Protecting Your Property Investment

Protect your property with an independent and professional inventory.

As a landlord your property is a valuable asset. For a small sum of money you can help protect your investment by having a thorough inventory for each tenancy.

An independent inventory that is professionally compiled together with a professional check out at the end of the tenancy will help to sort out any disputes that might arise. The tenant will be assured that the company producing the report is unbiased and that any assessments are independent and fair.

Our clerks have a wealth of experience visiting all types of properties on daily basis, they are able to assess damage, maintenance issues and wear and tear.

An inventory prepared by Chase becomes a living document of your property, i.e. once you have an inventory prepared by us we will keep updating this document for each new tenancy. This means that you only pay for an inventory once for the first tenancy and for any subsequent tenancies we update the inventory for a “check in fee” which is less than the inventory cost.

As we are a long established company you can rest assured that you will have continuity of reporting unlike other inventory companies that may come and go.

Photographs in inventories

Photographs may be taken when conducting an inventory and will be embedded in the final document.

The inventory is not a brochure for the property, so photographs will be small and not high resolution. Their purpose is to demonstrate the condition of a specific item or area rather than to afford an overall view. Context for a photograph will always be given.

Self-produced inventories

Landlords sometimes decide to compile their own inventories. These can be of good quality but, more often than not, we find basic documents containing little or no detail, which describe items of little value – such as teaspoons – while omitting the fabric of the building itself, such as walls, woodwork, flooring, ceiling, heating, lighting etc.

Another shortcoming with self-produced inventories is that they tend to be simple lists of items and neglect to register the condition at the start of the tenancy. An experienced inventory clerk knows what needs to be included and how best to describe items in accordance with industry practice.

It can be extremely difficult for a landlord to remain impartial when drawing up a document for their own property, which is another reason why an independent view is important.

Items excluded from inventories

At the time of the inventory we do not check or test the following items:

• Heaters and/or radiators
• Heating systems, including boilers and hot water tanks
• Windows
• Water filtration systems and/or water softeners

In the case of Smoke alarms and Carbon monoxide detectors we are helping landlords conform to the new legislation. See our article on the new legislation and what we are doing to help.

These items should all be tested by qualified inspectors before the tenancy begins and, where appropriate, certificates stored safely.

Fair wear and tear

A common area of misunderstanding is around the concept of fair wear and tear. We have an article on fair wear and tear that explains what it is and what it means for claiming compensation.

Our GDPR Compliance

Here at Chase Inventory we take your privacy seriously and will only use personal information to:

• Make appointments
• Administer the invoice
• Send the report
• Enter into email correspondence with you

Our web site does not use cookies nor do we collect information for marketing purposes. We do not pass any information to 3rd parties for marketing. Contact / invoice details are kept in accordance with HMRC requirements.Details of personal information held by Chase Inventory can be requested or deleted by emailing us at compliance@chaseinventory.co.uk. Chase Inventory Services Ltd protects our email and web site with the support of BPODR Ltd.