FettlrEverything agencies ask, answered plainly.
If something isn't covered here, ask us directly — we would rather answer an awkward question than have you find out later.
The product
Does it work with our inventory format?
It reads the finished PDF, whichever company or platform produced it, and keeps the reference numbers and wording exactly as written. If a particular document cannot be parsed cleanly, you are told before anyone walks a property rather than during.
We already use an inventory platform. Doesn’t that cover this?
Inventory platforms produce the check-in document and, in some cases, let a tenant comment on it inside your system while you subscribe. Fettlr is aimed at the other end: structuring the check-out response against that document, in a format that leaves your side as a standalone PDF. The two sit alongside each other.
How long does a property take?
About as long as a careful walk-through already takes. The difference is what you have at the end of it — a complete referenced record rather than a folder of images to sort out later.
Does it need a signal in the property?
Photographs and notes are captured on the device. Empty flats with poor reception are the normal case, not the exception, and the app is built for that.
What if an item can't be reached or photographed?
It is recorded as not inspected, with a reason, and appears that way in the summary. A gap shown as a gap is far better than a gap quietly left out, which is what an adjudicator will assume happened anyway.
Your position
Isn't this taking the tenant’s side against our landlord?
Evidence has no side. A tenant with a proper record accepts a fair deduction quickly, because they can see for themselves that it is fair. A tenant with nothing argues about everything, because they have no way to tell the difference.
The landlord’s evidential position is unchanged either way. What changes is how long it takes and how much of your team's time it consumes.
What if the record contradicts our clerk’s report?
You would rather know at check-in, when it can be corrected for nothing, than at adjudication, when it costs a claim. Contradictions found early are the cheapest thing in this process.
Are we liable if a deduction later fails?
Fettlr is a record-keeping tool. It does not decide whether a deduction is reasonable and does not advise on it. Where liability sits between agent, landlord and scheme is unchanged by using it.
Do we take on a data protection obligation?
Where an agency runs Fettlr on its own properties, you are handling property photographs as you already do at check-out. Where it is issued to a tenant, the record is compiled by the tenant. We will walk through the specifics with your compliance lead before you start — it is a short conversation, and worth having properly.
Can we require tenants to use it?
Offer it, don't require it. A tenant should never be told that declining leaves them worse off, because it doesn't — the burden of proving a deduction sits with the landlord either way. Offered as a convenience, uptake is good; imposed as a condition, it creates a problem you do not need.
Commercials and setup
What does it cost?
It is charged per tenancy documented rather than per seat, with the rate falling as portfolio size rises. Because the right figure depends on your volumes, we quote on the first call rather than publishing a number that would be wrong for most agencies.
How long does setup take?
There is nothing to install on your systems and no integration to build. Your first property can run the same day.
Is there a contract or minimum term?
No minimum term, no notice period, no setup fee.
What happens to our reports if we stop using it?
Each report is a PDF you already hold on file. Nothing is withdrawn or locked behind a subscription.
Who is behind it?
Fettlr is early and built by a small team. That means you get direct access to the person who wrote it and real influence over what gets built next — and it means we are straightforward with you about what the product does not do yet.
Still have a question?
The people who run tenancies every day know things we don't. If you will spend twenty minutes telling us what is wrong with it, we will listen carefully.