Academy
Articles, guidance and updates for inventory providers, letting agents, property managers and residential property teams.
Articles
64 articles
Up for a Quickie? Why Inventory Clerks Should Think Twice Before Saying Yes to Discounts
Ah, the life of an inventory clerk – filled with the glamorous thrills of counting cutlery, examining carpets, getting down close and personal with the cold, wet tarmac (#watermeters), and documenting the mysterious stains on tenants’ favourite walls. It’s a job that requires meticulous attention to detail, an ironclad sense of fairness, and an encyclopaedic […]
Security Cameras in Rental Properties: Who’s Watching Who?
Security cameras are everywhere these days, and rental properties are no exception. While they can provide peace of mind for tenants and landlords alike, they also raise some thorny issues around privacy, legal rights, and professional conduct – especially for those of us in the property industry. Let’s break it down: who can install cameras, […]
Rising to the Challenge of Change: Can Inventory Providers Lead the Way in 2025?
Let’s be frank: the lettings market in 2024 is and continues to be in turmoil. Around 30% of landlords are either drowning under the weight of compliance and cost pressures or packing up altogether, abandoning the sector. And can you blame them? The government piles on regulations faster than anyone can respond, leaving landlords stuck […]
Carbon Monoxide Alarms – What Inventory Clerks Need to Know
1st October 2022 is a date that should be marked firmly in red on the calendar of every landlord, letting agent and inventory clerk in the UK. From this date, all rental properties, whether they are rented out by private landlords, housing associations, local authorities or any other body, must be fitted with a carbon […]
Missed Appointments – What Inventory Clerks Need to Know
Missed appointments are the bane of every service industry business, from estate agents to plumbers, from lawyers to hairdressers. For a commercial concern, time is indeed money and a missed appointment is not only time wasted but a lost opportunity for other work and therefore revenue. It’s widely accepted that every missed GP appointment costs […]
Section 21 repeal – will the balance of evidence change?
The repeal of Section 21 is seen as one of the biggest, most fundamental changes to housing legislation since WW2. Although agents and landlords fear the change, Shelter believes this is a ‘game changer for 11 million private renters and will level the playing field’. But what does this mean for inventory providers and will […]
IR35 – What are the rules on uniform for inventory clerks?
Self employment is often seen as a flexible way to earn a living without the restraints of being employed. But for inventory clerks, the option before setting out on your own needs to be carefully researched including how to manage the complexities and obstacles the UK’s tax law creates around the wearing of uniform, provision […]
Monkeypox: What inventory clerks need to know
The Covid-19 pandemic proved fatal for more than 6m people, devastated economies and left untold numbers suffering with Long Covid. The last thing the world needed or expected was the emergence of another globally mobile virus. Monkeypox is a virus previously limited to remote areas of Central and West Africa that has started spreading, slowly, […]
Are Property Reports a Service Business?
Most people have some understanding as to how landlords, agents and tenants fit together but the role of the inventory clerk tends to dwell in the shadows of awareness. So if you are starting out as an inventory provider, how do you know if you have or need a service business? The property industry Landlords, who […]
Disability and property reports – What should clerks know?
