What does an Inventory Clerk do, and should I hire one?
Renting a property is becoming ever common be it due to the rising costs of buying a property or, for some, the flexibility it offers in being able to change location quickly. It seems the trend is set to continue upwards.
Fortunately, there are a lot of rental properties available in the UK. According to the Office of National Statistics, there are 2,594,720 landlords in the UK who rent out one or more properties. Many of them have more than one, and an awful lot have many different properties and make their living by letting them out. Let’s face it, once you have a tenant installed in a property there is not a lot of work to do, and all being well you just sit back and collect a rent cheque each month.
This is why, if you come into ownership of a property, perhaps through inheritance, you might consider renting it out rather than selling it outright. Rental is a great option as it provides an income, and meanwhile your property (usually!) increases in value.
Ideally, you should be present when the landlord or agent takes the inventory which should be done on the day that you move in, or just before. When you are present you can point out anything that should be noted and see that it is all included on what is known as the check-in report.
Given the changes in tax treatment of rental properties and associated costs, assembling a property portfolio isn’t quite as easy as it once used to be. Nevertheless, by doing your homework it is still possible to build up a base of rental properties.
Of course, there are a few responsibilities that go with renting a property: finding a tenant, managing their deposit, ensuring rent is collected on time, ensuring the appropriate gas and electricity appliance certificates are in place, and that the bulbs are all low power rated etc. Many landlords use the services of managing agents who handle all of the day-to-day issues and ensure all legal commitments are adhered to.
There are some things that you need to do if you are going to rent out the property yourself, and one of these is to take inventory which is a written report of the condition of the property – and its contents – at the beginning of a tenancy and at the end when the tenant moves out. It is usual to conduct interim reports too, at six-monthly or yearly intervals, in order to see how things are and if the tenant is looking after the property. If the tenant does cause unwarranted damage, it means that you can deduct a sum to pay for it from the deposit the tenant is required to pay you on moving in.
You can either do the inventory yourself, or you can pay an inventory clerk to do it for you. An inventory clerk is someone who is a specialist at taking inventory and will often be a member of ARLA or the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks, which are trade associations. Some managing agents who have a lot of landlords on their books will have an inventory clerk as a member of staff because there are so many inventories to carry out.
Whether you choose to use an inventory clerk or not experience says it often pays to use a professional. They will be trained, and trade association members will carry indemnity insurance. Many inventory clerks make use of the free app that we provide at Reports2Go. This will help them to ensure that the inventories they provide are as accurate as they can be, and also saves them a lot of time.
Gary, 14 August 2020
Post Titles
- What should you check for when Inspecting your Rental Property?
- How to Hire an Inventory Clerk
- Is an Inventory Report needed for Unfurnished Properties?
- The Reasons why you should carry out a Mid-Tenancy Inspection
- The Perfect Inventory App for Landlords
- Check-In and Check-Out reports: What you need to know as a Tenant
- Carrying out Mid-Tenancy checks: What you Need to Know
- You’re not still living in the 20th Century, are you?
- What to check for when doing an Inventory Report
- Use Speech Recognition tools to reduce time doing Reports
- Our Dictation App saves you a Huge Amount of Time
- Mid-Tenancy Reports are Critical when Letting a Property
- There may be Errors in the Inventory Report
- Reports2Go: the 21st Century way of creating Property Reports
- How to do a Condition Report for your BTL
- The work of an Inventory Clerk can be exceedingly varied
- What should you check for when inspecting your Lettings Property?
- Some things you need to know about Mid-term inspections as a Landlord
- The Reports2Go App makes Property Reports simple
- Why you should carry out Interim Inspections as a Landlord
- Why Check-In and Check-Out Reports are important for Tenants
- Some things to consider if you are thinking of buying a BTL
- The clever way for Letting Agents to create Property Reports
- Our FREE app makes Inventory Reports so much easier
- What to do if your Tenant has Damaged your Property?
- Inventory Reports and Check-Ins – are both really necessary?
- Who should pay for Property Cleaning - Tenants or Landlords?
- Is a Check-in Report Really Necessary?
- New plans and improved resolution for images
- Overheads of being a Landlord
- It is Critical that Inventory Reports are Accurate
- Mid-term Inspections of your BTL are Essential
- Minimising risks with proper tenant checks
- Making a Claim on a Tenant’s Deposit: What you need to consider
- The Importance of an Inventory for Tenants
- Things to note when conducting Check-In/Check-Out reports
- Our App saves a huge amount of time carrying out Inventories
- 5 Handy Screening Topics for New Tenants
- Busting Property Management Myths
- Six Money-Saving Tips for Landlords
- Rules for Tenants and Pets in 2021 - What are the Changes?
- As a Landlord you need to carry out Interim inspections
- Giving your Feedback on an Inventory as a Tenant
- Inventories made easy with Reports2Go
- New to Letting? What you should know about Property Reports
- Three Pillars of Good Property Management
- How can PropTech reduce your Property Inventory burden?
- Choosing the right Rental Management Strategy
- Some Tips for Promoting your Letting Agency Business
- The Importance of an Inventory to you as a Tenant
- Some Ideas to Consider in Order to Reduce your Overheads
- Legislation Concerning Landlords and Tenants is Constantly Changing
- What’s your Property Management approach?
- How to maintain a Positive Relationship with your Tenant
- How important is a Condition Report?
- Tools for New Landlords and Property Managers
- The Check-in Process in the Reports Cycle
- Doing an Inventory: Part 5 - Enhancing the Report
- Doing an Inventory: Part 4 - Finishing Up
- Doing an Inventory: Part 3 - Describing Items
- Doing an Inventory: Part 2 - At the Property
- How to do an Inventory: Part 1 - Preparation
- All you need to know about Property Reports as a Tenant
- Use the FREE Reports2Go App to Speed-up Inventories
- Using on-board Dictation Software for Reports
- A guide to Inventory, Check-In, and Check-Out reports
- Reasons for Landlords to carry out Mid-term Inspections
- How to Carry out an Inventory Quickly, Accurately, and Easily
- What does an Inventory Clerk do, and should I hire one?
- Inventory – A Guide for Tenants
- Things to keep in mind when conducting a Check-in Report
- Free Schedule of Condition - Why You Need it
- End-of-Tenancy clean? All you need to know
- Reports During Covid - 19 Restrictions
- Mid-term inspections as a Landlord
- How to avoid Deposit Angst with the Reports2Go app
- The Importance of the Reports2Go App for Inventories
- All about the Reports2Go App
- The Importance of an Inventory for a Tenant
- Dictation makes for a much faster and more Accurate Inventory
- How the Reports2Go app works
- Free Property App
- Completely Free App
- Tenant Fees Act and Inventories
- When you have a lot of Inventories, Reports2Go will save you time
- Periodic Inspections and why they are good idea
- Inventory meets the 21st century with Reports2Go
- Our App saves you a lot of time on Mid-Term inspections
- What is an inventory and why have one?
- Text Mode
- Audio Mode
- Our Inventory App
- Inventory Associations
- The life cycle of a Report
