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Inventory and check-in report for a rented home (Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland · in English
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Made for use in Northern Ireland
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For landlords, letting agents and tenants in Northern Ireland at the start of a private tenancy. It records the condition of each room, the furniture and appliances, the meter readings, the keys and the smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms, refers to dated photos, and gives the tenant seven days to add comments. Both sign it. No law requires an inventory, but the free dispute services of TDS Northern Ireland and myDeposits Northern Ireland rely on one when a landlord proposes deductions from the deposit.
- Made for use in Northern Ireland
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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When to use this document
- You are moving into a rented flat in Northern Ireland and want the condition of every room written down.
- Your landlord or letting agent has handed you the keys and you want a record you both sign.
- You have just let your house to a new tenant and want proof of how it was on the first day.
- You want an inventory and check-in report so the deposit cannot be argued about later.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Address of the property
- Town or city
- Landlord
- Tenant
- Date
- Each room in turn: walls, floors, windows, fittings and their condition
- Furniture and appliances supplied, with their condition (optional)
- Electricity meter reading
- Gas meter reading
- Cold water meter reading
- Number of keys
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
- Where the dated photos or video are kept (optional)
Common questions
- Does the law in Northern Ireland require an inventory at the start of a tenancy?
- No law requires one. But a landlord who keeps part of the deposit must show the damage goes beyond fair wear and tear, and the free dispute services of TDS Northern Ireland and myDeposits Northern Ireland look first at a check-in record both sides signed. Without one, a deduction is hard to prove, and a tenant has little to show that the marks were already there.
- What should a check-in report for a Northern Ireland tenancy describe?
- Every room in turn — walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, fittings and appliances — with marks, stains and wear described plainly, for example a scuffed skirting board in the hall. Take dated photos or a video and say in the report where they are kept. Note the meter readings, the number of keys handed over and whether the smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms were tested.
- Is a check-in report the same as the landlord’s tenancy information notice in Northern Ireland?
- No. The tenancy information notice is a separate document setting out the main facts of the tenancy, which a private landlord in Northern Ireland must give free within 28 days of the tenancy starting. This report records only the condition of the home. The tenant has seven days to add written comments, which are attached to it; keep a signed copy with your tenancy papers.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
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Related documents
- Check-out report and return of keys (Northern Ireland)
For the end of a private tenancy in Northern Ireland. It records the day the keys were returned, the final meter readings, the condition of each room compared with the check-in report and anything the tenant does not accept. Signed by both — or, if the landlord or agent does not attend, completed by the tenant alone with dated photos and sent the same day by email and by recorded delivery. It is the evidence the free dispute service of TDS Northern Ireland or myDeposits Northern Ireland weighs.
- Ask your landlord to return your deposit (Northern Ireland)
For a tenant in Northern Ireland who has moved out and is still waiting for the deposit. A letter before claim to the landlord or letting agent: it gives the date the tenancy ended, the deposit and the scheme protecting it — TDS Northern Ireland or myDeposits Northern Ireland — and asks for the deposit back within 14 days, or a written list of any deduction with evidence, saying which deductions you dispute. Next comes the scheme’s free dispute service, then a small claim in the county court (up to £5,000). If the deposit was never protected, report it to the council.
- Landlord’s notice of access to inspect or repair a rented home (Northern Ireland)
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- Rent statement and receipt for rent paid (Northern Ireland)
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- Ask your landlord for the tenancy information notice (Northern Ireland)
For a private tenant in Northern Ireland who has not been given the tenancy information notice — the free notice of the main facts of the tenancy that a landlord must give within 28 days of the tenancy starting, and again within 28 days of a change. The letter asks for it within 14 days and names the next step: the district council, which enforces the rule and can give a landlord who does not comply a fixed penalty. Short, polite, and a dated record of when you asked.
- Report an unprotected deposit or an unregistered landlord to the council (Northern Ireland)
For a private tenant in Northern Ireland whose landlord has broken a rule the district council enforces: a deposit not protected within 28 days, the deposit information not given within 35 days, a deposit of more than one month’s rent, no landlord registration, no tenancy information notice, or no receipt for rent paid in cash. The letter reports it to the council’s environmental health team, which can give the landlord a fixed penalty or prosecute. In Northern Ireland this replaces a court claim for a multiple of the deposit.