It appears yes, according to a document produced by all 3 deposit
schemes, although not a resounding yes from how we read it. The joint publication of a "Guide to Deposits, Disputes and Damages"
produced last week says that "All three deposit protection providers
have signed up to the guidelines in this document, and will continue
to operate their dispute resolution services using these principles". The document goes on to talk about what evidence is admissible and
quote "Photographic evidence can be used to support, or defend a claim
against a deposit", however it says further "Video evidence can also
be useful where photographic evidence is unclear or unavailable". This means we think that video is secondary as a form of evidence in
comparison to traditional photographic evidence and is to be used only
if inadequate photographic evidence is available. For a long while we have looked at and even experimented with a number
of ways of documenting the condition and contents of rental
properties. Years ago when photographic support material was both
cumbersome and expensive, it was rare to supply photographs, but now
of course it's easy and very inexpensive and allows us to record an
infinite number of pictures to support written evidence. Whatever photographic support material is used, it must be easily
useable, and as the document indicates "Only photos that are relevant
should be submitted. Ideally, ‘before and after’ photos should be
submitted with a clear narrative as to what the photo is showing e.g.
colours, item description, marks on surfaces etc". This is difficult, cumbersome and maybe sometimes impossible with
video."There is nothing worse for an adjudicator to have to sit
through hours of video to get the problem area or to miss the issue
entirely", the report says. Whatever method used, we're commited to making it easy for
adjudicators to decide on relevance and whether a claim is valid or
not. This means we will continue to provide highly detailed written
explanations of every component of a property and its contents along
with easily identifiable support material, including photographs. Any
other method will unlikely meet our standards, for now anyway,
although we're always on the lookout for anything which can enhance
the service we provide.
schemes, although not a resounding yes from how we read it. The joint publication of a "Guide to Deposits, Disputes and Damages"
produced last week says that "All three deposit protection providers
have signed up to the guidelines in this document, and will continue
to operate their dispute resolution services using these principles". The document goes on to talk about what evidence is admissible and
quote "Photographic evidence can be used to support, or defend a claim
against a deposit", however it says further "Video evidence can also
be useful where photographic evidence is unclear or unavailable". This means we think that video is secondary as a form of evidence in
comparison to traditional photographic evidence and is to be used only
if inadequate photographic evidence is available. For a long while we have looked at and even experimented with a number
of ways of documenting the condition and contents of rental
properties. Years ago when photographic support material was both
cumbersome and expensive, it was rare to supply photographs, but now
of course it's easy and very inexpensive and allows us to record an
infinite number of pictures to support written evidence. Whatever photographic support material is used, it must be easily
useable, and as the document indicates "Only photos that are relevant
should be submitted. Ideally, ‘before and after’ photos should be
submitted with a clear narrative as to what the photo is showing e.g.
colours, item description, marks on surfaces etc". This is difficult, cumbersome and maybe sometimes impossible with
video."There is nothing worse for an adjudicator to have to sit
through hours of video to get the problem area or to miss the issue
entirely", the report says. Whatever method used, we're commited to making it easy for
adjudicators to decide on relevance and whether a claim is valid or
not. This means we will continue to provide highly detailed written
explanations of every component of a property and its contents along
with easily identifiable support material, including photographs. Any
other method will unlikely meet our standards, for now anyway,
although we're always on the lookout for anything which can enhance
the service we provide.