A bad inventory does not look bad. It looks fine — right up until the day it is needed. The problems are quiet, repetitive and almost always the same five things.
1. Descriptions that could mean anything
“Bedroom — good order.” Three words that may as well not be there. A useful description names the surface, names the condition, and names the location of any defect. “Carpet — light, clean, small mark next to wardrobe door (photographed).” That is something an adjudicator can work with.
2. Photos that prove nothing
Wide shots of an empty room are reassuring to look at and useless as evidence. A defensible photo set has overviews and close-ups. If a defect is mentioned in the text, there is a close photo of it. If a defect is not mentioned, there is enough coverage to demonstrate that it was not there.
3. Mixed dates across the file
A check-in dated the 14th, photos taken on the 12th, a signed acceptance dated the 19th. Internally that may all be fine. Externally it looks like the report was assembled, not observed. Same day, same trip, one date.
4. No tenant sign-off
A report the tenant has not signed is not a contract — it is a claim. Get the digital signature before, or as close as possible to, move-in. Without it, the report ranks only as your opinion of the property’s condition.
5. No baseline to compare against
Check-outs are comparative. If your check-in covered twelve points per room and the check-out covers four, you cannot demonstrate a change. The two reports need to use the same structure, the same headings, the same level of detail. Same person doing both jobs is even better.
None of these mistakes are exotic. They are the small, repeated habits that quietly drain deposit cases out of the agency’s favour. Fix the habits and the cases tend to look after themselves.
