Dilapidation Inspections

This is the report prepared by one of No Letting Go’s professional team to determine changes between the start of the tenancy and the end. Using Kaptur mobile technology, we accurately register all changes between the condition noted on the original inventory and the property at the end of the tenancy. Dilapidation cases can become very complicated when the right action is not taken. Landlords have the right to make a Dilapidation claim if the lease agreement has been broken.

What are Dilapidation Inspections?

Dilapidation Inspections address damage, cleanliness, missing items and provide advice on fair wear and tear or where professional advice is required. The reports by us will also record important maintenance or compliance information for the landlord or agent to attend to, whether it is safety-related, maintenance or recommendations related to improvements required.

Benefits of using the NLG Services

• The report will address the condition of the property and can be used in the event of a dispute as No Letting Go is an independent assessor.
• Inventory specialists who are trained to ARLA Propertymark standards, and are members of either ARLA or the AIIC (Association of independent inventory clerks)
• We assign responsibility within the report
• National Coverage
• Independent reports are preferred by arbitration schemes
• PDF reports are date stamped and emailed within 48 hours
• We help keep you compliant with regulation – smoke alarms are checked
• We store documents maintaining an audit trail
• Staff are members of ARLA Inventories (accredited/qualified professionals)
• Staff are insured with public and professional indemnity
• Telephone support line provided 5 days a week

The most common disputes

The most common disputes include cleaning, mould, redecoration, and damage. Normally cleaning disputes focus on what standard and extent a property was clean at the start of the tenancy.

Cleaning

A check-in inventory/schedule of condition should be very clear on the matter of cleanliness and should define the standard of cleaning. Eg has it been domestically cleaned by the landlord or were professional cleaners engaged. This creates the standard that the property can then be judged against at the end of a tenancy.

If a landlord has had a property professionally cleaned at the start of the tenancy, they can insist the property is professionally cleaned at the end of the tenancy. Landlords/agents should retain any invoices and receipts as evidence of professional cleaning prior to tenants moving in. It is not good enough for a tenant to merely clean the property to a domestic standard.

Any description of cleanliness issues should be clear to avoid misunderstanding. For example, a comment like “not clean” on an oven, is not very clear compared to “small crumbs to base, slight grease marks to back of oven”.

Mould

Another big area for disputes is mould, particularly in bathrooms. If there is no window, then ventilation should be installed, otherwise, it is likely a claim for mould would fail.

Tenants should be made aware by their agent/landlord that mould is not wear and tear. Tenants should also be informed that they must not switch any ventilation fan off and if there is a window to open it to ventilate the bathroom. The same principles apply if a tenant is drying clothes in the property and not ventilating properly.

Redecoration

Most tenancy agreements prohibit redecoration without permission from the landlord.

In many cases, once permission is sought, the landlord will agree so long as the colours are agreed along with the standard of work.

Damage

It is important the tenant understands their liability and the cost of repair in order to agree on deductions at the end of a tenancy. Betterment rules must also be taken into consideration. For example, the tenant could not be charged the full cost of a new carpet for a large stain.

*In the event an error or omission results in an unresolved deposit deduction, we will reimburse the equivalent amount (based on tenancy deposit scheme arbitration guidelines).