joanne-vermeulen
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In my professional opinion you are absolutely right. If the garden is neat and tidy, apart from the lawn, he can only be charged for a lawn cut as plants etc are perishable. Landlord needs to be gently reminded that the garden is now overall in better order and to charge his tenant would be unfair – in my opinion
I always use new photos for the very reasons outlined above. If there is sufficient detail within the body of the inventory, not so many photos would have to be used and therefore would cut down on updating time. I personally take loads of photos but don’t include most of them in the inventory unless it is obvious damage because once they are made smaller and then printed out, the detail is usually lost anyway thereby rendering the photos almost useless. If the detail is in the wording and you choose a few well taken photos to illustrate a point, that should be sufficent.
hi all
Is it just me, but are we expected to get consent from tenants when we email a check out declaration form which contains the property address, their forwarding address – to comply with deposit holding schemes requiring this information – and an email address which is then going to be sent to them, Agent and or landlord? Does this also apply to sending an invoice, the inventory and the check out report? I am so confused, my head hurts. It seems everyone in our industry wants something different. This is going to mean eleventy billion forms for each and every agent and tenant to sign before you even get to the inventory and check in forms…….AAAARRRGGGHHH. Some fresh input would be most helpful for this confused clerk
I have a disclaimer which clearly states I will test for power and only where appropriate and that it is the responsibility of the landlord and agent to check that all appliances are in working order, not mine. Agents taking the michael again me thinks
I have checked out properties on very old inventories and you have to work with the information available. Hopefully the agent will have a record of cleaning – professional or not to assist with any possible cleaning charges. Unless there is obvious damage – holes in flooring or walls, burns on carpets, broken doors etc most marks to decor would fall under wear and tear after 10 years, particularly if the property has not been decorated during the tenancy.
My January has been busy, not flat out and everything seems to happen at the end of the week!!!! February looking very slow and quiet at the moment – eeep!!!!
oh dear, I am so sorry to hear you are losing all that hard work. This is another reason why I don’t use an app based system – too many external things can go wrong that I have no control over. I am really old school – still use a tape based dictation system which works for me. Not for everyone I agree.
I drive a diesel SUV and I love it. Not always great for bombing around country lanes admittedly but efficient on fuel and I feel safe in it which was my main priority. I also like being really high off the ground especially when night driving x
Hi – been in the business of inventories for 14 years now and still remain surprised by people and their behaviour LOL I am based in Kent – Tonbridge and surrounds and would be more than happy to help mentor someone x
I had one client years ago who was asking for discount on every job. I had only been in business a couple of months, so needed the work, but after awhile it started getting ridiculous how much discount was required. then he wanted to add a 10% surcharge on my invoices effectively reducing what I earned even more. I refused a job he wanted to book me for – at a discounted rate of course – and then told him I would be offering no more discounts. My rates were competitive and that I was a business not a charity. He never called me again, which frankly was no loss, but I was most amused to find that he went out of business before the end of my first full year as a clerk, so I think I dodged a bullet. You will always find those who want something for nothing, but the clients who value you and your services will stick with you. You are a business not a charity and you have a right to earn a liveable income. As with all industries, there are clerks out there who work for almost nothing and will undercut everyone. I have had clients go off and use cheaper companies and they have ended up coming back to me because the standard and quality was superior. Cheap does not always mean good x
I have never heard of a heat meter? What is it and generally where would one find one at a property?
As a side bar, don’t the deposit people require clean copy ie no hand written notes on the check in inventory ? – this is what I have been advised by most of my agents. If that’s the case, how can the tenants sign an annotated inventory on the day and clean copy still be provided?
Hi
I don’t know about the legal aspect, but I think in reality, it is unfair to expect the tenants to finalise the inventory on day of check in. Normally most tenants are trying to deal with the move, us and other stresses and generally they do not have the time to spend 2- 3 hours checking an inventory. I stopped getting the tenants to sign the inventory years ago, I have a separate declaration which they sign on the day agreeing, amongst other things, that they have 7 days to check and return any significant amendment. Only then do I finalise the inventory and send to all parties as completed clean copy. I have never had any problems and most tenants are relieved and grateful for the extra time. It is only agents who want things off their desk that want it signed off on the day. I am open to correction when it comes to any legal aspect though.
I personally cant see how this is anything but a conflict of interest and another example of agents passing the buck. However, am open to correction and seeing how others view this
May I suggest seeking legal advice from the helpline as recording you without permission does not sound right to me. However, you may find that when you are there, the tenants may not act in the manner in which you have been led to expect. I have heard from many a client that the tenant is a nightmare etc etc, but have found when I got there, they were perfectly reasonable as I was independent and not from the agent. best of luck Jo