Services landlords should pay for: an inventory, cleaner and professional check-out service are worth it for protection and peace of mind

A bit of professional distance from tenants isn't a bad thing, as the accidental landlord discovers.
£626 a week: a three-bedroom terrace house in popular Drayton Road, Harlesden NW10, moments from Roundwood Park and with a secluded rear garden and good-size rooms, is available on a short let through Foxtons (020 8012 6807).

My great-aunt, who lives in France, asks me to “pop along” to her rental flat in north London to inspect it for any damage before the tenant leaves. Auntie, who is too tight to pay for a professional check-out service, tells me the tenant is being “a bit of a drama queen” by insisting on being present when the flat is inspected. I can’t see that this is a problem — until I meet her.

Both the tenant and her large, rather intimidating boyfriend follow me from room to room while I check for damage. The tenant walks so close to me that we keep bumping into each other, and I keep having to ask the boyfriend to move out of my way.

When the two of them cram into the tiny kitchen behind me, there isn’t enough room for me to open the oven door to check that it has been cleaned. “Excuse me, could you…make a little room?” I ask, indicating that I need space to drop the door. “It’s been cleaned, twice,” the tenant snaps and doesn’t shift from her position next to the sink.

“That handle was already broken,” she says as I reach to open the fridge door. The handle, stuck to the door with tape, comes off in my hand.

INVENTORY AND DEEP CLEAN

All three of us head into the bedroom, where the tenant and her boyfriend stand over me while I crouch down to inspect underneath the bed. I feel it’s all getting a bit weird.

The tenant insists that every mark or stain I note down was already there when she moved into the flat and although it’s obvious she is trying to intimidate me, I have no proof that she is lying because my tight old aunt didn’t bother to provide an inventory at the start of the tenancy.

Without a check-in report to show the state of the flat and all of its contents when the tenant arrived, I’ve got nothing to refer to and my aunt won’t be able to justify deducting money from the tenant’s deposit without proof that she is to blame for any damage, so this is just a waste of my time.

WEAR AND TEAR

Fortunately, aside from the sort of wear and tear you’d expect after a two-year tenancy, including some mould in the bathroom, the odd stain on the carpet and scuffed walls, I don’t find anything of concern. The flat isn’t very clean but of course, my great-aunt didn’t bother to get it professionally cleaned before the tenant moved in.

I tell the tenant everything seems fine and call my great-aunt to suggest she returns her deposit in full. She grumbles about the fridge handle, insisting that the tenant broke it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if her memory has deceived her.

I advise auntie to get professional cleaners in and suggest she repairs the damaged items and arranges for an inventory to be taken before the next tenants move in. I know she won’t — she’s too mean. But this is a dangerous game to play and she could end up the loser. I recommend every landlord does a check-in report.

Victoria Whitlock lets four properties in south London. To contact Victoria with your ideas and views, tweet @vicwhitlock

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