An independent inspection between tenancies, while the property is empty and everything is actually visible, documenting damp, mould, ventilation and condition before the next tenant moves in.
A void is the only point in a tenancy cycle when a property is empty, accessible, and free of somebody else's furniture. It is the only time you can properly look behind a wardrobe, check the extract fan actually pulls, and take moisture readings that mean something.
It is also the moment when problems are cheapest to fix. A condensation issue caught in an empty flat in September is a ventilation adjustment. The same issue found in January, with a tenant in it and a complaint on file, is a dispute.
The most common damp and mould dispute follows the same pattern. A tenant reports mould, the landlord says it is lifestyle, the tenant says it was there when they moved in, and nobody has a dated record of the property's condition on the day the tenancy began. Everything after that is argument.
A changeover audit ends that argument before it starts. There is a dated, independent, photographed record of what the property was like at handover, with measured readings, produced by someone with no stake in the outcome.
It is equally useful in the other direction. Where damp genuinely was present at the start, knowing that early lets you deal with it for a fraction of what it costs once it has become a formal complaint.
Every room checked while empty and accessible, with thermal imaging where anything looks doubtful.
Calibrated readings recorded by location, giving you a baseline the next tenancy can be measured against.
Extract fans, trickle vents and airflow actually checked, not just noted as present.
A dated photographic record of the property at handover, which is the document that settles disputes.
Anything that will become a problem once the property is occupied and heated, flagged while it is still cheap.
Report within 24 hours, because a void has a cost per day and nobody wants to hold a property waiting on paperwork.
Letting and managing agents handling tenancy changeovers, private landlords between tenants, student accommodation providers working the summer changeover, and HMO operators with rolling room turnover.
Agents doing several changeovers in the same week should call rather than book individually. Clustering visits by area on the same day brings the price per property down significantly.
As early as possible. Attending on day one gives you time to act on anything found before the next tenancy starts, which is the whole value of it.
No. An inventory clerk records contents and cosmetic condition. This is a technical inspection of damp, mould, moisture and ventilation, with instruments, by a surveyor. The two sit alongside each other.
Yes, and a void is the ideal moment for it, since standing water in an empty property is exactly the scenario that raises legionella risk. Combining them in one visit is much cheaper than two.
No payment to book. Tell us what you need and Rory will call you back, usually within a couple of hours, to talk it through and confirm a fixed price.