Anyone can take inventory, can’t they? There’s not a lot to it: you just walk through a property with a notepad and take notes on the condition of things as you go. Surely that’s it?

Er, yes and no. The first part is right: anyone can walk through a property with a notepad taking notes on the condition of things, but it is a question of getting everything right.

Just to begin with, if someone has not had the training required, they would almost certainly miss an awful lot of things. Inventory reports are carried out in order to be fair to all concerned – both the landlord and the tenant. The tenant makes a deposit at the commencement of the tenancy and it is quite right that if that tenant causes any damage to the property the landlord should be able to recover the costs of any repairs that may be needed.

However, there is such a thing as fair wear and tear. Nothing in this world stays around forever, and things do wear out. It is not fair to the tenant if the landlord claims for damage something that is actually wear and tear in the normal course of events. For example, while a sofa may last for many years, as people sit on it the material with which it is covered will gradually wear down. The springs won’t last forever, and the result is that when you sit on the sofa you will sink down lower than you would have done when the sofa was new. That is all fair wear and tear, and it is not reasonable to expect the tenant to pay for a new sofa because the existing one has reached the end of its’ serviceable life.

Somebody who has just joined an estate agency straight from college would not be expected to understand this sort of thing, so they would not be capable of taking an inventory that is fair to all concerned.

Furthermore, if a property is let empty there are not a lot of things to look at, Even so, someone without training would still miss certain points. However, when a property is let furnished there are an awful lot of things to take into account, and carrying out inventory requires someone with training and experience.

This is why organisations such as the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) and the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) exist. They provide training courses in taking inventory the correct way in order to produce a condition report that is totally accurate and therefore fair to both landlord and tenant. This will serve to greatly reduce disputes at the end of tenancy and will make any disputes that do arise easier to resolve.

Indeed, on its’ website the AIIC says the following about inventory clerks who have not had proper training. They may show:

• a lack of awareness of legal implications

• limited knowledge of relevant Health & Safety acts

• an inability to recognise standards of fair wear and tear

• limited awareness of legislation and any changes to it

• failure to compile appropriate and comprehensive reports

• an inability to provide any protection to landlords or tenants

Taking inventory correctly can be a lengthy procedure, especially where the property is let furnished. There are a lot of things to take into consideration, and if a letting agent is looking after a couple of hundred properties, or even more, it can be a full-time job for an inventory clerk.

Some inventory clerks still do things the old-fashioned way with a clipboard and notepad, but today, technology has produced tools that can help. It is now possible to obtain an inventory app for your mobile or tablet, and some of them are free to use.

An inventory clerk can download a free inventory app and this will guide him or her as he goes through the property so that nothing is missed out. The clerk can then type his notes as he goes and upload it to a portal where it will shortly be available to download which he can do back at the office.

At least one free inventory app also provides the option of using audio. So instead of the clerk typing up his notes he can just speak them into the mobile. These can be uploaded to the portal and downloaded back at the office in order to type them up. Alternatively, the company supplying the app will type them up for a small fee, so that the finished condition report can be downloaded.