Inventories: troubleshooting

Fixes for common inventory problems and error messages. For how inventories work, see Inventories; for step-by-step instructions, see Inventories: how-to.

I can’t see the Inventory Builder or Inventory panel

Why it happens:

1. You’re on the dashboard. The Inventory Builder is on property and room pages, not at organisation level.
2. Your role doesn’t include Inventory.
3. For the Inventory panel: the room page isn’t showing a tenancy, the room is deactivated, or you can’t view Tenancies.

How to fix it: open the property (or room) page. For the Inventory panel, make sure the room page shows the tenancy you want; switch tenancy at the top if needed. If you still can’t see it, ask an admin to give your role permission for Inventory (and Tenancies).

My template doesn’t appear when I add an inventory

Why it happens:

1. The template has no PDF yet, or the PDF is still being made. Only templates with a PDF are listed.
2. The PDF failed.
3. The template is archived.
4. The template is for a different room or property. The list only shows templates for this room, plus the property’s general templates.

How to fix it: in the Inventory Builder, click View on the template and check for a file under Latest PDF export. If there isn’t one, click Generate PDF and wait for it to finish, then open New inventory again. If it’s archived, switch on Show Archived and click Unarchive. If it belongs to another room, duplicate it for this room.

The PDF is taking a long time, or failed

Why it happens: COHO makes the PDF after each save, and templates with many photos take longer. If it can’t finish, the template shows “An error happened while generation your template. Retry, or contact support.”

How to fix it: wait a minute, then reload the page. If there’s an error, click Regenerate PDF. If it keeps failing, check the photos are JPG or PNG, remove any that won’t open, and try again. Contact support if it still fails.

Caution

Before sending a template to a tenant after editing it, check the Latest PDF export is the new version. If in doubt, wait, reload the page and click Regenerate PDF.

I lost my work while building a template

Why it happens: templates have no drafts. Nothing is saved until you click Create or Update. Reloading the page, navigating away, or dropping a photo onto the page outside the upload box (which opens the photo instead) loses what you entered. COHO can’t recover it.

How to fix it: start again. To avoid it:

1. Create the template with its sections and items first, and click Create.
2. Then use Edit template to add photos, a few at a time, clicking Update as you go.
3. Always click the images button first, then drop photos into the box that opens.

I see “This is taking too long but will eventually complete…”

Why it happens: a large save or upload, often many photos or a big file on a slow connection, took longer than the page waits.

How to fix it: wait a few minutes, then reload the page and check whether your template or inventory saved. If an upload keeps failing, try a desktop computer or another network, or make the file smaller.

Photos are missing from the PDF, or show as “Private”

Why it happens:

1. The photos are on another template. Duplicate from existing doesn’t copy photos.
2. The files aren’t JPG or PNG. Other files are listed under “Un-processed files” in the PDF instead.
3. A photo didn’t upload properly. Its thumbnail shows “Private” instead of the picture. COHO can’t repair it.

How to fix it: open the template, click Edit template, remove the broken photos and add them again from your device, then click Update. Wait for the new PDF, then add a new inventory with it.

My tenant can’t see the inventory

Why it happens:

1. They haven’t joined COHO. Inventories are only shown in a tenant’s own account.
2. It’s on a different tenancy, for example a housemate’s.
3. It isn’t their latest inventory. Tenants only see the latest one, by Date completed.
4. The tenancy has ended. Ended tenancies aren’t shown in My Room.
5. It was removed.

How to fix it: check the room’s Inventory panel for the right tenancy. Invite the tenant to COHO if they haven’t joined, or send them the file another way. For an ended tenancy, use Send through COHO or email the file.

My tenant didn’t get a request to acknowledge it

Why it happens:

1. Ask tenants to acknowledge documents wasn’t ticked. The status shows Not applicable.
2. They hadn’t joined COHO yet. Once they join, COHO asks them automatically, usually within 12 hours.
3. The tenancy had ended when you added it.
4. It isn’t the latest inventory on the tenancy.

