Running the centre
Room inventory
A room inventory is the list, signed on arrival, of what is in a room and what condition it is in: furniture, mattress, blinds, walls, sockets, with photos if possible. It is the reference the room is compared against at move-out, and what separates normal wear and tear from damage.
Also known asinventory · schedule of condition · move-in report · room checklist
What it is for
Spain's Civil Code writes the rule for any lease: the tenant must return the property as they received it, except for what has perished or deteriorated through time or unavoidable cause (Article 1561). And if its condition was not recorded at the start, the law presumes it was received in good condition, unless proven otherwise (Article 1562). In other words: with no inventory, the scratch that was already there belongs to the resident. In a colegio mayor (a Spanish hall of residence with a formative programme) the relationship is not always a lease, but the logic is the same, and it underpins any deduction from the deposit.
A useful inventory is short and specific: one line per item, a condition ("fine", "scuff on the wardrobe door", "one shelf missing"), the date and two signatures. Dated photos are worth more than adjectives. What breaks during the year does not go on the inventory: it goes on a maintenance ticket. And what is compared at the end is the check-out.
Worth knowing
What people take for granted: that the residence fills in the inventory and the resident signs it without looking. Giving them a couple of days to check it and add what they see heads off a good share of the June arguments, and an inventory nobody has read protects nobody.
Sources
Related terms
- Security depositA security deposit (fianza) is the cash sum a tenant hands over when signing a lease in Spain to guarantee they will meet the contract. The Urban Leases Act makes it compulsory: one month's rent for a residential lease and two months' rent for a lease for other use (art. 36.1).
- Check-outCheck-out is a person's final departure from their accommodation: the room is inspected, keys or cards are collected, its condition is recorded and anything outstanding is settled. In a student residence it is concentrated in June, and how much of the deposit comes back depends on it.