The UK’s first legislative attempt to address the unique difficulties of the disabled population was the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. It was introduced by the government of John Major in response to years of campaigning, protest and civil disobedience. It came two decades after similar provisions regarding race and sex, and it represented a milestone […]
Clerks! Don’t stay in your lane – Diversify your services
The property reporting profession is quite a varied role or at least it can be if you set your sights further than just inventories. But it can be limited if you don’t look beyond your own services or settle for the same business model that agents expect of you. If you have established yourself as […]
Photographs -The importance of visual evidence
The importance of evidence in property inspection reports for the private rental sector is well-established. Without check-ins, check-outs and interim checks some of the key terms in the tenancy agreement could be rendered unenforceable. Evidentiary documentation of the condition of a property and its contents enables a fair apportionment of responsibility, giving protection and certainty […]
Self-employed Clerks – Understanding IR35
Self-employed inventory clerks or property report professionals can simply be described as individuals who work for themselves instead of working for an employer. Self-employed clerks (as most are generally known) provide a variety of property inspection and reporting services to both businesses and individuals. Some also use intermediaries and operate as limited companies as they […]
The Value of Service: How to Manage a Disgruntled Customer
Landlords understand the value in having a property report carried out at the beginning and the end of a tenancy, with interim inspections and property reviews carried out every three to six or twelve months. Without this safeguard, it can become extremely difficult to settle disputes and apportion responsibility for loss or damage that occurs […]
ADR – Preventing disputes the old-fashioned way
Disputes between landlords and tenants can be sparked by all kinds of problems that become the catalyst for much wider issues that affect not just their financial position but also the mental health and wellbeing of all parties involved. No landlord wants the headache of late payments, managing property damage or dealing with anti-social behaviour […]
Crocs and Crops – What NOT to wear to a property visit
Being appropriately dressed to carry out any job or role is important, even if you’re working from home or only seen top up on Zoom. But for forward facing industries like lettings and sales, appearance is important. Industry suppliers who underpin this important sector of our economy are equally viewed in the same light by […]
How to handle late-paying clients
It is easy to think that clients paying late is something that all small companies and inventory providers are used to or even accept. Few people realise that being paid on time is the biggest factor in the success or otherwise of small businesses. Statistically, more small businesses fail due to the late or non-payment […]
Is the Private Rental Sector ready for a COVID Winter?
Winter is fast approaching and with it a realisation that although we have been settling back to what many consider to be the ‘new normal’ we are not out of the woods yet. In fact; the Government has already issued its Autumn and Winter Plan 2021 for tackling the continuing effects of the COVID pandemic. […]
Inventory Clerks – Do you know your property report market?
According to recent studies, the private rental sector (PRS) in the UK is not only healthy but steadily, inexorably growing. This is not only due to the rise of what is colloquially known as ‘generation rent’, meaning young people who are struggling to get onto the ladder of property ownership choosing (or are forced) to […]
Inventory Clerk Self Development – 5 skills every inventory provider should have in their tool kit
Being an inventory provider is perhaps not one of the top 10 career choices but the more you investigate the prospect, the greater the advantages you’ll discover as you get to know what the job entails and the benefits of running your own reporting service. If you long to be an independent, self-employed professional, in […]
The Importance of Inventory Report Training – How Does it Support the Lettings Industry?
Why is inventory report training so important to the lettings industry? The lettings industry relies on specialists, just like any other business sector, to carry out safety checks, repair properties or help the property market to move forward. Inventory providers and clerks are an essential part of the process. Conveyancers, agents, engineers, plumbers, electricians – are […]
Is pet odour making rental properties ”Eau de No Let’?
You can be forgiven for thinking that a house that smells fresh and clean is, in fact, clean because that’s what we associate with the various odours we pick up on or notice in and around a property. But if a distinctly unpleasant pet odour is prevalent; is that a barrier for potential tenants? Can […]
Protecting the Deposit – Why tenants should insist on an inventory report
The relationship between tenants and landlords can be precarious at the best of times and as a tenant, you can sometimes feel at a disadvantage. What is a home for you, for the landlord it is either a business asset or a family home rented out for a variety of factors, so each party will […]
The Importance of Inventory Reports – Should Price Trump Quality?
The aim of an inventory (and interim and check out reports), is to protect the landlord against the results of damage or neglect and the tenant from unfair accusations of misuse or failure to care for the property. Disputes often arise from disagreement over costs being levied against the deposit due to a lack of […]
Compliance and legislation updates
Follow practical updates and explainers on legislation, housing standards and compliance-related inspection workflows.
Explore more resources
Go deeper with guides, calculators, templates and compliance resources.
Guides
Step-by-step resources for inspections, reporting and compliance workflows.
Calculators
Use ROI, fair wear and tear and tenancy-related calculators.
Template Library
Browse downloadable and platform-ready templates.
Renters' Rights Act Hub
Follow dedicated resources around the Renters' Rights Act.
Property Data Trust Framework
Learn about trusted property data, evidence and reporting standards.
Get property reporting insights in your inbox
Receive practical guidance, product updates and industry insights for residential property reporting and compliance workflows.
Ready to improve property reporting?
Explore Inventory Base to see how modern inspection workflows, professional reports, BaseAI and connected evidence records help residential property teams work faster and more consistently.