Property Inventory Services in Walsall

An Aldridge detached and a Caldmore terrace aren't the same job

Walsall is one council, but six towns. There's Walsall itself, Bloxwich, Willenhall, Darlaston, Aldridge and Brownhills. The housing changes every few miles. So do the disputes. That's why I don't use one report for all of them.

Caldmore, Pleck and Palfrey: shared houses, recorded room by room

Caldmore, Pleck, Palfrey and Paddock sit just south of the town centre. Many streets here are lined with terraces from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many are now shared houses. This side of town has more of Walsall's HMOs than anywhere else.

Five tenants in one house means five people who'll swear the damage was there before. One proper inventory settles that. Each bedroom gets its own section, with timestamped photos and its own keys. Then I record the kitchen, bathroom and landing everyone shares.

Blakenall Heath, Bloxwich and Pelsall: I write down the slow wear

Walsall built its first council house at Blakenall Heath in 1920. Estates spread out from there through Harden, Coal Pool and Goscote, then Beechdale in the 1950s. Out towards Bloxwich, Pelsall and Brownhills, family lets often run for years.

Long tenancies rarely end in one big bit of damage. They end in rows over worn carpets, tired paint and an overgrown garden. That's fair wear and tear territory. A dated record from day one settles it.

Willenhall and Darlaston: in the lock town, I count every key

Willenhall made its name on locks and keys. I still count every key on the inventory. A missing key is the easiest thing to argue about at check-out.

I've seen a check-out fall apart over a hair in a drawer and dust under a sofa. The flat was clean. But the check-in had missed a key fob that didn't work, and the meter readings were wrong. Once a tenant spots that, they stop trusting the whole report. So get the small things right on day one, or the rest of your report means nothing.

Willenhall has tight streets of older houses around the Market Place. Big estates spread north, like New Invention and Short Heath. Both towns have railway stations again, on the line to Wolverhampton. New homes are planned in Willenhall too. I log the builder's unfinished jobs as snags on day one. They never land on the tenant's bill.

Aldridge, Streetly and Walsall Wood: every extra room goes on record

Aldridge, Streetly and Walsall Wood sit to the north and east. They grew with private house building from the 1930s. This is the premium end of Walsall. Think detached and semi-detached family homes, long gardens and more contents. Bigger homes mean bigger rents, and bigger deposits.

Fitted wardrobes, the shed, the patio and the garden borders all go on the record. That's what check-outs on bigger homes get argued over. Streetly runs right up to Sutton Coldfield, and we cover the Sutton Coldfield side as well.

Walsall has got tough on HMOs: here's what it means for you

Walsall Council isn't messing about any more. Article 4 now covers the whole borough. Some wards also license shared houses from three tenants. If you run an HMO here, your paperwork is your protection.

Article 4: every new HMO needs planning permission

Turning any house into an HMO in Walsall now needs planning permission, even for three to six sharers. Check before you buy, not after.

Licensing: three tenants can be enough in some wards

An HMO with five or more tenants from more than one household needs a mandatory licence. That's under the Housing Act 2004. In some wards, including Pleck, Palfrey, Paddock and St Matthews, additional licensing starts at three tenants.

How my reports back you up on a licensed HMO

A licence comes with conditions, and the council can inspect. Dated inventories and mid-term reports show how the house is kept. That's the record I'd want to hand an officer.