Britain has a new Prime Minister, and property professionals are naturally looking at Andy Burnham’s record in Greater Manchester for clues about what could follow nationally. One part of that record is particularly relevant to people who inspect and document rented homes. As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham supported the development of a Property Check system through which tenants living in poor conditions could request an inspection by local teams, followed by enforcement action where necessary.
That description is important. The proposal was not for every rented home to receive a routine independent inventory. It was conceived as a way for tenants to raise concerns about housing conditions and obtain a public sector response.
Andy Burnham is now Prime Minister, but the Property Check model has not become national policy. This article explains what has actually changed, how the Greater Manchester proposal differs from an inventory inspection, and what it could mean for inventory clerks if a comparable national system were ever considered.
What has actually changed so far?
Andy Burnham became Prime Minister on 20 July 2026.
In his first speech outside Downing Street, he spoke about decentralising power, building more council homes and tackling rough sleeping. He did not announce a national Property Check scheme or a new independent inspection requirement for privately rented homes.
There is therefore no new inspection duty for inventory clerks, landlords or letting agents arising from his appointment.
The current national framework remains the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 and its published implementation programme. The first major phase took effect on 1 May 2026. Further measures, including the Private Rented Sector Database, the landlord ombudsman and the eventual application of a revised Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector, are being introduced separately.
None of the published implementation material currently creates a national Property Check service equivalent to the Greater Manchester proposal.
What did Burnham actually propose in Greater Manchester?
The Greater Manchester Property Check programme was developed alongside the Good Landlord Charter and wider efforts to improve enforcement against poor housing conditions.
The intended model would allow a renter who was concerned about the condition of their home to request a property check. Local teams could then examine the concerns and, where necessary, refer the case for enforcement action. Greater Manchester began developing and piloting the approach rather than introducing an automatic inspection of every rented property.
This is different from saying that Burnham proposed sending a private independent inspector into every rented home.
The Good Landlord Charter is also separate from the Property Check programme. It is a free and voluntary scheme for residential landlords with properties in Greater Manchester. Supporters demonstrate legal compliance and commit to working towards 21 higher standards, including an effective approach to property inspections and clear start and end of tenancy processes.
The Charter supports landlords who choose to improve. The Property Check programme is intended to help renters raise concerns about properties that may not meet acceptable standards.
So what would independent inspection actually mean?
The Greater Manchester Property Check programme was developed alongside the Good Landlord Charter and wider efforts to improve enforcement against poor housing conditions.
The intended model would allow a renter who was concerned about the condition of their home to request a property check. Local teams could then examine the concerns and, where necessary, refer the case for enforcement action. Greater Manchester began developing and piloting the approach rather than introducing an automatic inspection of every rented property.
This is different from saying that Burnham proposed sending a private independent inspector into every rented home. The Good Landlord Charter is also separate from the Property Check programme. It is a free and voluntary scheme for residential landlords with properties in Greater Manchester. Supporters demonstrate legal compliance and commit to working towards 21 higher standards, including an effective approach to property inspections and clear start and end of tenancy processes.
The Charter supports landlords who choose to improve. The Property Check programme is intended to help renters raise concerns about properties that may not meet acceptable standards.
What would a Property Check examine?
A Property Check of the kind developed in Greater Manchester would primarily be concerned with housing condition, safety and possible non-compliance.
That could include concerns such as:
• Damp and mould
• Excess cold
• Fire and electrical safety
• Structural instability
• Unsafe stairs, windows or floor surfaces
• Inadequate ventilation
• Defective plumbing or drainage
• Disrepair that creates a risk to an occupant
Where a council carries out a formal housing standards assessment, appropriately trained officers can use the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
The HHSRS was updated in June 2026 and now assesses 21 types of housing hazard. It is a risk based system. The assessor does not simply record that damp, a loose handrail or a damaged window exists. They assess the likelihood and potential seriousness of harm arising from the condition. Local councils generally use environmental health officers or other appropriately trained officers when carrying out HHSRS assessments and deciding whether enforcement action is required.
A Property Check could therefore lead to a very different outcome from a tenancy inventory. It could result in a formal risk assessment, an improvement notice, a prohibition order or another form of enforcement action.
How is that different from an inventory inspection?
An inventory inspection records the condition, cleanliness, contents and decorative state of a property at a particular point in time. Its purpose is primarily evidential. It establishes what was present at the start of a tenancy, records changes during the tenancy or compares the property’s final condition with the original record.
An inventory clerk might record:
A housing standards assessor may need to consider a much wider question:
The first statement is an observation. The second is a risk assessment that may carry statutory consequences.
An inventory clerk should record visible evidence clearly and accurately, but an ordinary inventory does not amount to an HHSRS assessment, a surveyor’s report or confirmation that a property complies with housing law.
Would inventory clerks carry out these inspections?
There is currently no confirmed national policy, qualification framework or procurement model from which to answer that question.
