As I am away I sent the inventory by email asking the tenants to check it and advise me of any change, or reply to my email saying they agreed.
So far I have not heard back and deadline I gave them was last week.
I have 2 questions:
If they don’t reply can I say that I will assume it is correct if they don’t respond by a certain date?
If they do reply with an agreement by email but not a signature on the document is the inventory document valid?
Not a good idea to try to deal with new tenancies whilst you’re away. Inventories need to be signed by all parties before the tenancy commences, although you would normally give your tenant a week after that to notify you of any errors. You would not be able to rely on an inventory that was simply emailed. You should send them a signed printed copy now and a stamped return envelope and ask them to sign.
Thank you. What if I organised a professional service to do it on my behalf, is it too late to do this a month after they have moved in?
Its not too late, however, you would be recording the condition of the property now, not the start of the tenancy, so if there is any damage from the last month you would not be able to use the inventory as evidence to support any claim.
As they’ve been in a month then I agree, an inventory clerk is probably the way to go.
Thanks for your help, I’ll go this route.