Eight short answers, in my own words, about how an end-of-tenancy hand-back works with Baula: who decides on the deposit, what happens if the tenant disagrees, how long it takes and what needs to be ready.
Who decides whether the deposit is returned in full?
Not me, and it is worth saying so plainly. I did not know the flat before: I did not hand over the keys and I do not know what condition the tenant found it in. What I do is something else: I am the managing agent's eyes inside the flat, and I record every defect I find, one by one, each with its photograph.
Some cases are clear enough. Paint, for instance: the tenant is not obliged to leave the flat repainted unless the contract says so expressly, because it counts as wear and tear. It is another matter if they painted the walls black and the owner has no choice but to repaint the whole flat: that could well be deductible from the deposit. Other cases depend on what the owner and the tenant agreed between them, and I cannot know that. With the report in hand, whoever has to decide does so on facts rather than impressions.
If there is a check-in report, everything changes. When the tenant moves in they are given a reasonable period to say what they can already see is wrong, and it goes on record. At check-out, that is what lets them show they did not cause it, and often it has already been agreed who repairs what and who pays. With a check-in report there is almost nothing left to argue about at check-out: you simply compare.
What does a condition report give you that photos taken on a phone do not?
Photos tell you what state the flat is in. The report tells you what to do about it, and in what order.
I always carry out the visit to the same checklist, room by room, and everything I record goes with its photograph beside it. That is why the document holds up if anyone challenges it.
And there is a second part, which is the one people are most grateful for. The report comes with the work prioritised: what must be repaired before the flat is let again, what can wait and what needs no attention. An empty flat earns no rent and every day out of service costs money, so the managing agent can request quotes the same day they receive the report, without having to go and look for themselves. And if it suits them, I coordinate that work myself.
How long does it take, from instruction to the managing agent having the keys?
There are no surprises between the instruction and the keys, because the calendar is on our side: the managing agent knows the move-out date at least a month in advance, from the contract. With that margin, I can organise myself well.
What I do is take the heavy part off their hands. The agent tells me the day they have provisionally agreed with the tenant, but there is always a few days' leeway. From there I call the tenant myself and we fix a firm day and time, around their schedule: evenings, nights or weekends, which is when people can actually be there.
Once the visit is done, the report goes out within 48 hours. And I bring the keys to the managing agent by hand, myself. I never delegate it or pass it through anyone else: these are the keys to a flat, and that is a matter of responsibility and trust.
When something drags on, it is usually on the tenant's side: they do not answer, they ask to change the day, or they have not finished clearing the flat. I adapt, but before I call them I have already asked the agent how many days' leeway I have. If I see it stretching too far, I hand it back so the agent can set a new range of dates with the tenant: doing it two days later is not the same as doing it twenty days later, because there are usually financial consequences.
What happens if the tenant disagrees with what the report says?
I do not argue. If the tenant wants it on record that they do not accept something in the report, we put it on the record, in their own words, and they sign anyway. It sounds like the opposite, but that is precisely what lets the hand-back close there and then: nobody signs feeling they have lost a second time.
I do not go in as a party to the dispute; I go in as an independent professional who records what is there, with the photograph beside it. Afterwards, whoever has to decide — the managing agent or the owner — has the report, the photograph and the written objection, and decides on facts.
Does the owner or the managing agent need to be there on the day of the visit?
No. That is exactly why the service exists: I am the managing agent's eyes inside the flat. I arrange the visit directly with the tenant, carry it out at a time that suits them — evenings, nights or weekends — close the record and bring the keys by hand the next day. The agent receives the report within 48 hours without leaving the office.
If someone from the owner's side wants to come, they can, but there is no need. And it is often better if they do not: a visit with the owner present feels more like a trial, and what I am after is exactly the opposite.
What needs to be ready on the day of the check-out?
From the managing agent: the planned date and the leeway around it, the tenant's contact details and, if there is one, the check-in report or inventory to compare against. Also any contract clause I should look at: paintwork, furniture, utilities.
From the tenant: the flat empty and in the state they intend to leave it, every key (door, letterbox, garage, storage room), access to the meters and, if they have them, the latest utility bills.
With that, the visit happens once. When the flat is not yet empty or keys are missing is when it has to be repeated, and every extra day counts.
Who cancels or transfers the water, electricity and gas, and how long does it take?
I can do it. On the day of the check-out I already take the final readings, with a photograph of each meter, which is what is needed for the closing bill to add up. I then file the cancellation or the name change directly with the utility companies, resolve the paperwork they keep asking for and confirm the change with the new contract in hand. Depending on the company, between 5 and 15 days.
If the managing agent or the owner would rather do it themselves, I leave the readings and the photographs in the report, and that is that.
Does a condition report count as evidence in a deposit dispute?
It is a document that puts things on record: a visit carried out to a fixed checklist, every defect with its dated photograph, the meter readings and a record signed by the tenant, or carrying their written objection if they have one. That is what it contributes.
Whether it counts as evidence in a particular dispute is for whoever has to resolve that dispute to decide, and I cannot guarantee it: I am neither a surveyor nor a lawyer. What I can say is that a report made this way holds up far better than loose phone photos, and that a check-in report is what makes the comparison beyond argument.
