With the draft Tenant Fee Ban being published this week, there are plenty of changes afoot in the private letting sector. However, there are calls for these changes not to be the only amendments to the way the industry works.
A petition has been launched calling for the independent inventory reporting to become compulsory, as a method of increasing regulation of the rented sector.
The petition, put forward by the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) has been designed in order to provide further documentary evidence to enable adjudicators to better arbitrate on deposit disputes.
Although compulsory deposit protection was made a legal requirement in 2007, there is no legal requirement to provide documentary evidence to assist with the dispute process. The AIIC would like to see this changed, believing that it will benefit both landlords, and tenants and help bring about regulation of the rental sector.
It’s clear the government is keen to increase regulation and professionalism in the letting sector and we see no reason why mandatory inventory reporting should not be a part of this movement. An independent and professionally compiled inventory offers protection to both tenants and landlords and can prove invaluable in the event of a tenancy deposit dispute. We are urging all property professionals, landlords and tenants to sign this petition in order to bring this issue to the government's attention, which is long overdue. We honestly believe that the regulation of impartial, independent inventories as an industry standard would reduce the number of deposit disputes between landlords, tenants and letting agents. Adding this measure as a compulsory part of the rental process is only a small step for the government to take and could make a huge difference for renters and private landlords all over the country.
Danny Zane, joint chair of the AIIC
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