North East · England

Inventory report (check-in and check-out) in Durham

What you need: A dated check-in report with photos at the start of the tenancy, and a check-out report at the end.

Also covering: Sherburn Hill, Croxdale, Shadforth.

How often: No certificate: there's no legal inventory requirement or renewal date.

Free to use · No sign-up · Always check their registration before you book · Search another town or postcode

Landlord rules that apply in Durham (England)

  • No certificate: there's no legal inventory requirement or renewal date.
  • Deposits: protect a deposit in an approved scheme within 30 days; a dated check-in report is key evidence in disputes.
  • Renters’ Rights Act 2025: England-only reforms (assured periodic tenancies from 1 May 2026). Overview on GOV.UK.
  • Local licensing (County Durham): mandatory HMO licensing applies (5+ people, 2+ households sharing facilities). Confirm any selective or additional scheme for your postcode with County Durham council.

Short local summary — not legal advice. Full Inventory & check-in reports rules by nation · Free landlord guides · GOV.UK landlord safety responsibilities

Request an inventory report in Durham

No inventory clerk listed here yet. Tell us what you need and we'll find you a registered inventory clerk, free. Request an inventory report

There's no official register for inventory clerks. Ask for a sample report and how they date and photograph each room.

Local tips for Durham

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Lots of tenancy changeovers

With so many renters in Durham, check-in and check-out slots fill up at peak times like late summer. Book early.

Where's this from?ONS Census 2021, Durham: 23.3% private rented
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Busy rental market: book early

Lots of people rent in Durham, so if you're letting, book a few weeks before a tenancy starts or renews. No last-minute panic.

Where's this from?ONS Census 2021, Durham: 23.3% private rented vs 20.5% England

Renting in Durham: the local picture

23.3% of households in Durham rent privately (above the England average of 20.5%), so inventory and check-out reports are everyday work for local landlords.

11.5% live in purpose-built flats and 1.2% in converted or shared houses, including bedsits — property types where a room-by-room inventory and photo record pay off at deposit return.

Homes in Durham: 18.5% detached, 46.9% semi-detached, 20.5% terraced and 11.5% purpose-built flats (England: 22.9%, 31.5%, 23.0% and 17.1%).

Source: ONS Census 2021 (town figures).

In Durham, 83.4% of households use mains gas for central heating.

Source: ONS Census 2021 (TS046) — Durham built-up area, County Durham. OGL v3.

Getting to know Durham

Durham is in the County Durham council area, in the North East. On the council's ward map it takes in Framwellgate & Newton Hall, Belmont, Elvet, Gilesgate & Shincliffe and Neville's Cross wards.

Postcode-wise, Durham spans 6 districts: DH1, about 18,109 households; DH6 (Thornley and Coxhoe), about 14,770 households; DH7 (Brandon, Lanchester, Esh Winning and Burnhope), about 18,549 households; DH97; DH98; DH99 (2011 Census households, via Doogal). The same districts also take in Bearpark, Belmont, Brancepeth, Brandon and Byshottles, Burnhope, Cassop-cum-Quarrington, City of Durham, Cornforth, Cornsay, County Durham, unparished area, Coxhoe, Croxdale and Hett, Easington Village and Edmondsley, so an inventory clerk covering Durham will often know those streets too.

Living just outside? This page also covers the smaller places nearby: Sherburn Hill (~4 miles east), Croxdale (~4 miles south) and Shadforth (~4 miles east).

Next-door postcode districts: DH3 (Chester-le-Street); DH2 (Chester-le-Street); DL17 (Ferryhill); DL16 (Spennymoor); DH4 (Houghton-le-Spring); DH5 (Houghton-le-Spring).

Ward by ward, Durham isn't all the same. Of its 4 main wards, private renting is highest in Elvet, Gilesgate & Shincliffe (44% of households) and lowest in Framwellgate & Newton Hall (15%). For purpose-built flats, Elvet, Gilesgate & Shincliffe leads (25%) and Neville's Cross has the fewest (4%). (ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to 2025 wards inside the town.)

Want more choice? The nearest bigger towns are Sunderland (~11 miles north-east) and Gateshead (~11 miles north), and professional inventory clerks based there may travel.

How old are the homes? Council tax records put 13% of Durham's homes before 1919 and 25% since 2000 (England: 20% and 18%), so the housing here is newer than the England average. The biggest slice was built between 1945 and 1972 (36%). Newer homes are quicker to inventory, but photos of every room still pay off at check-out. (VOA council tax stock, 2025.)

Coverage around Durham

Schematic coverage map for Durham

● Town centre · ● Nearby villages · Chip = postcode district

Also covering: Sherburn Hill · Croxdale · Shadforth

Schematic coverage for landlords — not a street map. Place names from OS Open Names / ONS (OGL).

Your corner of Durham

The middle of Durham is in the DH1 postcode district. Source: ONS Postcode Directory, nearest postcode to the built-up area centre.

DH1 · DurhamDH7 · BrandonDH6 · ThornleyDH97 · DurhamDH98 · DurhamDH99 · Durham

Nearby towns

High Shincliffe ~2 miBrandon, County Durham ~3 miHigh Pittington ~3 miNew Brancepeth ~3 miSacriston ~3 mi

Other checks in Durham

Gas safety (CP12)Electrical safety (EICR)Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)Plumbing & water compliance

New to inventory report in Durham?

Inventory and check-in for your Durham let? There’s no statutory inventory certificate — here’s what a good report includes and why it matters for deposits.

