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1083 articles
Guarantors – Responsibilities and Inventories
Blog

Guarantors – Responsibilities and Inventories

While it may not yet be common practice, the requirement in the private rental sector for a guarantor to stand behind a tenancy is becoming more familiar.  Landlords who are nervous about the protection of their income and property, particularly with the current legislative limits on the level of security deposits, are turning to this […]

I Inventory Base April 20, 2022 6 min
Will a revised Decent Homes Standard make a difference?
Blog

Will a revised Decent Homes Standard make a difference?

The original initiative for Decent Homes Standard required all social housing to comply with prescribed standards of decency by 2010 and was largely considered successful at the time, but a lot has changed since then. But with the all-party Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons delivering a damning report condemning councils and the […]

I Inventory Base April 7, 2022 8 min
National Meter Reading Day – 31st March 2022
Blog

National Meter Reading Day – 31st March 2022

Steps to Submit your meter readings (Video) Ofgem has raised the energy price cap meaning that from the 1st April everyone will be paying more for their gas and electric. Advice given by Martin Lewis of #MoneySavingExpert is for everyone to take gas and electricity meter readings on March 31st to ensure that you are not charged the […]

I Inventory Base March 21, 2022 2 min
Clerks! Don’t stay in your lane – Diversify your services 
Academy

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 […]

I Inventory Base March 18, 2022 7 min
Rent Repayment Orders – Are they fit for purpose?
Landlords

Rent Repayment Orders – Are they fit for purpose?

The private rental sector has received its fair share of legislative attention over the last 100 years but are Rent Repayment Orders an effective tool to hold rogue landlords to account or merely a money making scheme for unscrupulous tenants and ambulance chasers? A bit of background In 1915 the government introduced controls to restrict […]

S Sián Hemming-Metcalfe March 17, 2022 7 min
8 Easy Steps for Spring Cleaning Your Rental
Blog

8 Easy Steps for Spring Cleaning Your Rental

We all know the term ‘spring cleaning’. Some of us think of it as an invigorating activity to help prepare the home for the warmer months, while others see nothing but hard work and soggy mops! In centuries past winter was a time to stay indoors and keep warm, which meant burning coal, oil, wood […]

I Inventory Base March 14, 2022 8 min
Conditional Logic – The Future of Property and Compliance Reporting?
Blog

Conditional Logic – The Future of Property and Compliance Reporting?

Inventory Base is a multi-award winning software and reporting platform, delivering more functionality, better systems, processes and standardised templates across the property industry. Our latest innovation – Conditional Logic – is the next step in the revolution of data capture automation for property managers, agents, inventory providers and risk managers not just in the property […]

I Inventory Base March 3, 2022 4 min
Property Reports – Why should landlords bother with them?
Landlords

Property Reports – Why should landlords bother with them?

Not all tenancies are difficult or end in tears, most result in happy tenants and landlords so why should you bother with the added cost of property reports?

S Sián Hemming-Metcalfe February 25, 2022 9 min
Working from home – a positive step for the environment?
Blog

Working from home – a positive step for the environment?

As we welcomed in 2020 the shape of life over the next two years was impossible to foresee including the millions that would shortly be working from home but just didn’t know it. At the time, the biggest domestic issue consuming the attention of politicians in the UK was the withdrawal from the EU.  Globally, […]

S Sián Hemming-Metcalfe February 23, 2022 7 min
Inventory Base Academy expands training options to equip clerks with business skills
Press

Inventory Base Academy expands training options to equip clerks with business skills

Leading software provider releases the next phase of training for property and inspection report providers Inventory Base Academy has provided training resources and CPD accredited courses since 2019.  Delivering accessible, relevant and unrivalled support and training to inventory clerks and property professionals, Inventory Base Academy has developed a supportive learning environment to enable the continued […]

I Inventory Base February 18, 2022 3 min
Electric Chargers (EV) – New law for new homes
Blog

Electric Chargers (EV) – New law for new homes

In November 2021 at the Confederation of British Industry conference the Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced measures to support the 2030 target for banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.  One of the most frequent expressed objections to the proposed ban has been the scarcity of charging points for electric vehicles. Without adequate […]

I Inventory Base February 15, 2022 6 min
Plan and Prep – The key to managing property reports
Blog

Plan and Prep – The key to managing property reports

Ask a property manager to define what key reports they need to do their job and they will refer to documents such as the tenancy agreement, Right to Rent checks, deposit certificate, EPC, gas safety, EICR.  All are vital documents however often it is the inventory or check in report that often gets left off […]

