Check-out Inspection

A check-out inspection, along with a property inventory, are extremely important for any tenancy.

An inventory and check-out report are crucial evidence in damage-related deposit disputes. 

If your tenant leaves your property in an unacceptable state, your inventory and check-out documents will prove the damage or loss and help you recuperate costs from the tenancy deposit. 

Without these documents, there is no proof that your property was damaged during the tenancy and you are unlikely to be awarded any dilapidations.

We always recommend a professional inventory and check-out inspection to all our landlords to protect them in deposit disputes and give them the peace of mind they need.

Yes, you can. A check-out inspection can still be carried out, even if you didn't have an inventory at the start of the tenancy.

Although an inventory is strongly recommended, if you find yourself without one, it's better to at least have a check-out inspection than to have no inventory or inspection at all. 

LettingaProperty.com work with a nationwide network of professional inventory clerks accredited by the AIIC (Association of Independent Inventory Clerks).

In the event of a damage-related deposit dispute, deposit resolution services favour inventories and check-out inspections carried out by a third-party professional. 

Some landlord prefer to carry out inspections and inventories themselves, but the detailed and unbiased report of a professional clerk is always recommended.

The larger your property, the longer your check-out inspection will take. For a one-bedroom property we estimate between a 60 and 90 minutes, with an additional 15 minutes per extra room.

A tenant check-out usually happens on the last day of the tenancy when the tenant moves out and returns the keys.

A check-out inspection is an assessment of the property's condition at the end of the tenancy. The purpose is to ensure everything has been left in the condition it was originally let. 

An AIIC-accredited clerk will refer back to your inventory and inspect every aspect of the property for signs of damage, uncleanliness or missing items. This includes (but is not limited to) walls, floors, windows, exteriors, kitchen fittings, bathroom ceramics or any supplied furniture or appliances.

Your clerk will record any changes to the property and take photographs, as well as test the smoke alarm and take meter readings.

The inspection will be carried out with the tenant present and they will be asked to sign the document afterwards. This show the tenant agrees with the clerk's record of the property and may be useful evidence if there is a damage-related deposit dispute.