A dated check-in inventory (with photos) is best practice — it’s the evidence deposit schemes lean on when someone disputes cleaning, damage or missing items. Think “receipt for the condition of the home”, not a government form.

What’s involved

Landlords are not legally required to hold an inventory certificate; a check-in report is best practice for deposit disputes.
  • A room-by-room record of condition and contents at the start of the tenancy (check-in), ideally mirrored at check-out.
  • Photos and/or video with timestamps; meter readings; key schedules; appliance serials where useful.
  • Tenant (or contract-holder) invitation to comment and sign / acknowledge within a sensible window.
  • Independent clerks are common; landlords or agents can compile their own if thorough and fair — schemes care about quality of evidence, not a magic letterhead.
  • No official public register of inventory clerks — ask for a sample report and how they date and photograph each room.

How long a typical visit takes

  • Often 45–90 minutes for a furnished 1–2 bed flat.
  • Often 1.5–3 hours for a larger furnished house or HMO with many items.
  • Unfurnished shells are quicker; high-spec furnished lets take longer.
  • Allow extra time for meters, outbuildings, and poor light (photos suffer at dusk).

What the landlord must have ready

  • Confirmed move-in date, address, and who will attend (tenant, clerk, agent).
  • All keys, fobs, parking permits, alarm codes — listed and tested.
  • Utilities: gas, electricity, water meter locations and in-date readings.
  • Forwarding / email for sending the report copy to the tenant promptly.
  • Any known pre-existing defects you want clearly marked (so they’re not blamed later).
  • Deposit scheme details (which scheme, protection deadline) — the inventory supports disputes; it doesn’t replace protection.

Tips to prepare

  • Clean to the standard you expect at check-out before the inventory — photos freeze whatever’s there.
  • Open curtains; replace blown bulbs; empty cupboards so condition is visible.
  • Photograph meters, boiler pressure, smoke/CO alarm locations, and every room from two angles.
  • Note brand and condition of sofas, mattresses, white goods — “mark on left arm” beats “sofa OK”.
  • Give tenants a clear deadline to raise amendments; keep the signed PDF with the tenancy file.
  • At check-out, use the same structure as check-in so comparisons are fair.
  • This is best practice, not law. Deposit protection rules are law — protect on time and serve prescribed information for your nation/scheme.

How often it’s required

Friendly summary only — not legal advice. Rules can change. Use the official sources linked below before relying on this.

England

No statutory “inventory certificate” validity period. Related deposit duties differ by nation — verify.

GOV.UK private renting / deposit guidance via landlord safety hub · your scheme’s rules (DPS, MyDeposits, TDS, etc.)

  • No legal inventory requirement or renewal date. Protect deposits in an approved scheme (generally within 30 days) and give prescribed information; a dated check-in report is key evidence in disputes.
Rules in other UK nations

Wales

gov.wales Renting Homes / checklist · scheme rules

  • No statutory inventory certificate. Occupation contracts under Renting Homes; protect deposits with an approved scheme and provide required information. A check-in report still helps if there’s a dispute.

Scotland

mygov.scot — landlord new tenancy documents · mygov.scot deposit guidance

  • No statutory inventory certificate. Deposits must be lodged with an approved scheme within 30 working days; mygov.scot lists an inventory as helpful (not mandatory) move-in information.

Northern Ireland

DfC landlord checklist · nidirect tenancy deposit pages

  • No statutory inventory certificate. Protect deposits in an approved scheme (DfC: within 28 days; prescribed information within 35 days — confirm live figures). DfC explicitly lists drawing up an inventory with photos as good practice.

Official sources

Official references (opened / checked 26 Oct 2026) — not a substitute for the full text on those sites.

Common questions

  • Do landlords legally need an inventory?
  • How long does a check-in inventory take?
  • What should be included in a landlord inventory report?
  • Is an inventory the same as a certificate?
  • When should the inventory be done — before or after the tenant moves in?
  • How do inventory reports help with deposit disputes?
  • Can a landlord do their own inventory?
  • How long should I keep inventory photos and reports?

Answers sit in the sections above and on the Inventory & check-in reports hub FAQ.

Inventories and deposits in Durham

Letting in Durham? There's no legal inventory certificate and no renewal date. What matters is evidence: a dated, signed check-in report with photos is what deposit schemes look at if a deduction is disputed.

Free inventory checklist · Tenancy agreements · Maintenance tracker

England rules in brief

Deposits: protect a deposit in an approved scheme within 30 days; a dated check-in report is key evidence in disputes. Also see landlord rules for Durham. Full Inventory & check-in reports rules by nation · Quick guide · GOV.UK.

Frequently asked questions

Nobody covers my part of Durham yet. Where else can I look?

The nearest other towns we list are High Shincliffe (~2 miles), Brandon, County Durham (~3 miles), High Pittington (~3 miles), measured straight-line between OS Open Names centres. An inventory clerk based there may travel, so ask.

More questions about inventory reports? See the Inventory & check-in reports FAQ.

Letting in England? Free, sourced landlord guides and a certificate renewal tracker →

📊 The numbers behind this page

ONS Census 2021 figures here are for Durham itself (output areas added up to the town's boundary).

Figures in the text above name their source.

Households
17,983 1
Usual residents (Census 2021)
50,510 2
Homes built before 1919
13.0% 3
  1. ONS Census 2021, TS054
  2. ONS Census 2021
  3. VOA council tax stock 2025 (CTSOP4.1)

Data sources · updated 26 October 2026