All businesses must adapt to survive and the property sector is no exception. Recent events have seen fundamental changes to the way the sector functions and these are likely to be indicative of the future direction of development.
Sheridan Inventory Services are flexible and agile in their methods and combine this with a traditional yet highly adaptable product range to provide a second to none inventory and check out service across West Yorkshire and beyond.
As remote working increasingly becomes the norm, reducing the traditional role of the high street based letting agent, outsourcing inventory and check out provision to experienced independent companies adds value to your service in a competitive market, enabling you to concentrate on your core business.
We believe that it is only a matter of time before the provision of an independent inventory becomes compulsory. The three deposit schemes are inclined to give far more credence to detailed independent reports in the event of disputes at present and there is growing evidence of pressure from that direction towards independent inventories as a standard.
Our competitive fixed-price structure allows you to factor the cost of inventory provision into your fees and our products will demonstrate clear value for money to your client base. The unique nature of our inventories means that we can provide updated reports at a discounted rate to existing clients.
We regard our clients as partners and cherish the business relationships we hold. We understand that you may have certain preferences and requirements in terms of report content, product delivery and service standards - we will accommodate these. Our working hours are yours, and your values and expectations are ours.
Our experience and expertise ensures an unparalleled level of accuracy and detail in our reports, with each being unique and bespoke to the specific property. Letting agents currently using inventories prepared using pre-programmed software will appreciate the far greater level of quality detail and comment that this approach affords. A comparison of methodology can be seen below:
Pre-programmed
Very few properties can be described as regular and geometric in their layout yet a pre-programmed inventory will, by definition, impose this layout on the presentation of reports.
The quality of a pre-programmed report is largely down to the quantity and accuracy of information input, but this quality is constrained by the limitations of the software. Descriptions will be dictated by the programme, and format will be restricted to the limited flexibility afforded by the software.
Pre- programmed reports reflect the extent that a programmer, distant in geography and time, understands the nature of the inventory and check-out process. This means that equal weight is given to each feature, area and aspect of a property.
Pre-programmed inventories compartmentalise a property into rooms, then sub-divide them by feature, assuming that each property will follow a pre-set pattern of progression.
Sheridan Inventory Services
Our reports are infinitely flexible and adaptable. We can replicate in written form the specific layout of a modern purpose built flat and a centuries old cottage, reflecting idiosyncrasies rather than imposing standardisations.
All of our inventories and check outs are bespoke, individually compiled products, designed to accurately describe the specific features and condition of each property. Descriptions and comments are exactly as we see them, in our own words. Photographs will be clear, relevant and labelled.
Experience and knowledge tell us that some aspects of a property require more attention than others, as they are more likely to be a source of contention at check-out. Our inventories are shaped to concentrate more detail and emphasis on these aspects to minimise the possibility of dispute arising from issues around these aspects.
Our inventories are designed to be logical, self-explanatory and user friendly. They are laid out in the room by room order which a tenant would logically progress through a property. For unusual layouts or particularly large rooms/ areas we can create sub-divisions if this will aid clarity. Each room is described clockwise as far as practical.
As executive members of the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks we receive regular updates and advice on developments and legislative changes affecting our sector and this “inside track” source of information allows us to keep our products relevant and compliant – we became aware of the compulsory requirement for Smoke and Carbon Monoxide provisions a long time before many of our letting agent clients, as an example.