S Sián Hemming-Metcalfe February 15, 2022 5 min
Photographs -The importance of visual evidence
Academy

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 […]

S Sián Hemming-Metcalfe February 15, 2022 6 min
Mobile Phones – Government Gives Red Light to Drivers
Blog

Mobile Phones – Government Gives Red Light to Drivers

History provides many examples of moments when the law found itself drastically outpaced by technological advancement, changing human behaviour or a combination of both.  Often these moments have had some connection with the automobile industry. The invention of the motor car created serious problems because it was born into a world where there was neither […]

I Inventory Base January 25, 2022 7 min
Changes to the Highway Code: What You Need to Know Now!
Blog

Changes to the Highway Code: What You Need to Know Now!

The Highway Code is an unusual document in that it governs the way every individual – driver, cyclist, motorcyclist or pedestrian – uses the roads.  It is not a legal document and its rules are not official highway laws. It contains 307 regulations and contravention of many of these can give rise to penalties.  Much […]

I Inventory Base January 21, 2022 7 min
Greenwashing and PRS – Leading The Way Or Just Ticking The Environmental Box?
Blog

Greenwashing and PRS – Leading The Way Or Just Ticking The Environmental Box?

In 1896 a handful of scientists identified the possibility that humanity could change the climate. However, it wasn’t until nearly 100 years later (and before greenwashing was even a word) that a consensus started to form and the World Meteorological Organisation established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Fierce disagreements continued long after this, with […]

S Sián Hemming-Metcalfe January 17, 2022 6 min
New Financial Legislation That Will Affect SME’s in 2022
Blog

New Financial Legislation That Will Affect SME’s in 2022

The beginning of the personal financial year in April is always a time of change. Both personal and company taxation tend to undergo revision. In some years, the weight of taxation is relieved and in others, it increases.  After the economic devastation and record government borrowing of the past two years, this coming April, the […]

S Sián Hemming-Metcalfe January 17, 2022 5 min
Self-employed Clerks – Understanding IR35
Academy

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 […]

S Sián Hemming-Metcalfe January 12, 2022 6 min
CollaborationTech – The Future of Estate Agency?
Blog

CollaborationTech – The Future of Estate Agency?

In a world of so much choice, trying to find a service or route to market that everyone can agree to, defining a clear vision of what you want to achieve against a backdrop of constant change can make the whole process of working collaboratively feel like an uphill struggle. Conflicting views, needs and wants […]

I Inventory Base January 11, 2022 5 min
Inventory Base’s Ultimate 2022 Guide to New Features
Blog

Inventory Base’s Ultimate 2022 Guide to New Features

Throughout 2021, our team were as busy as Santa’s helpers working tirelessly to develop and deliver a whole bunch of new and exciting features in time to welcome in the New Year. In December, we opened up our Advent Calendar and introduced a new addition to the Inventory Base suite of services and features each […]

I Inventory Base January 10, 2022 7 min
Pretty in Pink – Does Your Property Report Protect or Just Look Good?
Blog

Pretty in Pink – Does Your Property Report Protect or Just Look Good?

The Physiologist William Rushton once said of a lecture given by a colleague: ‘the goal of this presentation is to impress, rather than inform’.  We’ve probably all been in situations where the substance of what we were being shown or told seemed to take second place to the style and flair with which it was […]

I Inventory Base December 21, 2021 6 min
The Value of Service: How to Manage a Disgruntled Customer
Academy

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 […]

S Sián Hemming-Metcalfe December 21, 2021 8 min
Safety In The Property – What Are Dynamic Risk Assessments & When To Apply Them
Blog

Safety In The Property – What Are Dynamic Risk Assessments & When To Apply Them

The private rental property market supports many different professions, skills and disciplines. Most of these are administrative and office-bound. But because this sector is ultimately about bricks and mortar there is inevitably a very hands-on physical side to the lettings process. This means that for those traders that work in the property, there is always […]

I Inventory Base December 21, 2021 10 min
ADR – Preventing disputes the old-fashioned way
Academy

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 […]

S Sián Hemming-Metcalfe December 13, 2021 7 min
Compliance & legislation

Compliance and legislation updates

Follow practical updates and explainers on legislation, housing standards and compliance-related inspection workflows.

Renters' Rights Act Damp and mould Awaab's Law HHSRS Building Safety Act Legionella Fire safety Deposit evidence Fair wear and tear
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