{"id":43,"date":"2026-08-21T17:25:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/?page_id=43"},"modified":"2026-08-21T17:31:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:31:49","slug":"what-adjudicators-actually-want-to-see-an-evidence-checklist","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/?page_id=43","title":{"rendered":"What Adjudicators Actually Want to See: An Evidence Checklist"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpc-gutenberg-block wpc-widget-hcis_post_adjudicator_checklist ewb-gutenberg-block ewb-widget-hcis_post_adjudicator_checklist alignfull wp-block-wpcursor-ewb-hcis-post-adjudicator-checklist\"><style type=\"text\/css\" data-ewb-widget=\"hcis_post_adjudicator_checklist\">\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__header {\n  background: var(--color-secondary);\n  padding: 56px 24px 48px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__header-inner {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 0 auto;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__category {\n  display: inline-block;\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.8rem;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  letter-spacing: 0.04em;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  color: var(--color-primary);\n  margin-bottom: 16px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__header h1 {\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  font-size: 2.1rem;\n  line-height: 1.3;\n  color: #fff;\n  margin: 0 0 16px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__meta {\n  display: flex;\n  gap: 16px;\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.9rem;\n  color: #cbd5e1;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__body {\n  background: var(--color-background);\n  padding: 56px 24px 72px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 0 auto;\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 1.08rem;\n  line-height: 1.8;\n  color: var(--color-text);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content h2 {\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  font-size: 1.5rem;\n  color: var(--color-text);\n  margin: 40px 0 16px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content h3 {\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  font-size: 1.2rem;\n  color: var(--color-text);\n  margin: 32px 0 12px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content p {\n  margin: 0 0 20px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content ul,\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content ol {\n  margin: 0 0 20px;\n  padding-left: 24px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content li {\n  margin-bottom: 10px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content blockquote {\n  border-left: 3px solid var(--color-primary);\n  margin: 0 0 24px;\n  padding: 4px 0 4px 20px;\n  font-style: italic;\n  color: var(--color-text-muted);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content table {\n  width: 100%;\n  border-collapse: collapse;\n  margin: 0 0 24px;\n  font-size: 0.95rem;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content th,\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content td {\n  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);\n  padding: 10px 14px;\n  text-align: left;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content th {\n  background: var(--color-surface);\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content a {\n  color: var(--color-primary);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__content strong {\n  color: var(--color-text);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__signoff {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 40px auto 0;\n  padding: 24px;\n  background: var(--color-surface);\n  border-radius: var(--radius-md);\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.98rem;\n  line-height: 1.7;\n  color: var(--color-text-muted);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__signoff a {\n  color: var(--color-primary);\n  font-weight: 600;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__sources {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 32px auto 0;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__sources h3 {\n  font-family: var(--font-heading);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  font-size: 1rem;\n  color: var(--color-text);\n  margin: 0 0 10px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__sources ul {\n  margin: 0;\n  padding-left: 20px;\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.9rem;\n  color: var(--color-text-muted);\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__sources li {\n  margin-bottom: 6px;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__back {\n  max-width: 760px;\n  margin: 24px auto 0;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__back a {\n  font-family: var(--font-body);\n  font-size: 0.95rem;\n  color: var(--color-text-muted);\n  text-decoration: none;\n}\n\n#ewb-block-1 .hcis-post__back a:hover {\n  color: var(--color-primary);\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"ewb-block-1\" class=\"wpc-widget wpc-widget-hcis_post_adjudicator_checklist ewb-widget ewb-widget-hcis_post_adjudicator_checklist\"><article class=\"hcis-post\">\n  <header class=\"hcis-post__header\">\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__header-inner\">\n      <span class=\"hcis-post__category\">Deposits &amp; Disputes<\/span>\n      <h1>What Adjudicators Actually Want to See: An Evidence Checklist for Check-In and Check-Out<\/h1>\n      <div class=\"hcis-post__meta\">\n        <span>21 August 2026<\/span>\n        <span>By Joanne Minchella<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/header>\n\n  <div class=\"hcis-post__body\">\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__content\">\n      <blockquote>&ldquo;It is not what is written in the tenancy agreement that decides the outcome, it is what can be evidenced.