Inventories: how-to

Step-by-step instructions for every inventory task, roughly in the order they happen. For what each option means, see Inventories; for problems, see Inventories: troubleshooting.

Find your task

If you’re here because…	Go to
You’re setting up inventories for a property for the first time	Build an inventory template
You have a similar room or property already done	Duplicate a template
Furniture or condition has changed	Edit a template
A template is no longer used	Archive or restore a template
A tenant is moving in	Add an inventory to a tenancy
You’re at the onboarding’s Follow up step	Add the inventory during onboarding
You added an inventory but didn’t send it	Send an inventory through COHO
You want to know if the tenants have acknowledged it	Check who has acknowledged an inventory
A tenant disagrees with the inventory	Deal with tenant comments
You’ve done a mid-term check, or the tenant is moving out	Record a mid-term or check-out report
You’re deciding deposit deductions	Use inventories for deposit deductions
You added the wrong inventory	Remove an inventory
You need a copy of an inventory	Download an inventory or template

Build an inventory template

Do this when you want a reusable inventory for a property’s communal areas, a whole property, or a room.

Before you start: you need edit permission for Inventory. Have your photos ready (JPG or PNG). Plan to finish in one go: a template isn’t saved until you click Create.

1. Open the property page and find the Inventory Builder panel. (For a room template, you can also open the room page and use its Inventory Builder panel.)
2. Click Add template.
3. Enter a Title, for example “Kitchen and communal areas” or “Room 3”.
4. Check the Property. In a multi-let property, choose a Room, or leave it as None for communal areas.
5. Enter the date in When did you carry out this inventory?.
6. Enter the first Section title, for example “Kitchen”.
7. Click Item (or 5 items) and, for each item, enter a Label, choose a Condition, add a Description, and tick Visually confirmed if you checked it in person.
8. To add photos to an item, click its images button and add them. For photos of the whole section, click Add images under the section.
9. Click Section to add the next area, and repeat.
10. Click Create.

What happens next: the template appears in the list and COHO makes its PDF (“Generating the inventory template PDF…”). It can take a while if there are many photos. Once the PDF shows under Latest PDF export, the template can be used for an inventory.

Tip

Make one property-wide template for shared areas, and one per room. A room template’s PDF automatically includes the property’s general templates, so tenants get both in one file.

Caution

Don’t drag photos onto the page before clicking the images button, and add photos in small batches. If the page is reloaded or you navigate away before clicking Create, everything you entered is lost.

Duplicate a template

Do this when another room or property has the same layout.

1. In the Inventory Builder panel, click Add template.
2. Enter the Title, Property, Room (if any) and the date.
3. Under Duplicate from existing, choose the template to copy. Templates are grouped as This property and Other properties.
4. Click Create.
5. Click View on the new template, then Edit template to change items and conditions, and add photos.

What happens next: the new template has the same sections and items, but no photos (“Files won’t be duplicated”). Add this room’s photos before you use it.

Edit a template

Do this when items, condition or photos have changed.

1. In the Inventory Builder panel, click View on the template.
2. Click Edit template.
3. Make your changes. To remove a photo, open the images for that item or section and delete it. To remove an item, click its cross; to delete a section (not the first), click its bin icon and confirm.
4. Update When did you carry out this inventory? if you’ve re-checked the property.
5. Click Update.

What happens next: COHO saves a new version and makes a new PDF. Wait for the new PDF to appear before you use the template. Inventories already issued to tenants keep their old PDF.

Note

If the PDF fails, you’ll see “An error happened while generation your template. Retry, or contact support.” Click Regenerate PDF to try again.

Archive or restore a template

1. In the Inventory Builder panel, click View on the template.
2. Next to “Not using this template anymore?”, click Archive it, and confirm.

To bring it back, switch on Show Archived, click View, then Unarchive.

What happens next: archived templates are hidden from the list and from the New inventory form. Inventories already issued aren’t affected.

Add an inventory to a tenancy

Do this when a tenant moves in, or whenever you need to give them an inventory.

Before you start: you need edit permission for Inventory and view permission for Tenancies. If you’re using a template, check its PDF is ready and up to date. The tenants need to have joined COHO to see it in their account.

1. Open the room page. If the tenancy you want isn’t shown, switch to it at the top of the page.
2. In the Inventory panel, click New inventory.
3. Set Date completed and choose the Report type, usually Check in.
4. Add any Notes. Tenants can see these.
5. Choose From Inventory Template and pick the template(s), or Upload file(s) manually and add your files. You can add more files under Inventory files either way.
6. Leave Ask tenants to acknowledge documents ticked if you want each tenant to confirm they’ve received it.
7. Under Send through COHO?, choose Yes to send it to them in a conversation now. Pick a message template if you like, and check the Opening message.
8. Click Add.

