Smart Inspection Checklists + Check-In vs Check-Out Comparison

Why this matters

Deposit adjudicators put the burden of proof on the landlord. If you can't show the condition of an item at check-in and check-out, you usually can't claim for it — no matter how obvious the damage feels. Most landlords don't lose disputes because they're wrong; they lose because their evidence has gaps: the meter serial nobody photographed, the alarm test nobody recorded, the check-out report that describes different items than the check-in did.

Generic inventory templates don't fix this, because every property needs different evidence. A three-storey house needs a smoke alarm documented on every floor under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations; a flat with a gas boiler needs a CO alarm where a fully electric studio doesn't; a furnished let has an inventory a part-furnished one doesn't.

What we built

The biggest upgrade to inspections since launch — three pieces that work together:

• Config-driven checklists — tell LetSorted what the property is (flat or house, bedrooms, heating, furnishing) and it generates the checklist that property actually needs: alarms per floor, meters with serial numbers, keys, appliances, every room's condition. Every item explains why it matters — which dispute or penalty it protects you from.
• Critical items, gated — safety items and meters are flagged as critical and must be documented before the report can be sent. No more discovering the gap in front of an adjudicator.
• Completeness score — as you capture, a live score tracks what's documented, photographed, and condition-rated — and exactly what's missing.
• Custom items that persist — add the log burner or the garden office once; it appears on every future inspection of that property automatically.
• Side-by-side comparison — check-out re-walks the same checklist as check-in, so LetSorted can pair every item across both inspections: two dates, two photos, two confirmed conditions. Changes are highlighted, missing items flagged, and you can filter to "changed only" and print it — that's your dispute pack.
• Tenant confirmation — tenants review the report from their portal and confirm or dispute it. Both signatures, timestamped, on record.

Your next inspection could be the one that matters. Evidence that holds up is built at check-in, not reconstructed for the dispute. Explore the new inspections →

How to use it

1. Open a property in your dashboard and start an inspection — answer a few quick questions about the property the first time
2. Work through the generated checklist room by room: photo, condition, notes per item
3. Watch the completeness score — critical gaps are flagged before you can send
4. Send to your tenant for review and confirmation
5. At check-out, the same checklist is reused automatically — open Compare with check-in to see every item side by side, and print the comparison if you ever need it

For the thinking behind the feature, see what actually wins a deposit dispute and the check-in mistakes that quietly cost landlords.