Inventories

Written inventories

These can be time consuming and tricky to write. It can be hard to describe the condition of an item in a truly meaningful way, so inevitably things will rely on generalised descriptions such as 'good', 'worn', 'slightly scratched', etc. which can be quite subjective. To mitigate this, we recommend making your inventory a list of items (and surfaces: don't forget walls and flooring) with some general notes, then supplementing it by taking photos and/ or a video.

A key element to keep in mind is depreciation. If you need to make a claim for something we need to factor in the age and lifespan (see Damages), so keeping receipts or delivery notes can be useful in demonstrating this.

Make sure you date and sign your inventory, and ideally also have a witness sign.

Video inventories

Today's technology makes it reasonably quick and simple to make a video inventory and they are often more representative than a traditional written inventory. They can be a little tricky to get right, at first, however. There is, of course, no reason why you can't combine both written and video inventories to get the best of both worlds.

Here are some tips on making a video inventory:

• When making one for the first time, you might need to try a couple of times to get it right. Watch your inventory back and ask yourself if it is serving its function properly: Can the walls be seen properly, or are they blurred by movement? Is your footage focussed on floors, ignoring ceilings? Is it obvious which room is which?

• Videos should be around 5-10 mins in length for an average sized property.

• Prepare the property before you walk around. Open cupboards, take protectors off mattresses, unlock doors.

• Start at the front door and work through systematically, making it easy for a viewer to understand what you are filming.

• You don't need a running commentary, but it can be helpful.

• Make sure all parts are covered and you take your time. It is easy to rush and end up with a load of useless blurry footage.

• Remember to include walls, carpets, mattresses.

• Film both existing defects and areas with no defects.

• Check out some examples of similar things on YouTube to get some idea of what works well, or doesn't work well.

• Name the file with the property address and date the video was made.

Taking photos

This can be more of an art than a science, even if you are just photographing something as mundane as a fridge. Here are a few tips to consider:

• Try to get a wide shot of the room, usually from the doorway. These can reveal details you hadn't thought to individually snap, and give a good general overview, showing walls, flooring and cleanliness (most disputes tend to be for cleaning, that 'it wasn't clean when we moved in', or marked walls).

• Taking a good light with you can be helpful in getting decent photos- the flashes from phones can often just give a reflection and overexposed image.

• Get photos of any defects you have listed so that your 'lightly marked' doesn't get passed off as 'heavily marked'.

• Get photos of things that are fully functional, like beds, to demonstrate there were no issues at the outset.

• Name the files with the property, room and date.