Mid-term inspection on a tenancy with an unrecorded pet
You are the inventory clerk for a managed two-bedroom flat let on a 12-month AST that started 14 months ago and rolled into a statutory periodic tenancy. The tenancy agreement contains a standard clause prohibiting pets without written consent. At a routine mid-term inspection you find a medium-sized dog, a scratched internal door frame near the kitchen, two soiled patches on a wool-blend living room carpet, and a strong odour. The tenant says the landlord gave verbal permission six months ago. Your original check-in report recorded the carpet as 'good, light wear' and the door frames as 'undamaged', both supported by timestamped photographs. The landlord has not instructed you to do anything beyond the inspection and has not confirmed any consent in writing.
1. How should you record and report these findings, and what should you avoid doing?
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Record facts, not conclusions. Note the presence of the dog, the scratched frame (with location, length and depth described neutrally), the soiled carpet patches (number, approximate size, location) and the odour, each with dated photographs and a note that the tenant attributed permission to a verbal arrangement. Compare against the check-in baseline: the carpet was 'good, light wear' and frames 'undamaged', so the observed damage is a change from baseline. Do not decide whether consent was given, do not label the tenant in breach, and do not tell the tenant they will be charged. Report to the landlord that no written consent is on file and recommend they confirm their position. The mid-term report is evidence for a future check-out comparison, so precision now protects both parties.
2. The landlord asks you to 'put in the report that the tenant is in breach and owes for a new carpet'. How do you respond?
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Decline to record a legal conclusion or a charge in an inspection report. Your role is factual condition reporting; breach and liability are matters for the landlord (and, if disputed, adjudication or a court). Explain that inserting an unsubstantiated allegation would undermine the credibility of the whole report if it were later relied on. Offer instead to (a) record the observed condition against the check-in baseline, (b) note that the tenancy agreement prohibits pets without written consent, and (c) flag that consent is unconfirmed. On the carpet, note that apportionment would consider age, quality and expected lifespan at check-out - not at a mid-term inspection - and that replacement cost is rarely recoverable in full where the item had prior wear.
3. What practical steps would you recommend to preserve the evidence chain for a possible deposit dispute?
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Keep the original check-in report and photographs unchanged; store the mid-term report separately with a clear date and inspector identity. Use timestamped, geotagged images and retain originals rather than cropped copies. Record the tenant's explanation verbatim (verbal permission) without editing. Note weather/lighting conditions if relevant to photographs. Advise the landlord to put any communication about consent or remediation in writing and to serve any notice correctly. If the tenancy later ends, the check-out must be conducted against the same baseline, ideally by an independent clerk, so the mid-term observations can be corroborated rather than treated as the sole evidence.