What happens next:

• The inventory shows as the last inventory on the panel, and in each tenant’s My Room.
• If you ticked acknowledgement, each tenant who has joined COHO gets an Action, by email and app notification, asking them to acknowledge it.
• If you chose Yes, a conversation called “Inventory” is created with you and the tenants, with the files attached.

Caution

The date, notes and files are visible to the tenants as soon as you click Add. Check them first.

Add the inventory during onboarding

Do this at the onboarding’s last step, before move-in.

Before you start: you need view permission for Inventory to see the box, and edit permission to add one.

1. Open the onboarding (View) and go to the Follow up step.
2. In the Tenancy Inventory box, click the add (+) button.
3. Fill in the New Inventory form, as in Add an inventory to a tenancy, and click Add.
4. If you didn’t send it through COHO, you can click the message button in the box later to send it.

What happens next: the box shows “Inventory uploaded and conversation created.” or “Inventory uploaded, but no conversation was created.” The applicant sees the inventory in their Move in step. The inventory doesn’t affect completing the onboarding. See Onboarding.

Send an inventory through COHO

Do this when you added an inventory without sending it.

1. On the room’s Inventory panel, click Send through COHO on the last inventory.
2. Choose a message template if you like, and check the Opening message. If you leave it blank, COHO uses “An inventory was added to your tenancy.”
3. Click Send.

What happens next: a conversation called “Inventory” opens with you and every tenant on the tenancy who has joined COHO, with the inventory files attached. The button changes to Go to conversation.

Note

Send through COHO is only offered for the last inventory, and only once. To send an older one, download it and send it as a message.

Check who has acknowledged an inventory

1. Open the room page for the tenancy.
2. Open the Compliance panel and find Inventory.
3. Check each tenant’s status: Awaiting response, Acknowledged (with the date), Acknowledged manually or Not applicable.

If a tenant hasn’t acknowledged it: COHO doesn’t set a deadline or send reminders. Remind them yourself, for example in the inventory’s conversation. If they’ve confirmed receipt another way and you have proof, click Mark as acknowledged for that tenant and confirm. You need edit permission for Compliance.

Caution

Only use Mark as acknowledged if you have a record, outside COHO, that the tenant received the inventory.

Deal with tenant comments on an inventory

Tenants can’t add comments to the inventory in COHO. Use this when a tenant tells you they disagree with something.

1. Ask the tenant to reply in the inventory’s conversation (or message you) with their comments and photos.
2. If you agree, open the template in the Inventory Builder, click Edit template, make the changes and click Update. Wait for the new PDF.
3. On the room’s Inventory panel, click New inventory and add the updated version with the same Report type, ticking Ask tenants to acknowledge documents.
4. If you don’t change the inventory, keep the tenant’s comments: they stay in the conversation.

What happens next: the updated inventory becomes the last inventory. The tenants see it in My Room and are asked to acknowledge it. The earlier one stays under Past inventories.

Record a mid-term or check-out report

Do this after a mid-term inspection, or when the tenant moves out.

1. Update the template with the condition you found (see Edit a template), or have your report ready to upload. To keep the check-in template unchanged, duplicate it as a “check-out” template first.
2. On the room’s Inventory panel for that tenancy, click New inventory.
3. Set Date completed and choose Mid term or Check out.
4. Add the template PDF or your files, and any notes.
5. Choose whether to ask for acknowledgement and send it through COHO, then click Add.

What happens next: the report is stored on the tenancy alongside the check-in inventory.

Caution

Add the check-out report before the tenancy ends if you want the tenant to see it in COHO and acknowledge it. After the tenancy has ended, it isn’t sent for acknowledgement or shown in their account, so use Send through COHO or send the file another way.

Use inventories for deposit deductions

COHO doesn’t link inventories to the deposit, so you put the evidence together yourself.

1. On the room’s Inventory panel for the tenancy, open Past inventories to find the Check in inventory, and the latest for the Check out report.
2. Download the files (see Download an inventory or template).
3. On the Compliance panel, click Compliance report for a record of when the tenants received and acknowledged the inventory.
4. Record the return and deductions in Deposit Management, and send the inventories to the deposit scheme with any claim. See Deposits.

Remove an inventory

1. On the room’s Inventory panel, click Remove on the last inventory.
2. Click Remove to confirm.

What happens next: the inventory disappears for you, the tenants and the owner, and any acknowledgement still waiting is cancelled. If it was sent through COHO, the conversation and its attachments stay.

Caution

Removing is for mistakes. If the inventory has simply been replaced, add the new one instead: the old one moves to Past inventories and is kept as evidence.

Download an inventory or template

• An issued inventory: on the room’s Inventory panel, click the file on the last inventory, or open Past inventories and click the file you need.
• A template: in the Inventory Builder panel, click View on the template, then the file under Latest PDF export.
• As an owner: open the property in the owner portal and use the Inventory panel.