It would therefore be misleading to claim that a national Property Check scheme would automatically create a new statutory role for existing inventory clerks.
If a national programme were proposed, three details would determine its effect on the profession:
- Who would be authorised to carry out the inspection?
This could be limited to council officers, environmental health professionals or people holding specified housing qualifications. Alternatively, part of the initial evidence gathering could be commissioned externally. No national decision has been made.
- What standard would the inspector apply?
An inspection based on HHSRS would require the assessor to understand hazards, likelihood, vulnerable groups and the potential severity of harm. That goes beyond recording visible condition.
- What legal effect would the report have?
An inventory report is normally evidence for the parties, a deposit adjudicator or a court. A statutory housing inspection may directly inform enforcement action. The evidential and professional responsibilities would therefore be different. Inventory clerks already possess relevant practical skills, including systematic observation, dated photography, accurate descriptions and neutral reporting. Those skills could be useful within a wider inspection system.
They would not, by themselves, make someone qualified or authorised to complete a statutory housing standards assessment.
What does independence mean in this context?
The word “independent” needs to be used carefully. In the Greater Manchester model, the relevant independence comes from the check being conducted through local public services rather than relying entirely on the landlord’s or tenant’s account of the condition.
That is not exactly the same as instructing an independent inventory clerk.
A professional inventory clerk is usually appointed and paid by a landlord, agent or property operator. The clerk should nevertheless have no interest in producing a particular finding or influencing the result of a later deposit dispute. Their role is to record the property accurately rather than decide liability or recommend a deduction. Independence can strengthen the credibility of a report, but it does not automatically make the evidence conclusive.
The Tenancy Deposit Scheme states that there are no restrictions on who may conduct a check-out. It advises that the report should be clear and comprehensive and says that, regardless of who produces it, the quality of its content and the information it provides are what ultimately count. Dated photographs and evidence that the tenant had an opportunity to review the record can also strengthen it.
The strongest principle is therefore not simply that an independent person wrote the report. It is that the record is detailed, objective, dated, consistent and capable of being tested against other evidence.
Could an inventory support a housing standards investigation?
Potentially, but it would remain supporting evidence rather than a substitute for the investigation.
A detailed inventory, midterm inspection or check-out report might help establish:
• When a visible condition first appeared
• Whether it worsened over time
• What the landlord, agent or tenant was told
• Whether repairs had apparently taken place
• Whether the same concern was visible during an earlier inspection
• The observable condition of the property on a particular date
A council officer could consider that evidence alongside tenant complaints, repair records, correspondence, professional reports and their own inspection.
The clerk should still avoid diagnosing the cause of a condition unless they are properly qualified to do so.
For example, it may be appropriate to record:
It would be less appropriate for an ordinary inventory report to state:
The first records what is visible. The second reaches a technical conclusion about cause.
Why the underlying principle still matters
The most relevant connection to the inventory profession is the importance of reliable evidence.
Housing standards officers, deposit adjudicators and courts may all be asked to reach conclusions about a property they did not observe at an earlier point in time.
Clear records can help them understand:
• What was present
• Where it was located
• How extensive it appeared
• When it was recorded
• Whether it later changed
• What action followed
That is why neutral language, methodical inspections and dated photographs matter.
The inventory clerk does not need to decide whether a condition is legally actionable. Their immediate responsibility is to ensure that the evidence does not become less useful through vague wording, missing locations, unsupported diagnosis or poor photography.
What should clerks do now?
Nothing about a clerk’s legal role changes because Andy Burnham has become Prime Minister.
Clerks should continue to:
• Record observable condition accurately
• Separate observation from diagnosis
• Avoid deciding liability within a factual condition description
• Photograph concerns clearly and in context
• Follow the reporting or escalation procedure agreed with the client
• Avoid presenting an inventory as a safety inspection or compliance certificate
• Recommend appropriate specialist attention where their instructions permit it, without diagnosing the cause themselves
Where a serious and immediate concern is observed, the clerk should follow the relevant emergency or escalation process rather than assume that including it in the final report is sufficient.
The takeaway
Andy Burnham previously backed a Greater Manchester system through which renters could request a Property Check by local teams, followed by enforcement where necessary.
He is now Prime Minister, making that previous policy more nationally significant. It does not, however, make it national government policy.
A housing standards inspection and a tenancy inventory remain different services. One assesses risks and may support statutory enforcement. The other creates a detailed record of condition at a particular point in time.
Inventory clerks already use some of the observational skills that a wider inspection system would require. But unless a future policy specifically defines a role for them, it would be premature to suggest that clerks would conduct statutory checks or that existing inventory qualifications would be sufficient.
For now, the practical lesson is simpler: accurate, neutral and dated evidence remains valuable under any housing policy because it allows decisions to be based on what can be demonstrated rather than what either party merely asserts.
Information checked on 22 July 2026. This is a time sensitive policy article and should be reviewed if the government announces new private rented sector inspection or housing standards measures.
