Inventories: The Boring Document That Saves Your Deposit.

Inventories are what we do. It's been our specialism since 2014, before we did anything else. I write a lot of them. Read a lot more. And I see, every single year, the same handful of tenants lose £500 to £2,000 of their deposit because they didn't take the inventory seriously at move-in.

So this one's a quick guide. From the side of the table you actually sit on — the tenant's side.

What an inventory actually is

It's a long PDF. Usually 30 to 80 pages, sometimes more for bigger houses. Photographs of every room from multiple angles, with a written description of the condition of every wall, floor, window, appliance, and bit of furniture. Plus utility meter readings, smoke alarm checks, the lot.

We do it the day before you move in. So when you collect the keys, that document is already the legal baseline for "what condition this property is in right now". For the next year (or three) of your tenancy, the inventory is what defines what's yours to look after and what was already worn.

The mistake I see, over and over

Tenants sign it without reading it.

Or — worse — they read it, they spot something wrong, and they don't say anything because they don't want to make a fuss.

Then 18 months later, at check-out, the inventory says "carpet — good condition, no marks" and there's a coffee stain near the door. The landlord wants £400 to professionally clean or replace. You say "but that stain was there when we moved in". And the inventory says it wasn't. You lose £400.

If you'd flagged that mark on day 2 of moving in, it'd be on the record. Deposit safe.

How to actually do it

When you move in, you've got 7 days (with us, anyway — other agents vary) to mark up the inventory. Use them. Properly.

Walk around with the document, room by room. Open it on a tablet or print it. Look at what we've written, then look at the actual thing. If anything is missed, wrong, or worse than described, write it down — there's a comments column for exactly this. Some examples:

• "Bedroom 1 — scuff on skirting under window, ~5cm long, not mentioned"
• "Kitchen — fridge door seal has a tear in the bottom corner"
• "Bathroom — small chip on bath enamel near taps"

Take a photo on your phone too. Just for your records.

Then send the marked-up document back. We update the master copy and that's the record from then on. You're protected.

What we don't include in the inventory (and what to ask)

• Behind appliances and furniture. We can't move every wardrobe and oven for every check. If you want to verify what's behind them, ask. We will if you give us a heads-up.
• Inside cupboards on a high level. Same thing. Step ladder needed, ask if you want them checked.
• Loft spaces, garages, sheds. These vary. The inventory will note if they're included or excluded. Read it.

At check-out

If the inventory was done properly at move-in and you've looked after the place reasonably, check-out is calm. We compare the move-in inventory against what we find on check-out day. Anything worse than fair wear and tear comes out of your deposit. Anything that's the same, or better, gets you the full deposit back.

The number one tip: leave the property clean. Properly clean. Not "tidy" clean. We've had people leave fridges with food in them, ovens not cleaned, gardens not mowed, and these things add up. A professional clean costs £150-£300. A garden cut £80. A carpet shampoo £200. Avoidable.

And one ask

If you ever rent a property in Jersey and the inventory feels rushed, lazy, or missing photos — push back. Ask for it to be redone. A good inventory protects both of you. A bad one only protects the landlord.

If you're a landlord reading this and you'd like us to do your next inventory, you know where to find us. We've done over 7,000 of them on the island. We're the boring ones who get this right.

Vicky