What the Tenant Deposit Schemes say:
'The importance of a properly completed inventory cannot be underestimated. It must be robust and defensible if it is to be held up as a proper indicator of the facts and therefore viewed as acceptable by an adjudicator or court. Tenancy deposit protection schemes do not disregard, out of hand, inventories that are not prepared by independent companies or individuals. However, they are likely to place less weight on their contents.'
What the Deposit Protection Services say:
'Any inventory document written by the landlord (not an independent third party) that doesn’t give details about the condition or age of an item will have less value when being considered by the adjudicator. It may also affect the landlord’s claim based on ‘a balance of probabilities.'