The inventory clerk records what is in front of them. If the property is half-cleaned, the previous tenant’s belongings are still in the garage and the boiler is showing a fault code, all of that goes into the report, and all of it becomes the standard the new tenant is measured against. A property that is properly ready on the day produces a cleaner report, a smoother check-in and far fewer arguments at the end.
This guide sets out what should be done, and by whom, in the days before a check-in. It assumes the agency is managing the let; where the landlord is self-managing, the same list applies to them.
Cleaning to a defined standard
The property should be cleaned to the standard you will expect it returned in. If that is a professional clean, arrange one and keep the invoice: it is evidence of the starting standard and the check-out report can reference it. If the landlord has cleaned it domestically, be honest about that in your own notes, because the clerk will describe what they find and you cannot later hold the tenant to a professional standard that was never established.
The areas that most often let a property down are the ones a quick clean skips: oven interior and racks, extractor filters, the inside of the fridge and freezer, window frames and sills, the tops of kitchen cupboards, behind and under appliances, shower screens and sealant, and toilet bases. These are also precisely the areas most often deducted for at check-out. Getting them right at the start makes those deductions defensible.
Repairs and outstanding maintenance
Anything broken should be fixed or clearly logged before check-in. A dripping tap, a sticking door, a cracked tile, a blown bulb: the clerk will record each of these as an existing defect, which protects the tenant, but it also means the landlord has agreed to let the property in that state. If the intention is to fix it, fix it first. If it genuinely cannot be fixed in time, tell the clerk so it is recorded as a known issue with a repair pending.
Check the things that are easy to miss and awkward later: that every light works, that extractor fans run, that the boiler fires and the thermostat responds, that windows open and lock, that external doors lock properly, and that there are no signs of damp or leaks under sinks. A ten-minute walk-round with a checklist is enough.
Clearing the property
Everything that is not being let with the property should be removed. Previous tenants’ belongings, half-used cleaning products, old paint tins in the shed, the landlord’s personal items in the loft. Anything left becomes either an inventory item the tenant must return, or a grey area nobody wants. If the landlord wants to leave items as a gesture, a set of cutlery, a lawnmower, they should be listed and their condition recorded, or explicitly noted as gifted and excluded from the inventory.
Furnished properties
For furnished and part-furnished lets, confirm the furniture that will remain and make sure it is all present, assembled and in the room it belongs in on the day. Loose items such as cushions, lampshades and remote controls should be with the item they belong to. Fire safety labels on upholstered furniture should be present and visible; the clerk will look for them, and their absence is a compliance issue for the landlord, not the tenant.
Keys, fobs and access
Prepare the full set of keys being handed to the tenant and know exactly what it contains: front door, back door, windows, garage, meter cupboard, post box, communal doors, fobs, parking permits. The clerk will photograph and list them. If a key is missing, either cut one before check-in or record that it is missing. A tenant cannot be charged for a window key they were never given.
Utilities and meters
Make sure the meters are accessible. A clerk cannot photograph a gas meter behind a locked cupboard with no key, or an electricity meter in a communal basement nobody can open. Find out where every meter is, confirm it can be reached, and have the supplier details ready so the tenant can register. Water meters in the pavement need a lifting key; check that one exists.
Alarms and safety equipment
Smoke alarms on every storey and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a solid fuel or gas appliance are a legal requirement, and they must be working on the first day of the tenancy. Test them before the clerk arrives and replace batteries or units as needed. The clerk will test and record them; a failed alarm on the check-in report is both a compliance failure and an immediate call-out. Have the gas safety certificate, EICR and EPC available so their dates can be recorded.
Garden and exterior
Exterior condition is the most neglected part of most inventories and one of the more common check-out disputes. Lawns should be cut, borders reasonably tidy, paths clear, and bins empty and present. Sheds and outbuildings should be unlocked or a key provided. If the tenancy agreement makes the tenant responsible for the garden, the check-in report needs to show what “maintained” looked like at the start. Fence panels, gates and external lights should be checked in the same way as internal fittings.
Briefing the clerk
Tell the clerk anything that is not obvious: known defects, items that are being gifted, rooms that are excluded from the let, appliances that belong to the outgoing tenant and are due for collection, access codes and alarm codes. The more the clerk knows before arriving, the more accurately the report reflects the agreement between landlord and tenant rather than a stranger’s best guess.
The day itself
Ideally the property is ready the day before, not the morning of. Cleaners running late, a plumber still under the sink, or a landlord dropping off furniture mid-inspection all compromise the report. Give the clerk a clear property, sole access, and the time they need. A two-bedroom flat takes a professional clerk around an hour; a four-bedroom furnished house can take three. Booking the tenant’s check-in for the moment the clerk finishes, rather than an arbitrary time, avoids an inventory done in a hurry.
None of this is complicated. It is a matter of treating the check-in as the most important document of the tenancy rather than an admin task, and giving the property the preparation that document deserves.
