OK, we took over a new renter today (with a merciful 5 day overlap with the old one!). I got the Inventory from the estate agents. I went through it for 2 hours in the (empty) house and took 120 photos, some confirming the DEGREE of damage, some pointing out 'missed' damage.
It SO annoys me that the Inventory has, at the end of it, a 'please return this bit within 10 days/if you don't we regard that you accept it' form but no 'What do you disagree with? Please document and WE will acknowledge it/dispute it' bit at all! The thinking seems to be that you (ie WE the tenants) WILL accept it and get on with it! Bear in mind the inventory done on a property we rented out abroad 5 years ago comprised of descriptions and 350 photographs!
What we propose to do is send a disc containing the annotated photos of OUR version of the condition to the agents (who, after all, commissioned the independent inventory service- which WE, of course, paid for!) via registered post with -and here is the radical bit!- a note saying that if WE don't get acknowledgement back from THEM in 10 days accepting OUR version of the changes (or wishing to come and re-examine!) we regard that THEY accept it!
What do you think?
As it is, the inventory clerk on our present, soon to be old falling down, damp property carefully assessed the amount of MOSS on the roof, the HEIGHT of the roses in the beds- but failed to spot (thus assess) an entire kitchen workbench unit- or the cracked tiles on the floor!. I mentioned this to our new agent today in passing (a pompous old git) who poo-poo'ed it as the 'work of an amateur' BUT- within 10 minutes of looking around our NEW property today I spotted a good foot square of fire damaged, bubbled and charred formica underneath an eye level kitchen unit obviously caused by a pan-fire on the hob at some stage which THEIR inventory clerk completed missed!
Tenants unite.