A dated record of the condition of the property and everything in it at the start of the tenancy. You do not legally need one, and without one you will almost never win a deposit deduction.
It should be detailed, photographed, dated, and signed or acknowledged by the tenant. Photographs with a timestamp do most of the work.
Do the same thing at the end. A deduction is the difference between two records, and adjudicators decide on evidence rather than on assertion.
The tenant should get a chance to comment on the check in inventory. One they never saw carries much less weight.
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