AIIC urges landlords to encourage tenants to attend Check Outs

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) has called on UK landlords to encourage their tenants to attend a Check Out at the end of a tenancy. They argue that if more tenants attended Check Outs, fewer deposit disputes between both sides would arise. 

A Check Out, which takes place (as the name suggests) at the end of a tenancy, provides landlords and letting agents with the chance to record the condition of the rental property in comparison to when the tenants first moved in. 

The AIIC’s intervention comes in the wake of recent research by the Deposit Protection Service, which revealed that 48% of tenants had not attended their Check Out. In addition, 46% of those who didn’t attend said they had either not been invited or were not informed of the date or time.

“We were disappointed to see that so many tenants didn't attend Check Out and that almost half of these non-attendees were not invited or made aware of the arrangements,” Pat Barber, Chair of the AIIC, said. 

“We are urging landlords and their agents to invite and remind their tenants about their Check Out. It is an extremely important part of the inventory process and a successful inventory can go a long way to reducing the likelihood of a dispute at the end of a tenancy.”

She added: “As always, we advise landlords and letting agents to utilise the services of an independent inventory clerk in order to maintain impartiality and professionalism.”