Guide for landlords and letting agents
Survey apps for landlords and letting agents
Most landlords and letting agents need one app for inventories, check-ins, check-outs and routine inspections, and a specialist tool when damp and mould needs investigating. PropertySurvey Pro does the first job and DampApp Pro the second. Both are free to download and run real inspections offline.
Last reviewed by ProSurvey Apps Limited
At a glance
- Inventories, check-ins and inspections
- PropertySurvey Pro. Free. Optional Pro £19.99 a month or £199.99 a year.
- Damp and mould investigations
- DampApp Pro. Free. Optional Pro £74.99 a month or £749.99 a year.
- Social landlords across a stock
- HousingSurvey Pro, with an office portal and Awaab's Law timelines.
- Scope
- The legal points cover England. Rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Which inspections does a landlord need?
A typical tenancy needs an inventory and check-in report at the start, inspections during the tenancy, a check-out report at the end, and a damp and mould inspection whenever damp is reported or seen. Alongside them sit the safety checks the law requires, which qualified engineers carry out.
| Inspection | When | Why it matters | App |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory and check-in | Before the tenant moves in | Sets the baseline for the deposit and records the alarm tests | PropertySurvey Pro |
| Mid-tenancy inspection | During the tenancy, on written notice | Catches repairs, damp and hazards early | PropertySurvey Pro |
| Check-out | When the tenancy ends | Compares condition with the check-in, item by item | PropertySurvey Pro |
| Damp and mould inspection | When damp is reported or seen, and between tenancies | Finds and records the cause, then checks the fix | DampApp Pro |
| HHSRS hazard check | At any inspection, and before re-letting | Keeps the home free of Category 1 hazards | PropertySurvey Pro |
| Gas and electrical safety | Gas every year; electrics at least every 5 years | Legal duties carried out by qualified engineers | Record the dates in either app |
Inventory and check-in report
The inventory lists what is in the property and describes the condition and cleanliness of every room, item by item, with photos. It is the baseline everything else is measured against. Government guidance on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms says landlords must check each required alarm is working on the day a new tenancy begins and keep a record of the test, and gives the tenant signing the inventory as one way to show it. Recording the alarm test in the check-in report does both jobs.
Mid-tenancy inspections
Interim inspections catch leaks, damp, damage and hazards while they are still small. Where the landlord's repairing obligations apply, section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 lets the landlord, or someone they authorise in writing, enter at reasonable times of day on 24 hours' written notice to view the condition and state of repair. Keep the notice and note in the report who attended.
Check-out report
Walk the same rooms in the same order as the check-in, so each item can be compared line by line. Note what has changed, what is fair wear and tear, and what needs cleaning or repair, and photograph the same views you took at the start.
Damp and mould inspections
When a tenant reports damp or mould, the job is to find the cause, not just clean the surface. The government's damp and mould guidance for rented housing providers is clear that it is unreasonable to blame damp and mould on tenants' "lifestyle choices", and that homes should be checked for damp and mould between tenancies.
HHSRS hazard checks
Councils use the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to assess hazards in homes. The government's HHSRS guide for landlords and agents says landlords do not need to be trained assessors, but they do need to keep their homes free of Category 1 hazards. PropertySurvey Pro includes an HHSRS assessment for recording the hazards you find.
Gas, electrical and alarm safety checks
A Gas Safe registered engineer must check gas appliances and flues every year, and the tenant gets a copy of the record before moving in or within 28 days of the check (landlord safety responsibilities on GOV.UK). Under the electrical safety standards regulations, the electrics must be checked at least every five years by a qualified person (electrical safety standards guidance). These are certificates, not inspections an app can do. Use your inspection reports to note the expiry dates and photograph the alarms.
PropertySurvey Pro or DampApp Pro: which should a landlord use?
Use PropertySurvey Pro for the everyday record of a let: inventories, check-ins, check-outs, interim inspections, HHSRS assessments and condition reports. Use DampApp Pro when damp or mould needs a proper investigation with readings, or ask a damp specialist who uses it. Social landlords managing damp and mould across a whole stock should look at HousingSurvey Pro.
| Compare | PropertySurvey Pro | DampApp Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Property surveyors, inspectors, landlords and agents | Damp, timber and mould specialists |
| Landlord jobs | Inventories, check-ins, check-outs, interim inspections, HHSRS assessments, condition reports | Damp and mould complaints, condensation and ventilation problems, re-inspection after works |
| Useful tools | Captioned photos, HHSRS assessment, floor plan designer, EPC lookup, follow-up visits | Moisture readings grid (Pro), dew point and condensation checks, ventilation testing, Awaab's Law timeline |
| Price | Free. Optional Pro £19.99 a month or £199.99 a year. | Free. Optional Pro £74.99 a month or £749.99 a year. |
| Read more | Landlord inventory app Letting agent reporting | Awaab's Law for landlords |
PropertySurvey Pro
DampApp ProWhat to record at each inspection, and why
Record enough that someone who was not there, such as a deposit adjudicator or a council officer, could follow what you saw, when you saw it and what you did about it.
