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Atlantic Inspections
Independent Property Inspections · North Devon & North Cornwall
The regulatory landscape has changed. Documentation is no longer optional.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026, marking the most significant overhaul of the private rented sector in a generation. Phase 2 — bringing with it a mandatory national Private Rented Sector Database, in which every landlord and every property must be registered, and a Private Rented Sector Ombudsman — is due to begin rolling out from late 2026.
The direction of regulation is clear, and it is accelerating.
For landlords, letting agents, social housing providers and housing associations, the question is no longer whether to take compliance seriously. It is whether your records are accurate, independent and defensible when they need to be.
Why independent inspection matters now
Damp, mould and disrepair are no longer maintenance inconveniences. They are legal liabilities.
Awaab's Law came into force for social housing on 27 October 2025, imposing fixed legal timescales for investigating and remediating serious hazards including damp and mould. Named in memory of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died following prolonged exposure to mould in his family's social housing home, it marks a fundamental shift in how the law treats landlord inaction. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 includes provisions to extend these obligations to the private rented sector — what applies in social housing today sets the standard for private landlords tomorrow.
The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 requires all landlords to ensure their properties are fit for human habitation throughout any tenancy, with tenants able to take direct legal action if they fall below that standard. An independent inspection record is your evidence that conditions were assessed and action was taken.
Local authority enforcement is being substantially resourced. The government has allocated £60 million to councils across England — £18.2 million in November 2025, followed by £41 million in April 2026 — to fund new enforcement duties under the Renters' Rights Act. All 317 local authorities are now legally obliged to enforce compliance. Fines for serious or repeated breaches have risen to £40,000, and expanded powers including unannounced entry to properties have been in effect since December 2025.
For professional landlords, letting agents and housing providers, the risk equation has fundamentally changed.
Who this service is for
Private landlords need accurate, dated, independent records to demonstrate that they responded to reported issues, that their property met the required standard, and that any hazard was investigated and addressed promptly. Without independent documentation, their account of events carries considerably less evidential weight.
Letting agents are professionals in the landlord–tenant chain. When a complaint escalates — to a deposit adjudication, the Housing Ombudsman, or a local authority — the agent's file is examined first. Internal notes do not carry the weight of an independent report produced by someone with no commercial interest in the outcome.
Social housing providers and housing associations are already within scope of Awaab's Law and face the most immediate legal obligations. Independent condition reporting and damp and mould assessments provide the evidential baseline required to demonstrate timely, compliant action.
Local authorities with housing management and enforcement functions can commission independent inspection reports to support investigation, formal action and evidential requirements.
What independent inspection provides
An independent property inspection by Atlantic Consultant provides a structured, professionally documented assessment of a property's condition — produced by someone with no interest in the outcome except accuracy. Reports are delivered as structured PDF documents, typically within three to five working days of inspection.
Where appropriate, inspections can include aerial photographic evidence, providing exterior condition documentation for larger or complex properties that ground-level photography cannot fully capture.
Inspection services cover:
Damp, mould and condensation assessment
Room-by-room assessment with identification of likely cause, risk rating per affected area and a clear action plan. Structured to evidence compliance with Awaab's Law obligations for social landlords, and proactive compliance for private landlords ahead of future extension.
Turnaround and urgent instructions
In most cases, we can attend an inspection within three to five working days of instruction. Reports are delivered within three to five working days of the inspection date.
Where a faster turnaround is required — whether due to an escalating complaint, impending legal proceedings or an urgent compliance deadline — please contact us directly. We will do everything we can to accommodate urgent instructions. Expedited inspections, including weekend attendance, are available and priced accordingly.
Coverage
Atlantic Consultant provides independent property inspections throughout North Devon and North Cornwall. We regularly cover the full coastal and rural extent of both areas, from Bude and Boscastle to Ilfracombe and Lynton, and the towns, villages and rural holdings in between.
Inspection coverage could extend to West Somerset and South Devon — please contact us to discuss requirements.
A note on independence
The value of an inspection report is inseparable from the independence of the person who produced it. Atlantic Consultant has no relationships with contractors, maintenance providers or property sales services. Our findings reflect what is present in a property — nothing more and nothing less. That independence is the reason our reports carry evidential weight.
Every inspection is carried out personally by Jasper van der Zalm, founder of Atlantic Consultant.
Clients deal directly with the person whose name is on the report.
Discuss your requirements
Whether you need a single inspection report or are looking to establish an ongoing compliance arrangement for a portfolio or managed estate, the starting point is a direct conversation.
We respond to all enquiries personally and promptly.