&rdquo; &mdash; Propertymark<\/blockquote>\n      <p>Around 4.7 million deposits are currently protected in England and Wales, with an average value of \u00a31,175. Only around 1% of tenancies end up in adjudication &mdash; roughly 46,950 cases a year &mdash; but for the landlords and agents involved, the outcome rests entirely on the paperwork they can produce. TDS figures show the most common claim categories are cleaning (54%), damage (49%), redecoration (31%), gardening (14%) and rent arrears (10%); DPS data shows cleaning claims at 29.38%. Whichever scheme is used, the pattern is the same: cleaning and damage dominate, and both are exactly the categories where good evidence wins or loses a case.<\/p>\n\n      <h2>Check-in: build the baseline<\/h2>\n      <p>A check-in report that will stand up months or years later needs to include:<\/p>\n      <ul>\n        <li>A written report covering every room, not just the obviously significant ones<\/li>\n        <li>Item-level descriptions rather than broad summaries<\/li>\n        <li>Cleanliness recorded on a defined scale, not a single subjective word<\/li>\n        <li>Dated photographs showing both good and bad condition &mdash; not only the flattering angles<\/li>\n        <li>Meter readings at the point of check-in<\/li>\n        <li>A record of keys and fobs issued<\/li>\n        <li>Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms confirmed present and tested<\/li>\n        <li>Signature or acknowledgement from both landlord\/agent and tenant<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n\n      <h2>During the tenancy: keep the record alive<\/h2>\n      <p>The evidence trail shouldn&rsquo;t go quiet between check-in and check-out. Periodic inspections, a maintenance log, and any correspondence with the tenant about the property&rsquo;s condition all add weight to the eventual claim &mdash; or the eventual defence against one.<\/p>\n\n      <h2>Check-out: make it comparable<\/h2>\n      <p>The check-out report only does its job if it can be compared directly against the check-in report. That means:<\/p>\n      <ul>\n        <li>The same structure and level of detail as the check-in report<\/li>\n        <li>Photographs taken from comparable angles and distances to the originals<\/li>\n        <li>A clear separation between fair wear and tear and genuine damage<\/li>\n        <li>Final meter readings and a reconciliation of keys returned<\/li>\n        <li>Any costs claimed substantiated with quotes or invoices<\/li>\n        <li>The report dated and, ideally, acknowledged by the tenant<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n\n      <h2>Five things that lose claims<\/h2>\n      <ul>\n        <li>Claiming for fair wear and tear, which is never deductible<\/li>\n        <li>Charging the full replacement cost for an item that was already used or aged<\/li>\n        <li>A vague or generic check-in report with nothing concrete to compare against<\/li>\n        <li>Photographs that aren&rsquo;t comparable &mdash; different angles, different lighting, no dates<\/li>\n        <li>Relying on clauses in the tenancy agreement instead of evidence of actual condition<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n\n      <p>The purpose of a good inventory is to prevent disputes, not to win them. A thorough, comparable, well-photographed report rarely needs to go anywhere near an adjudicator &mdash; because both sides can already see, in black and white, what changed and what didn&rsquo;t.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__signoff\">\n      <p>Home County Inventory Services provides independent inventories, mid-term inspections and check-out reports to letting agents and landlords across Ashford, Folkestone and Canterbury. For a price list and current availability, call Joanne on <a href=\"tel:07940508934\">07940 508934<\/a> or email <a href=\"mailto:joanne@homecountyinventories.com\">joanne@homecountyinventories.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__sources\">\n      <h3>Sources<\/h3>\n      <ul>\n        <li>Propertymark<\/li>\n        <li>Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS)<\/li>\n        <li>Deposit Protection Service (DPS)<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"hcis-post__back\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/?page_id=38\">&larr; Back to the blog<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/article><\/div>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-ewb-widget=\"hcis_post_adjudicator_checklist\">\n(function() {\n  'use strict';\n  \n  const widgetId = 'ewb-block-1';\n  const widget = document.getElementById(widgetId);\n  \n  if (!widget) {\n    console.warn('EWB Widget element not found:', widgetId);\n    return;\n  }\n  \n  try {\n    \/\/ Widget: Blog: Adjudicator Evidence Checklist\n\/\/ Add your JavaScript here\n  } catch (error) {\n    console.error('EWB Widget Error [' + widgetId + ']:', error);\n    \n    \/\/ Show error in widget if debug mode enabled\n    if (widget.dataset.debug === 'true') {\n      const errorDiv = document.createElement('div');\n      errorDiv.className = 'ewb-error';\n      errorDiv.style.cssText = 'background: #fee; border: 1px solid #fcc; padding: 10px; margin: 10px; color: #c33; font-family: monospace; font-size: 12px;';\n      errorDiv.textContent = 'JavaScript Error: ' + error.message;\n      widget.appendChild(errorDiv);\n    }\n  }\n})();\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"wpcursor-fullwidth","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-43","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48,"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43\/revisions\/48"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hci.wp-host.team\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}