Evidence for deposit disputes
In England, a deposit taken on an assured periodic tenancy (the tenancy type that replaced assured shorthold tenancies on 1 May 2026) must be protected within 30 days in one of the tenancy deposit protection schemes the government has approved. If you and the tenant disagree about deductions at the end, the scheme offers a free dispute resolution service: both sides must agree to use it, both are asked for evidence, and the decision is final. Your check-in and check-out reports are the core of that evidence, so capture:
- the date of each report and who carried it out;
- room-by-room descriptions of condition and cleanliness, item by item;
- photos with captions that match the description, numbered in the report;
- meter readings, keys handed over and the alarm tests;
- the tenant's acknowledgement of the check-in report;
- the same room and item structure at check-out, so the two compare line by line.
Evidence for damp and mould complaints
The same government damp and mould guidance tells landlords to keep up-to-date records of damp and mould reports, including those made informally, and of the action taken. It advises photographing mould before it is removed and inspecting again at least six weeks after remedial work. For each complaint, record:
- when the report came in, how, and what the tenant described;
- the inspection date, air temperature, relative humidity, surface temperatures and moisture readings, with the instrument used;
- captioned photos of the affected areas before any cleaning;
- the likely cause as assessed by a competent person, and the actions agreed with dates;
- a follow-up visit that re-takes the same readings in the same places.
DampApp Pro is built around that sequence: readings grid up each wall (Pro), condensation and dew point checks, follow-up visits that carry the last readings across, and a resident summary letter (Pro). Awaab's Law sets fixed timescales for social landlords in England and has been in force since 27 October 2025. The government's Decent Homes Standard policy statement commits to extending it to private renting, with the detail still to be consulted on. Awaab's Law for landlords explains what that means in practice.
Evidence for HHSRS and the Decent Homes Standard
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 provides for a Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector, and the government's policy statement says the new standard will apply to social and private rented homes from 2035. Until then, landlords must keep meeting their existing duties on repair, fitness and hazards. Recording hazards and disrepair room by room now gives you a list to work through. The Decent Homes Standard for private rentals covers the detail, and the free Decent Homes readiness checker gives a quick screening score.
Free checklists for landlords
Print one, or use it as the running order for your inspection in the app:
- Property inspection checklist for mid-tenancy and routine visits
- Inventory checklist for check-in and check-out reports
- Damp and mould inspection checklist for complaints and re-inspections
More are in the free checklist library, and the free surveying tools include a dew point calculator and an indoor air quality dashboard for damp complaints.
What the free apps include
Both apps are free to download and use for real inspections. The free tier exports watermarked PDF reports, stores up to 25 surveys on the device and includes 3 free uses a month of each AI tool. Pro adds cloud sync, white-label reports with your own logo, the full AI allowance (or your own Gemini or OpenAI key, billed by that provider) and premium integrations.
AI Polish turns your shorthand into draft wording, and Talk through a room turns a spoken walk-round into entries. You check and edit every line; neither feature decides whether something is a hazard or who is responsible for it.
For letting agents, each clerk signs in to their own account, and Smart Build templates keep wording consistent across the team. Agencies that want managed devices can use the PropertySurvey Pro business edition. For a wider view of the options, read the guide to choosing survey software.
Landlord inspection apps: common questions
Which app should a landlord use for inventories and check-ins?
PropertySurvey Pro is our app for inventories, check-ins, check-outs and mid-tenancy inspections. It is free to download and use, works offline in an empty property, and produces the PDF report on the device with captioned photos for each room. The optional Pro subscription is £19.99 a month or £199.99 a year.
How often should a landlord inspect a rented property?
Government guidance on damp and mould says landlords should inspect their properties regularly and check for damp and mould between tenancies. Choose an interval that suits the property and the tenancy, give 24 hours' written notice where section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 applies, and inspect again at least six weeks after any damp and mould remedial work.
What evidence does a landlord need for a deposit dispute?
The deposit scheme's free dispute resolution service asks both landlord and tenant for evidence. The core of a landlord's case is a dated check-in report and a matching check-out report: room-by-room descriptions, captioned photos of the same items, meter readings, keys handed over and the tenant's acknowledgement of the check-in.
Does Awaab's Law apply to private landlords?
Not yet. Awaab's Law timescales have applied to social landlords in England since 27 October 2025. The government has committed to extending Awaab's Law to the private rented sector and says it will consult on the detail first. Private landlords should still act promptly on damp and mould.
Can an inspection app replace gas and electrical safety certificates?
No. The annual gas safety check must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and the electrical installation must be inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years. An inspection app is a good place to record the dates and photograph the alarms, but it does not replace those certificates.
When should a landlord use DampApp Pro instead of PropertySurvey Pro?
Use DampApp Pro when damp or mould needs a proper investigation with readings: moisture readings up each wall (a Pro feature), dew point and condensation checks, ventilation testing and follow-up visits that carry the last readings across. If you commission a damp specialist instead, DampApp Pro is built for that specialist.