.
Side by side
The PDF is the paper walk. The account keeps the evidence.
What this PDF and a paid plan each do with an inventory.
| Feature | This PDF£0no account | Paid plans£7.99/moSingle, one property |
|---|---|---|
| 01The schedule | ||
| Rooms and items from the app’s lists | PDFIncluded | PaidIncluded |
| One condition key for both walks | PDFIncluded | PaidIncluded |
| Meters, keys and the alarms on day one | PDFIncluded | PaidIncluded |
| The tenant’s comments and signatures | PDFOn paper | PaidSigned electronically |
| 02With photos | ||
| Photos for each item, from a phone | PDFNot included | PaidIncluded |
| Signed by the tenant, with an audit certificate | PDFNot included | PaidIncluded |
| 03At move-out | ||
| Check-out compared with check-in, item by item | PDFNot included | PaidIncluded |
| The deduction worked outFrom the lifespans you enter; fair wear and tear is never claimed. | PDFNot included | PaidIncluded |
| A dispute pack for TDS, DPS or mydepositsPaid plans, not the trial. | PDFNot included | PaidIncluded |
| Inspections during the tenancy, with photos | PDFNot included | PaidIncluded |
Plans from £7.99 a month. The 3-day trial needs no card.
Get startedWhat the account adds
After the walk: the evidence at move-out.
Six things an account does with the same inventory.
- 01Every paid plan and the trial
Photos on every line
Each item takes its condition, a note and photos from your phone, as you walk.
- 02Every paid plan and the trial
Signed by the tenant
The report goes to the tenant to review and sign on their phone, and the signed PDF ends with an audit certificate.
- 03Every paid plan and the trial
Check-out set against check-in
At move-out each item is paired with its check-in line, so every change shows beside how it began.
- 04Every paid plan and the trial
The deduction worked out
The cost, the item’s age and the lifespan you enter give the claim, with fair wear and tear left out.
- 05Paid plans
A dispute pack for the scheme
The deposit, its protection and both inventories with their photos in one PDF for TDS, DPS or mydeposits.
- 06
Inspections in between
Visits during the tenancy recorded with photos, and each household sent written notice beforehand.
One login, the whole let. You are on step 8 of 12.
Before they move in
Once they are in
An inventory is the evidence for one moment. The account covers the rest of the let: the advert and applications, referencing, the signed tenancy, the deposit, the rent every month, the inspections, the check-out set against the check-in, and the tax figures at the end of it.
Sources
FAQ
Inventory questions, answered.
What is a check-in inventory for?
It records the property’s condition when the tenancy starts, so the end can be compared with it. If a deduction from the deposit is disputed, the scheme’s adjudicator reads the start and the finish side by side, and a clear inventory, signed by the tenant, is where that comparison begins.
Can I charge the tenant for the inventory?
No. Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 a payment is prohibited unless Schedule 1 permits it, and Schedule 1 has no inventory, check-in or check-out payment. The landlord pays for the inventory, whoever makes it.
What should an inventory record?
The meter readings and keys handed over; then every room, with the walls, ceiling, floor, doors, windows, fittings, furniture and appliances, each with its condition and cleanliness in plain words and a photo reference. The schedule from this page lists each room’s usual items and leaves blank rows for anything else.
Who signs it, and what if the tenant disagrees?
The landlord or agent who walks it, and every tenant. The tenant should read it and add comments where they see things differently, and each side keeps a signed copy. The same signatures go on at check-out.
Do the alarms have to be checked on the first day?
Where the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 apply, yes: checks must be made that each prescribed alarm is in proper working order on the day a new tenancy begins (regulation 4(1)(b)). The schedule has a line to record each alarm, where it is and that it worked.
What counts as fair wear and tear?
The fair wear and tear guide works through how to tell ordinary wear from damage, item by item, and how a deduction for an item that was already part-worn is worked out.
What does an account add to the paper inventory?
Photos for each item from your phone, the tenant’s electronic signature with an audit certificate, the check-out set against the check-in item by item, and the deduction worked out from the lifespans you enter. Inventories come with every paid plan, from £7.99 a month, and the 3-day trial; the deposit dispute pack is on paid plans, not the trial.
