[quote ponkydonkey]If there is no inventory they can't really claim for damages can they?
You would have been required to sign the inventory the day you moved in!
This is a good source of advice from the government,
www.gov.uk/private-renting[/quote]
I just want to clarify that a little bit.
With no inventory there is little that could be claimed for BUT if a property was ostensibly in good condition at the beginning of a tenancy, e.g. new viewing pictures, receipts for new carpets, decoration very cose tot he start of the tenancy, the LL would be able to claim for any obvious damage and could be awarded it.
The inventory does NOT have to be signed on the day you move in. There are no concrete laws around this in the UK. Standard procedure is that the inventory has to be prepared close to the start of the tenancy - usually 2 - 3 days prior as a maximum. Often the tenant can given a few days to sign off on it, within 7 days is the usual time frame. You should be required to sign for keys though and often that includes the inventory with 7 days to send back any further comments, after which the inventory will be deemed accepted by all parties.
It's quibbling, I know. But I get a lot of shouty people insisting I am wrong and that they don't then have to do x, y or z. Including a young man who wouldn't sign anything until he had been round the whole house with his dad, who was coming when he had finished work. Not even the key list, which was the only thing he was being asked to sign. So I drove away with the keys in my bag. The landlord called me about half an hour later and told me not to rush back... young man signed for his keys about 2 hours later than planned.
That young man had been 'reliably' informed that he didn't have to sign anything before moving into his new home and nothing I said could convince him otherwise. So I know that there are some odd ideas floating round out there!