Furnishings and fixtures in rental properties are wearing out 30% faster than before the pandemic due to the increase in people working from home according to Inventory base.

Prior to the pandemic only 26.7% of people said they had done any work from home at any point during the previous 12 months. Now that number has surged to an estimated 41% of the UK workforce resulting in more time spent at home meaning greater daily wear on carpets, sofas, walls, and other fittings. 

Siân Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Inventory Base, said: “With so many of us working from home, the pressure on rental properties has changed. Yet, the guidelines and expectations around wear and tear haven’t kept up. That disconnect is causing confusion, disputes, and unnecessary friction between landlords, tenants and ultimately the property manager and inventory clerks who manage the dispute process. 

“At Inventory Base, we’re at the heart of these conversations. We see how the smallest details - like defining normal use versus damage - can create massive downstream issues.. These aren’t confined to legal matters; they affect trust, relationships, and people’s livelihoods. Rental regulations need to catch up with reality.  In my experience, when we get the basics right, such as clear guidance, open communication and fair expectations, everything else runs more smoothly.”

Inventory Base has calculated that due this increase, the additional use of fixtures and furnishings in the home means that their expected average lifespan has reduced by an estimated average of -30% with a medium quality carpet in a rental home, which was expected to last an average of eight years, can now only be reasonably expected to last 5.6 years. 

The average standard sofa was also expected to have a lifespan of eight years, has again been reduced to 5.6 years, while the average three-year lifespan of painting and decorating (hallways, landings, stairs, etc) has been cut to 2.1 years.