I wants to take a video inventory of the property and upload it for the tenant to view. Does anyone know any websites where I can upload the video to?
Reason being is to have overall video evidence of the condition of the property in case of deposit disputes. Don’t want to just watsap the video would prefer a proper website.
I have filled in the word document, this is just as a back up.
I have used smarterinventories.com
which creates inventories specifically for LLs. It allows you to take stills and videos that are date stamped and organised by the room. You can then send it to the tenant for signing digitally and it only costs a few pounds.
Whatever you do, it needs to be signed by the tenant.
I looked into this briefly as it seems like a quicker option, would be interested in knowing if there’s something that a deposit scheme would accept as evidence.
Looks promising, would you trust it to still be around in a few years time though? Thats my concern with sites and services like this, with non established firms.
You create your inventory using your smartphone and upload it to their cloud. It also gives you the option to download it back to your phone or other storage device.
You are taking high definition photos that are date stamped using your smartphone camera which is exactly what is required by the deposit schemes.
They accept time stamped photos? Would be so easy to fake. They don’t require photos which are part of a signed inventory document?
Hi Mark10
Smarterinventories is a mobile phone app that enables you to create a complete and professional DIY inventory using your mobile phone. You just open the app, select the category living/dining room etc and you take pictures which will be listed under the category you have selected. Additionally, you can add text to describe any defects etc. You then upload it to the smarterinventories website. smarterinventories then send a notification to you and the tenant that “the document is ready for signing.” A full audit trail is produced with the inventory. Time the pics were taken, time the pics were uploaded etc so the time stamps cannot be faked.
I found it so easy to create my own inventory that I am actually considering doing it as a side hustle.
Uploading to a video sharing platform is not a bad idea, but the video itself still needs to be time-stamped and the platform needs to record the date and time it was uploaded and of any alterations, so that the tenant cant claim you changed it later.
The tenant signs the same copy as the LL. Any later amendments are recorded with time and date stamp and will have to be signed for again. They are offering a free trial. Why not try it for yourself. Download the app, create an account. take some pics in your own property and send to your wife/partner/friends phone just to see how it works from both LL and tenants perspective.
I have a separate Google photos (free) account for this. I upload a ton of pics and separate them by room into albums. I then generate a shortlink and QR code for each room that goes into a paper inventory that also has a list of defects. Tenant signs each page and a disclaimer at the end saying that the pics online match the condition of property on date of check in.
The key issue is that neither you nor the tenant should be able to add, change or delete photos once you’ve both signed.
That’s correct… 20 characters
well the tenant can only view, not add or delete. I can delete but that’s shooting myself in the foot and yes, i can add, but the photos, not to mention the upload details, will be post the date of signing so inadmissable if I attempt to use them in a dispute.
I don’t think there’s a perfect process for inventories so this is the best I’ve come up with. I’m def convinced that paying someone to do it is not worth the money.
And at the end of the day, the best way to settle disputes around the deposit is to have a good, open and honest relationship with the tenant during the tenancy. That’s where i concentrate most of my effort.
Some good ideas here.
What I tend to do is attach dozens of photos to the pdf inventory.
Tenant digitally signs it.
Although the detail is lost in the photos, as the file size needs to be kept manageable, I keep high resolution time stamped originals which can easily be matched to those in the pdf.
Isn’t there another argument here, that the inventory should be carried by an independent? Has anyone actually had to use their own inventory as evidence yet with tds etc?
No, I’ve not, but as I say, the way I avoid that is through a good relationship from the word go with the tenant. I also do quarterly inspections and flag anything that might eventually lead to a deposit deduction e.g. ink on a carpet. And when a T gives notice, I immediately head round and do a pre-departure inspection in more detail for the very purpose of finding anything I might claim for. By that point, there’s never been a disagreement about a deduction even if I’ve had to take the entire deposit.
At the end of the day, even if a T successfully prevents me taking even the entire deposit through arbitration, I doubt I would change my methodology. Inventories are a form of insurance, and I’m effectively self-insuring. The money I’d lose on the one T in my life who would get away with keeping the entire deposit is far less than the money I would have spent on professional inventory services over my LL lifetime.
Thankfully I’ve never had to use arbitration, and only ever docked deposit twice in 10 years.
Yes, good relation is key, last tenant I docked all deposit, it wasn’t contested. This was the only time I’ve massively misjudged a tenant. As soon as she was in communication closed down. After just 12 months the place was a mess.
The inventory is really a tool for me just to say “look I’m watching and I know what’s what”!
Until recently I used a CD Rom to store the photos. Two copies were made and both the tenant and I signed and dated the face of the CD. It was indelible and therefore met the criteria, but sadly few people have CD drives on their laptops any more, (or even laptops!)
With regard to having an inventory carried out by an independent person, that has long been the standard advice. However, good quality date stamped photos of the features with before and after shots would make compelling evidence for any adjudicator to make a decision. Also with a maximum claim of 5 weeks rent, it is not really cost effective to use a professional , especially when you consider adding mid- term and a checkout inspection.
Its only the deposit that’s capped at 5 weeks rent. If the damage exceeds this, landlords are usually advised to sue the tenant in court and claim the deposit in part settlement. This, of course is a lot of extra hassle with no guarantee that the tenant will pay.