Warning Over Inventory 'Misuse' For Landlords And Tenants
A campaign is to be launched in a bid to stem the rising issue of inventory misuse so all inventory reports are checked within a week by those receiving them.
The bid is being made by the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) who say there's growing evidence that inventories are being written increasingly to be suitable for just one party in a property's tenancy.
The chair of the AIIC, Danny Zane, said: "Since the tenant fee ban introduction and other property sector challenges, we have seen a rise in inventory reports being conducted by parties who have a stake in the tenancy, such as agents and landlords."
He said this may be an attempt to generate extra revenue and while this is not an illegal activity, he wants inventory reports to be compiled by an impartial third party as they may not work as sufficient evidence in a tenancy dispute otherwise.
'An independent inventory is critical for landlords'
He added: "Various tenancy deposit schemes offered guidance earlier this year on inventory reporting, and they say an independent inventory is critical for both landlords and tenants to ensure they are protected before they move in and leave the tenancy.
"This means there is no error in how the tenancy began and ended and where any liabilities and issues lie."
Mr Zane is also advising landlords, agents and tenants to check thoroughly their inventory report while they are standing in the property within seven days of it being compiled.
Then, as the report's contents are being checked, any comments or queries should be made in writing immediately.
He also says that tenants should refuse the first person offered to compile their inventory report if they have any connection to the tenancy.
Landlords give NRLA merger their backing
Meanwhile, landlords have given their backing to the plans by the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) and the National Landlords Association (NLA) to merge.
They will now become the National Residential Landlords Association with a membership of 80,000 landlords to become the largest organisation of its kind.
The landlords manage and own around 500,000 properties and 10% of these are in the private rental sector.
The new organisation will launch officially next January to serve landlords in England and Wales and also put in place a regional structure.
The new chief executive of the organisation will be Ben Beadle who is the current director of operations at Touchstone and previously was managing director of customer service with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme.
