Before you sign the tenancy agreement, it’s a good idea to go through the place with the landlord and fill out a Property Inspection Report – sometimes also called a “condition report”. Write down or take photos of the condition of each room and any furniture, appliances and so on provided by the landlord (called “chattels”). This will make sure you both agree on the state of the property before you move in. It will also help avoid arguments later on about, for example, whether something was already worn or damaged before you moved in.
Tenancy Services provide a standard tenancy agreement that also includes a property inspection form (see “Where to go for more support” at the end of this chapter). Most landlords use this form, but if your landlord doesn’t, you should get a copy of the property inspection form from Tenancy Services and ask the landlord to complete it with you as part of the tenancy agreement.