How to fix it: to ask again, add the inventory again with the box ticked (and remove the copy without it). Check the status on the room’s Compliance panel.

My tenant hasn’t acknowledged the inventory

Why it happens: COHO sends one request and doesn’t chase. There’s no deadline, and COHO never marks it acknowledged on its own.

How to fix it: remind the tenant yourself, for example in the inventory’s conversation. If they’ve confirmed receipt another way and you have proof, click Mark as acknowledged on the Compliance panel.

My tenant wants to add comments to the inventory

Why it happens: COHO doesn’t let tenants comment on or edit an inventory. Acknowledge only confirms they’ve received it.

How to fix it: ask them to send their comments and photos in the inventory’s conversation, or by message. Update the template if you agree, and issue the updated version. See Deal with tenant comments.

A deposit scheme says my inventory has no date or signature

Why it happens: the template PDF doesn’t print the carried-out date, and COHO doesn’t collect signatures. Tenants acknowledge inventories instead.

How to fix it: send the scheme the Compliance report from the room’s Compliance panel. It shows when each tenant received and acknowledged the inventory. For future inventories, add the date to a section title or description so it appears on the PDF. If you need signatures, collect them outside COHO.

I can’t find an old inventory

Why it happens:

1. It’s on a different tenancy. Each tenancy has its own inventories.
2. It’s not the latest, so it’s under Past inventories.
3. It was sent as a message or communication, not added in the Inventory panel.

How to fix it: on the room page, switch to the tenancy you need and open Past inventories. If it was sent as a message, search for “inventory” in the Message Centre and open the message’s attachment. Inventories added in the Inventory panel also appear in the property owner’s Inventory panel.

The Send through COHO button is missing

Why it happens: the inventory has already been sent (you’ll see Go to conversation), it has no files, or it isn’t the last inventory.

How to fix it: use Go to conversation to add a message. To send a past inventory, download it and send it as a message.

I need the same inventory for several tenants

Why it happens: an inventory belongs to one tenancy. Joint tenants on one tenancy all get it. Tenants on separate tenancies, such as different rooms on a grouped contract, don’t.

How to fix it: add the inventory on each tenancy. Use the same template PDF each time.

I removed the wrong inventory

Why it happens: Remove can’t be undone from the panel.

How to fix it: add the inventory again with the same date, report type and files. If it was sent through COHO, the files are still in that conversation. Contact support if you can’t recreate it.

Error messages

Message	What it means	What to do
“Report type is required” / “Date completed is required”	A required field on New Inventory is empty	Fill it in and click Add
“The ReportType field is required.”	Your page is out of date and doesn’t show Report type	Reload the page (press F5) and try again
“Title is required”, “Carried Out Date is required”, “Property Reference is required”	A required template field is empty	Fill it in
“Section 1 Title is required”, “Section [name]: Item 1 label is required”, “… condition is required”	A section has no title, or an item has no label or condition	Complete it, or remove the empty item
“Item label is empty” / “Section title is empty”	An item or section was saved blank	Fill it in or remove it, then save again
“This inventory template was updated at the same time by another change. Please refresh and try again.”	Someone else saved the template at the same time	Reload the page and make your change again
“An error happened while generation your template. Retry, or contact support.”	The PDF couldn’t be made	Click Regenerate PDF; check the photos
“This is taking too long but will eventually complete. Please reload the page to see your data. You may have to wait a few minutes if it changes do not show right away.”	A large save or upload is still running	Wait, then reload and check
“Conversation already exists for this inventory”	It has already been sent through COHO	Use Go to conversation
“You do not have permission to view inventories for this organisation” / “You do not have permission to manage inventories for this organisation”	Your role can’t view or edit inventories	Ask an admin for Inventory permission
“You do not have permission to manage inventory templates for this organisation”	Your role can’t edit templates	Ask an admin for edit permission for Inventory
“Cannot remove inventory because inventory was not found”	It has already been removed	Reload the page