What Letting Agents and Inventory Clerks Check at Inspection
The check-out inspection is a straightforward comparison. Here's exactly how it works and what gets flagged.
It's a comparison, not an opinion
A check-out inspection compares the property, room by room, against the check-in inventory: the report and photographs made when the tenancy started. The clerk isn't asking "is this clean?" in the abstract. They're asking "is this as clean as the day the tenant received it?" That's why two properties in identical condition can get different reports: the benchmark is the check-in record, not a universal standard.
The items that get flagged most
Check-out reports flag the same things over and over, almost always the labour-intensive jobs:
- Ovens, hobs and extractors: the single most commonly flagged item
- Limescale on taps, shower screens and bathroom fittings (a constant in this region's hard-water towns)
- Carpets: vacuumed isn't the same as clean, and clerks can tell
- The insides of cupboards, wardrobes and drawers (out of sight until inspection day)
- Skirting boards, door frames and the tops of doors
- Marks and scuffs on walls beyond normal wear
- Bins, and anything left behind in the property
How it gets recorded
The clerk works through the property methodically with the check-in report in hand, photographing anything that differs. The result is a written check-out report, and that document, alongside the check-in inventory, is the evidence both sides rely on if the deposit ends up in dispute. Verbal assurances count for nothing. The reports are everything.
What happens after the report
The agent or landlord reviews the report and proposes any deductions. If the tenant disagrees and the deposit is protected, the dispute goes to the deposit scheme, where an adjudicator reads both reports and looks at the photographs. The side with the clearer evidence usually wins, which is why cleaning disputes are less about cleaning and more about documentation.
Walking in prepared
Everything above is knowable in advance, which means it's passable in advance. Our free room-by-room checklist is built around exactly what clerks inspect: work through it yourself, or book the clean and get the same checklist done professionally, with a written scope your agent can see.